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Bournemouth University staff deliver vote of no confidence in 'Ratner' vice-chancellor

3 April 2008

Staff at Bournemouth University have delivered a damning vote of no confidence in vice-chancellor Professor Paul Curran.

Members of UCU delivered the verdict on Curran, who has made 100 academics redundant since taking over in September 2006, through a ballot of its local members. The action mirrors that taken by Bournemouth students in October last year when they passed a motion of no confidence in Curran.

The ballot, which delivered a scathing verdict of 93.4 per cent in favour of the no confidence vote, followed mounting disquiet over Professor Curran's changes to the university's educational character. Staff have complained that his approach to a wide variety of employment matters, the introduction of local contracts and the erosion of nationally agreed terms and conditions and a recent round of compulsory redundancies left them with no option but to censure him.

Last October, Curran incurred the wrath of his staff following an outburst described as a 'Ratner moment' when he criticised the teaching at the university and suggested it was only Bournemouth's climate and proximity to the coast that attracted students to the University. Distancing themselves from Curran's comments, likened to those made by Gerald Ratner in 1991 when he admitted to selling 'crap' in his high street shops, staff refused to condone Curran's approach to public relations or to badmouth the University themselves.

Following the announcement of the ballot result, UCU branch secretary Paul Freedman said: 'This result shows the degree of anger and disappointment at the current actions of the vice-chancellor and his management team. We are not against change but it has got to build on our educational assets and retain the goodwill of staff. Our fear is that the very bedrock of what makes a decent university are will be trashed in a headlong rush to change. We urge them to slow down.'

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Staff at Bournemouth have had to take this drastic step because of the actions of their vice-chancellor. No university can ever lose sight of its primary functions and expect to retain the respect of the academic world. UCU nationally fully supports the staff at Bournemouth and the vice-chancellor must listen to their concerns at his plans and also his recent actions.'

Last updated: 14 December 2015

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