Cambridge fears 'dictator v-cs'

Cambridge University's plans to hand new executive powers to its vice-chancellor are dangerous and ill-conceived and will undermine its dons' historical right to democratic self-rule, the university's internal watchdog has warned.

The board of scrutiny has stepped into the heated debate about reform of governance and management, warning that there could be "immense damage" if the vice-chancellor were allowed to operate unchecked. It said the university should reaffirm its commitment to democratic self-rule by its scholars.

Academics echoed the warnings in an emergency Senate House discussion called after a petition last week.

The university wants to modernise its governance, which has been criticised for being laborious and unaccountable, to ensure that it can continue to react quickly to change and keep up with global rivals. A consultation published in February proposes transforming the role of vice-chancellor from civil servant to the community of scholars into chief executive.

It also wants to strengthen the role of the elected governing council, bringing in outsiders, and to make it harder for the Regent House, the community of scholars, to hold up legislation with petitions by raising the number of signatures required from ten to 50.

In its submission to the consultation, the board of scrutiny warned against turning the vice-chancellor into a chief executive. "Even with the most careful selection procedures, there is no guarantee that such a vice-chancellor would prove to be a benign dictator," the board said. "When he or she were not, immense damage could result unless there were effective ways of reining in the vice-chancellor's powers."

The board said the consultation lacked a commitment to the principle of self-rule. "The board was surprised to find no explicit reference to democratic governance, a system that has on the whole served us well in the past. The board believes that the university should remain a democratic self-governing body of scholars."

It said the university should be "responsive to an effective vice-chancellor able to provide strong leadership". It said the elected governing council should remain the principal decision-making body, accountable to the scholars.

At the emergency Senate House debate, Anthony Edwards, professor of biometry, said: "The council should withdraw the notice and put constitutional questions on hold. They cannot be rushed and should not be fought over simultaneously with appointing the next vice-chancellor - as they will be, statute by statute, section by section and line by line."

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