New principal promises to foster a 'united vision'

Ian Johnston's first term as principal of Glasgow Caledonian University promises to be full of interest.

The unfair dismissal case being brought by his sacked predecessor, Stan Mason, is set to resume later this month. The National Audit Office report into misconduct at the university is expected to go before the Public Accounts Committee. A former staff member has threatened legal action unless a report on alleged academic malpractice, currently being circulated to various committees, is published.

Did Dr Johnston think twice about taking on the job? "Thrice," he admits. "The fact that all these rows are continuing to rumble on, often about what seem to be relatively minor matters, is distracting."

But GCU, he says, is "exactly what I think a modern university ought to be", with a commitment to access, student support, vocational education and a strong strand of applied research.

"Clearly there has been some breakdown in confidence between management and staff, but it doesn't affect the excellent delivery of services from staff to students."

Dr Johnston, a management expert who was a former director of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and a member of the team which developed Investors in People, says his three priorities are to make clear there is a new culture of openness and consultation, to renew the senior management structure, and to ensure the whole university has a united vision of the next five years.

He has just held a phone-in for staff and was greatly relieved when this did not uncover any more whistleblowers.

Former chief executive of the University for Industry's transition team, Dr Johnston hopes GCU will play a leading role in the Scottish UfI. The advent of the information age demands the capacity to cope with change, he says, and core skills can often be more important for this than precise subject skills.

He says the UfI is a "wholly new concept of a virtual broker, commissioner and promoter of learning opportunities" but its title does not conjure up this image in the public's mind. "However, in the minds of policymakers, the UfI is a recognised concept, and I think the challenge will be to find new labels which the public can respond positively to and recognise easily. The UfI board is undertaking market research to identify such a name."

Dr Johnston also reveals that a decision is imminent on its headquarters, with "locations in the Midlands" front runners.

"The government's prospectus talked about Pounds 50 million coming from both public and private sources. I would expect the total start-up costs to be two or three times that, but the idea would be that the learning packages that have been developed would attract royalties. This would produce an income stream both for keeping these packages up to date and developing new packages."

The aim is to use existing quality assurance systems, giving colleges, universities and other providers a role in delivering many of the learning opportunities. Dr Johnston points out the prospect of a more fluid approach than exists.

"One design feature is to allow people to study remotely as far as possible, at home or at work. This means the programmes have got to be learner-centred, and we're encouraging maximum input of the learners' own content drawn from their experience and particularly current jobs."