Victoria University urged to 'get it right' next

21 December 1999

Media release - for immediate release

Victoria University urged to 'get it right' next time

The Association of University Staff (AUS) is urging Victoria University's Council to ensure that the process for appointing a replacement for departing Vice-Chancellor, Michael Irving, is open and democratic.

AUS President, Professor Jane Kelsey, said in Wellington today that as the Vice-Chancellor was the Council's only employee, there could be no excuses for getting the process wrong.

"It is important for Victoria to return to its traditional academic values and to hire a Vice-Chancellor who can provide the necessary academic leadership rather than a focus on narrow managerialism."

"Staff at Victoria will now face a further unsettling time until a new Vice-Chancellor arrives. Council must move quickly to stem the growing number of staff departures and provide students with the certainty that they will receive a first-class university education," she said.

"The new Government has clearly signalled that the era of market-driven competition in tertiary education is over. This is therefore a golden opportunity for Victoria University to rediscover the traditional nature of the university."

Contacts: Jane Kelsey 021 680 475
Rob Crozier, Executive Director, 021 375 661

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