As a Student Governor, while I welcome the announcement of Karen Stanton as Vice-Chancellor (VC) of UAL, I must raise deep concerns about the recruitment process for the new Vice-Chancellor due to the lack of meaningful student engagement.

Despite assurance at the start of the recruitment process that students are a key stakeholder group and would meet shortlisted candidates, the Search Committee of the Court of Governors have decided to sideline and expedite its decision without effective or timely engagement of wider stakeholders, most notably students and staff of UAL.

The abrupt decision to cancel agreed meetings and then involve students at the last minute, despite a commitment that stakeholders would be fully engaged at each stage of the process, has left students without genuine dialogue, reflecting a disregard for our voices and feedback in recruiting the most senior person in our University.

The Search Committee of the Court of Governors should be looking to strengthen transparency, trust, and confidence in its leadership processes and decision-making and ensure that students have a key role in being part of this process. Instead, students have been marginalised and treated as an afterthought.

The leadership of UAL deeply influences our academic environment and campus community at the highest levels, and it is only fair that the students, as the primary stakeholders, have a meaningful role in shaping these decisions.

This marks the second successive VC recruitment, where the Union has voiced concern regarding the recruitment process of the new VC and that students have been sidelined in the process. Therefore, I call on the Court of Governors and its Search Committee to address student concerns on how it engages the voice of students at the very top of the University and commit to a collaborative approach at all levels and stages, which will build a stronger and more inclusive UAL.

Chihiro Tateno
UAL Student Governor
Arts SU Union Affairs Officer