University of Oxford - Poetic justice

A new professor of poetry is to be elected at the University of Oxford, with the successful candidate scheduled to be in post in autumn 2010. An election was held earlier this year but the winning candidate, Ruth Padel, stood down after it emerged she had contacted a newspaper with allegations about a rival candidate. The new election will involve online voting rather than a one-day ballot. Seamus Perry, deputy chair of the board of Oxford's English faculty, which hosts the poetry chair, said: "It is good news that the election will be so much more accessible to the large community of graduates of the university."