Open University vice-chancellor resigns after controversial comments about academics not teaching
Peter Horrocks’s decision comes after staff pass vote of no confidence in 58-year-old
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Your support makes all the difference.The Open University’s vice-chancellor has quit following controversial comments in which he claimed staff were “not teaching” and dismissed cuts as “reprioritising”.
Peter Horrocks’s resignation came after staff passed a vote of no confidence in the 58-year-old last week and members of the University and College Union (UCU) said his position was untenable.
Mr Horrocks planned to cut hundreds of jobs and reduce the number of courses the OU offered by a third.
UCU members said the cuts would “destroy” the institution and reduce it to a “digital content provider”.
In a statement, Mr Horrocks said he was standing down with “immediate effect” as he was “ready to move on, having achieved my primary goals at the OU”.
The vice-chancellor caused particular anger after he claimed the university had allowed academics “to get away with not teaching for decades” – comments he later apologised for.
UCU regional official Lydia Richards said: “Staff made it quite clear that the vice-chancellor had to go and we are pleased he has finally got that message.
“The Open University is a fantastic institution and Horrocks’s replacement must defend the unique role it plays in our education system and the work of its staff.
“The university leadership team should now scrap the damaging plans to cut jobs and courses, and work with us to develop a more positive strategy for the future of the institution.”
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