UCU responds to appointment of new vice-chancellor at London Met University

The union said that although Professor Gillies certainly had his work cut out, it was pleased there was finally a fresh perspective at the top of the institution and said sorting out who was to blame for the desperate situation LMU is currently in had to be his number one priority.
 
UCU said that Professor Gillies needed to carefully study the long-awaited Melville report into failings that have left the university millions of pounds in debt and caused chaos for staff and student
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'One could put a good case forward to suggest that leading LMU is the most challenging vice-chancellor job in the UK and we wish Professor Gillies every success as he takes up the post. One of the greatest challenges will be sorting out the mess that his colleagues have presided over. We find it quite incredible that the senior management team that brought LMU to the brink of collapse is still in place.
 
'We shall be studying the forthcoming Melville report looking at those failings in great detail and urge Professor Gillies to do likewise. His reported pro-academic arguments when it comes to who actually runs a university chimed with UCU members when he resigned as vice-chancellor of City University and we look forward to working with him to resolve the current shambles at LMU.'
 
Professor Gillies is currently Professor of Music at City University having resigned as vice-chancellor in July over a reported disagreement about university governance. The appointment comes at the end of a process that began back in March. Professor Gillies will take up the post in early 2010.