As an ex-University of the West of England employee, I was intrigued that the Bristol Blogger was taken off for a period today over 'allegations' click here about a former UWE vic-chancellor Sir Howard Newby.
Interesting.
I wonder if I will be close down for typing 'Interesting'.
Any way lets keep linking to the Bristol blogger.
This is worth looking at when it comes to looking at http://ecologics.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/lord-leitchs-levers-part-3/
This is from the http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/jul/23/highereducation.uk, (don't get me started on Rory Carroll, aargh!)
The use of management consultancy firms linked to both Sir Howard and his wife, assistant vice-chancellor Lady Sheila Newby, also caused concern.
"They were private companies with no idea about university or academe telling us how to do things and what to do. People got upset because he was running the university life a little fiefdom and giving very big contracts to his mates," said one academic, who preferred not to be named.
The Council for Racial Equality also pulled the university up for failing to do an equality audit before advertising several readership appointments, after a complaint by the UCU.
And the union initiated a dispute earlier this year over the imposition of a new academic calendar without any serious consultation, which compressed holidays so people could not take a summer break because of marking duties. The governors eventually withdrew it in March.
6 comments:
There are several Sir Howard Newby articles on Ecologics missing,
http://ecologics.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/howard-newby-at-liverpool-university/
and
http://ecologics.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-uwe-experiment-and-why-it-matters-to-higher-education-in-the-uk-and-beyond/
So he does appear to be to going round the web systematically trying to remove criticism, obviously never heard of the Barbara Streisand effect
'allegedly' we don't know it is him but yes all bloggers should make blogging about Sir Howard Newby a priority, plenty of interesting material published by bigger fish media.
Must try to find some links, if the Bristol blogger had not been pulled for a while I would not have taken an interest.
A Google Search elicited this cached version of the Bristol Blogger Article
UWE Vice-Chancellor Sir Howard Newby is quitting the university, less than two years in to the job, after becoming embroiled in a major conflict of interest scandal between the university and his private education business Carter and Carter. The episode is said to have caused “disquiet” among many on the university’s governing body.
Serious concerns were raised about Newby when it was revealed recently he had concluded a deal on UWE’s behalf with a private sector training company, Carter and Carter. Newby, however is a director of the company and was therefore effectively awarding himself a lucrative public sector contract! Questions have also been asked about his relationship to the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Her name is Lady Sheila Newby!
Newby will not be walking away in disgrace however. He’s secured another plum job with a six figure salary as Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool University and a glowing thank you from UWE’s governing body. One rule for them and all that…
As far as The Blogger’s concerned The European City of Culture 2008 is welcome to the disreputable scumbag. What kind of knight of the realm and supposed hotshot academic is it that wouldn’t recognise a conflict of interest if it was boning him up the backside? Although it’s more likely, judging by Newby’s attitude and behaviour in general, that he’s yet another of these pompous establishment figures on-the-make who don’t think the same rules apply to them as to everyone else.
Newby leaves the university in a mess. In common with most high-flying public sector bosses these days, his one big idea was privatision which he has pursued with a vengeance (and a good deal of self-interest). This has been predictably combined with a series of cuts across the university in teaching staff and courses and has seen paying students’ class sizes increase and contact time with lecturers decrease.
Both the staff and student body at UWE have been becoming increasingly agitated under Newby’s management and, no doubt, will not be missing him or his cost-cutting internal “restructuring” strategies. As for Newby’s big idea to turn UWE into a piece of jargon called a “knowledge exchange” that lies well and truly in tatters. The only exchange that’s gone on at UWE recently seems to be public cash into Newby’s private hands.
The episode also, once again, shows up the dire state of the media in Bristol. Despite Newby’s behaviour being reported in Private Eye and exclusively on the net by The Bristol Blogger, no local media outlet has seen fit to run the story or use their considerable resources to investigate further.
This comes just weeks after Bristol’s NUJ demanded a pay rise for Cancer journalists pompously proclaiming “We hold many of Bristol’s decision-makers accountable on a daily basis.”
Not in this case they didn’t. A local chief exec – on a six-figure salary courtesy of the tax payer – of one of Bristol’s largest institutions and biggest land owners with well documented Merchant Venturer connections awards his own company big money contracts and not a mention in the press? Dearie me. What’s that all about then? Surely the Cancer’s journalists weren’t too busy holding decision-makers accountable by typing out press releases from cancer charities to bother with a real story were they?
I think we should be told.
A Google search elicited the this cached record of the supressed Bristol Blogger Article:
UWE Vice-Chancellor Sir Howard Newby is quitting the university, less than two years in to the job, after becoming embroiled in a major conflict of interest scandal between the university and his private education business Carter and Carter. The episode is said to have caused “disquiet” among many on the university’s governing body.
Serious concerns were raised about Newby when it was revealed recently he had concluded a deal on UWE’s behalf with a private sector training company, Carter and Carter. Newby, however is a director of the company and was therefore effectively awarding himself a lucrative public sector contract! Questions have also been asked about his relationship to the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Her name is Lady Sheila Newby!
Newby will not be walking away in disgrace however. He’s secured another plum job with a six figure salary as Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool University and a glowing thank you from UWE’s governing body. One rule for them and all that…
As far as The Blogger’s concerned The European City of Culture 2008 is welcome to the disreputable scumbag. What kind of knight of the realm and supposed hotshot academic is it that wouldn’t recognise a conflict of interest if it was boning him up the backside? Although it’s more likely, judging by Newby’s attitude and behaviour in general, that he’s yet another of these pompous establishment figures on-the-make who don’t think the same rules apply to them as to everyone else.
Newby leaves the university in a mess. In common with most high-flying public sector bosses these days, his one big idea was privatision which he has pursued with a vengeance (and a good deal of self-interest). This has been predictably combined with a series of cuts across the university in teaching staff and courses and has seen paying students’ class sizes increase and contact time with lecturers decrease.
Both the staff and student body at UWE have been becoming increasingly agitated under Newby’s management and, no doubt, will not be missing him or his cost-cutting internal “restructuring” strategies. As for Newby’s big idea to turn UWE into a piece of jargon called a “knowledge exchange” that lies well and truly in tatters. The only exchange that’s gone on at UWE recently seems to be public cash into Newby’s private hands.
The episode also, once again, shows up the dire state of the media in Bristol. Despite Newby’s behaviour being reported in Private Eye and exclusively on the net by The Bristol Blogger, no local media outlet has seen fit to run the story or use their considerable resources to investigate further.
This comes just weeks after Bristol’s NUJ demanded a pay rise for Cancer journalists pompously proclaiming “We hold many of Bristol’s decision-makers accountable on a daily basis.”
Not in this case they didn’t. A local chief exec – on a six-figure salary courtesy of the tax payer – of one of Bristol’s largest institutions and biggest land owners with well documented Merchant Venturer connections awards his own company big money contracts and not a mention in the press? Dearie me. What’s that all about then? Surely the Cancer’s journalists weren’t too busy holding decision-makers accountable by typing out press releases from cancer charities to bother with a real story were they?
I think we should be told.
Howard Newby was an opportunist when he was a student at Essex a fencesitter when a young lecturer and an ambitious careerist so no surprise that he ends up as a privatising manager of Universities!
sheila newby? Questions about her shady student past should be asked Another opportunist. Like husband like wife.
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