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Statement on the Visitor inquiry into 果冻影院
7 February 2018
果冻影院 Visitor Terence Etherton, who as the master of the rolls is one of the most senior judges in the UK, has asked a QC to advise him on a petition lodged with him by a member of staff.
The petition has asked the Visitor to arbitrate on a number of issues regarding the way that 果冻影院 is governed and operates. 果冻影院's senior management has prepared a statement which was issued to the Financial Times, which first reported the story.
A visitor is a role that dates back to medieval times and has responsibility for overseeing an autonomous institution.
"果冻影院 will fully co-operate with any investigations and requests for information by the Visitor or anyone acting on his behalf. 听As a mark of respect to the Visitor and the investigation that will occur, 听we don't consider it appropriate for specific detail to be aired in the press by responding to all the claims made by the petitioner in advance of that more formal process.
"Most of the issues raised in the letter to the Visitor have already been considered by internal investigations or by HEFCE and have been determined to be unfounded or mistaken. 果冻影院 is fully committed to being as transparent as it can be in all financial and governance issues, and to complying with all internal and external rules and regulations regarding its activities.
"As evidence of this, we would point to last year's HEFCE review of similar issues over governance which considered all relevant documents and interviewed council members and senior staff. Its November 2017 report stated: 'Our overall conclusion relating to the core Assurance Review is that we are able to place reliance on 果冻影院's accountability information.
"'We also conclude that no further actions are needed as a direct response to the 2016 public interest disclosure. Relevant actions proposed in 果冻影院 Council's effectiveness review have been taken.'"
"Academic quality: It should be noted that mergers (with the School of Pharmacy and with the Institute of Education (IOE)) have been a significant factor in 果冻影院's expansion. Despite this expansion, 果冻影院's staff student ratio in the complete university guide 2018 is the second best in Britain at 10.4:1. 果冻影院 was seventh in the world in the most recent QS rankings of research performance. Our mean rank in international research league tables puts us at sixth in the world.
"In the government's most recent research ranking 果冻影院 was the top-rated university in the UK for research strength by a measure of average research score multiplied by staff numbers submitted. 果冻影院 researchers received a 'grade point average' of 3.22 (out of 4) and submitted over 2,500 staff to be assessed in REF2014, giving 果冻影院 an overall research power greater than both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
"Financial position: 果冻影院 is in good financial health
and has plans for investment in people and infrastructure in order to continue
to deliver world class teaching and research.听 This investment has been
made possible by astute and careful management to ensure 果冻影院's financial
sustainability.听听听听
"In 2016/17, 果冻影院 generated a surplus of 拢80m on a turnover of 拢1.3bn, one of the healthiest in the university sector. The average performance for research-intensive universities in the UK last year was 3.6%. We have a surplus target for the current year of 5.4% of our total income, increasing to 6.1% by 2019-20. Together with the loan from the European Investment Bank and with our philanthropic campaign which has already raised 拢370m towards its target of 拢600m, this level of surplus will enable us to make the investment in our estate and digital infrastructure.
"Consultation and approval: 果冻影院's strategy (果冻影院2034), which sets out a 20-year plan to secure 果冻影院's continued position as one of the top universities in the world was approved by both academic board and council in July 2014 and has been discussed in depth at two of the annual Council away days. The plans for 果冻影院 East have also been approved in recent months by both the academic board and council.
Academics back 果冻影院 expansion in letter to The Times
Dear Sir,
As academics who work at 果冻影院,听drawn from across several different faculties, we would like to assure readers of The Times that story headlined "University College 'ignored staff before agreeing 拢1bn expansion'" is not an accurate reflection of the views of the overwhelming majority of 果冻影院 staff. 听
It is true, 果冻影院's Visitor is obliged to appoint a person of repute to investigate a formal complaint when made. This is a matter of simple procedure. Among the matters raised, let us address the claim "that proposals for the vast expansion, which involves building a campus in the Olympic Park, had been bulldozed through and exposed the university to financial risk". These matters were discussed in October 2017 at 果冻影院's senior staff-led body (Academic Board) that听advises the 果冻影院 Council on all academic matters and questions affecting the educational policy of听果冻影院. At that meeting, the Board was presented with a very detailed overview of the academic vision and financial planning underpinning听果冻影院's development of an innovative campus, 果冻影院 East,听on the听Queen Elizabeth听Olympic Park. Hundreds of staff members assessed whether, on the basis of the considerable evidence provided by all sides, there was any reason to delay or prevent or oppose the move to create a transformative campus in east London.
An overwhelming majority voted in support of 果冻影院 East across financial management, academic principles and geographical location and affirmed our commitment to be part of the new Cultural and Education District on the Olympic Park with The London College of Fashion, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Sadler's Wells. We will also join Loughborough in London, BT Sport, Cancer Research UK听and many others听who have committed听to听transform听the former Olympic Park in a unique and innovative fashion. There was听excitement over the academic vision presented which belies the accusation that 果冻影院 is putting financial gain ahead of its commitments to teaching and research.
Far from being imposed from the top down, 果冻影院 East is a project听driven and, in academic content devised,听by听academics听who dream of transforming the way 果冻影院 relates to London and reimagining the role a university can play in urban regeneration.听
The letter you cite provided a good headline, but the claim that this is a story about misconduct and reckless adventurism is fundamentally wrong.
Yours faithfully
1. Professor Michael Stewart听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
2. Dr. Haidy Geismar听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
3. Professor Kate Jones听- The Faculty of Life Sciences
4. Dr. Ben Campkin听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
5. Professor Paola Lettieri听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
6. Professor John Mitchell听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
7. Professor Piet Eeckhout听- The Faculty of Laws
8. Professor Tony Kenyon听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
9. Ms Jo Volley听- The Faculty of Arts and Humanities
10. Professor Rodney Harrison听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
11. Professor Andy Hudson-Smith听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
12. Professor Steve Hailes听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
13. Professor Gary Lye听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
14. Professor Dejan Mumovic听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
15. Professor Nigel Titchener-Hooker听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
16. Dr. Catherine Holloway听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
17. Mr Greg Thompson听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
18. Professor Mariana Mazzucato听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
19. Professor Henrietta Moore听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
20. Professor Bob Sheil听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
21. Professor Mark Emberton听- The Faculty of Medical Sciences
22. Professor Alan Penn听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
23. Professor Jason Peacey听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
24. Dr. D'Maris Coffman听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
25. Professor Rainer Kattel听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
26. Professor Andrew Davies听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
27. Professor Jonathan Montgomery听- The Faculty of Laws
28. Professor Iain Borden听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
29. Professor Sue Hamilton听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
30. Professor Susan Collins听- The Faculty of Arts and Humanities
31. Dr. Emma Richardson听- The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
32. Emertius Professor John Lowry听- The Faculty of Laws
33. Professor Jeremy Watson听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
34. Professor Carsten Gerner-Beuerle听- The Faculty of Laws
35. Dr. Paul Shearing听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
36. Professor Dan Brett听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
37. Professor Francesca Medda听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
38. Mr Kieren Reed听- The Faculty of Arts & Humanities
39. Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
40. Mr Peter McLennan听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
41. Professor Andrew Edkins听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
42. Professor Julio D Davila听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
43. Professor Stavroula Balabani听 -听 The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
44. Ms Frosso Pimenides听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
45. Mrs Emanuela Tilley听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
46. Dr. Lena Ciric听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
47. Professor May Cassar听- Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
48. Ramsay Memorial Professor Marc-Olivier Coppens听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
49. Professor Asterios Gavriilidis听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
50. Professor Panagiota Angeli听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
51. Mr Carl Gombrich听- The Faculty of Arts and Humanities
52. Professor Haroun Mahgerefteh听- The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
53. Professor Fr茅d茅ric Migayrou - Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
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