This is a dark tale about how a not so young academic left holding the baby, helpless and abandoned by its previous VC. Follow the twists and turns as Stevon attempts to undo the damage wrought by this shadowy figure, referred to only as the Rat. Will they all survive? Will NSS scores continue to go down? Will the staff survey ever improve? Read this horror story and see if there’s an end in sight.
Glad to see this excellent blog is back after a long absence. It is needed more than ever, as the monumental act of vicious, self-destructive madness that is Cunning Plan 2020 begins to bite. Loyal staff of many years’ standing are being purged, departments devastated and students deprived of their supervisors midway through their dissertations – proving further that the SMT does not give a flying **** about students, except as a source of money and positive NSS ratings. Not that KU is likely to get many of those in the years it has left.
The SMT is taking KU down like the Titanic. Only instead of the mask of class and snobbery, we have management-speak bullshit and empty soundbites. Staff need to remember at all times that they are lions led by donkeys. When Plan2020 inevitably accelerates KU’s further collapse in the league tables and NSS scores, we all need to remember that it is not the fault of hardworking staff, but of the SMT that monopolises decision-making and treats all expressions of dissenting views as treason. Not that that stops them forcing us to attend interminable ‘Open Days’ so we can all pretend to be included in the discussion.
This blog needs Twitter and Facebook accounts; time to spread the word of what the SMT is doing to KU’s staff and students.
Thanks for your supportive comments. Apologies for the posting hiatus. We’ve all been on our summer holidays attempting to forget the KU nightmare. Any readers who wish to contribute are welcome to do so.