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Good news, but ...

"These people always hang themselves if given enough rope."

We have never found that to be the case, actually

Bullies in academia almost always prosper

New blog posting

21percent.org?p=2793

Powerful & distressing diary entries of a victim of academic bullying in a UK university

"I Loved My Life Until … "

Another bullying survivor at Cambridge University speaks out

21percent.org?p=2837

The more victims who speak out with courage, the safer we all are

It’s essential for health of Universities to foster a culture that is safe, supportive & humane

This means acknowledging how power & vulnerability play out in the real world

We need to stop giving endless benefit of the doubt to the powerful who bully, intimidate & harass

International student levy on Universities is opposed by everyone outside Govt

Oxbridge will pass charge on, ensuring international students are drawn more exclusively from the wealthy

Below this, it'll be yet another cut to university budgets, harming staff & domestic students

New concerns over Cardiff University's offshoot in Kazakhstan Martin Shipton Fresh concerns have been raised about Cardiff University’s recently opened branch campus in Kazakhstan after details of its registration with the Kazakh equivalent of Companies House we...

The PricewaterhouseCoopers University is expanding internationally while cutting jobs in Wales

Cardiff University’s new Kazakhstan campus is officially registered under PwC lawyer’s email

Nothing says “world-class university” like outsourcing your integrity 😉

nation.cymru/news/new-con...

Alan Turing AI boss denies toxic culture accusations Whistleblowers also accused the charity's leadership of misusing public funds and failing to deliver on its mission.

Chair at Turing Institute Dr Gurr says a third-party probe found whistleblower claims had ‘no substance'

Particularly convincing when half the leadership has resigned, the Charity Commission is investigating & nobody will name the ‘independent’ investigator 😉

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

University HR Directors & Heads of Legal are openly weeping & distraught

Universities are one of the big users of Non Disclosure Agreements to cover up abuse & misconduct

No more, it's stopping

gov.uk/government/n...

Sex, Lies and Senior Faculty

Professor Gropewell & Lustbridge University granted anonymity by Employment Tribunal in a sex harassment case

There are no circumstances in which a university should be using public money to silence victims in this way

21percent.org?p=2819

Inaugural Dean of Cornell’s Johnson College of Business Steps Down Abruptly, No Reason Given Soumitra Dutta, the first-ever S.C. Johnson College of Business dean, resigned abruptly yesterday, and neither the school nor Dutta has provided any reason for his sudden departure, according to a rep...

Oxford Professor dismissed this week from Said Business School for harassment has 'previous'

Soumitra Dutta stood down "abruptly" from Cornell in 2018 -- no reason given😉

Pass the harasser

Who was on Dutta's appointments committee?

@the1752group.bsky.social

www.clearadmit.com/2018/01/john...

At Cambridge University, a vengeful Professor made baseless allegations against a whistleblower

A 2 yr investigation followed

It concluded that "unfortunately" there was no evidence

No consequences for those who victimised a whistleblower

Tribunal, 1-28 June 2026, Bury St Edmunds

The Master of St Machiavelli's College:

"I can’t help you if you want to talk about bullying.

Just because you've caught something nasty, why do you have to wander about breathing over everybody?"

#YesMinister was partly inspired by politics at Cambridge Uni

21percent.org?p=2655

“Unfunded hobbyist research” ....

Like the work of the patent officer (third class) at Bern in 1905

Which gave us one of the biggest ever breakthroughs in theoretical physics

Oxford’s Business School Names Interim Leader After Dean Resigns Oxford University has appointed an interim leader for its business school, after its dean, Soumitra Dutta, resigned this week.

Allegations of breach of university’s harassment policy by Head of Business School Prof Dutta upheld

One of the multiple sexual harassment cases currently under investigation at University of Oxford

For every case upheld, at least ten remain unpunished

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

"Vice chancellors job isn't to be liked" says Donna Whitehead, VC of University of Brighton

Mission Accomplished

t.co/1nHhxU6Nng

Response to latest Oxford sexual harassment scandal at Said Business School has been muted

Prioritising victims & whistleblowers rather than the harasser would be a start

Too much pressure from famous universities to hush SH up

21percent.org?p=2666

Three weeks of strikes announced for university staff Entire degrees could be axed

£40m/yr on shiny buildings, £1.5m/yr for consultants at
University of Leicester

Possible job losses at Education, Chemistry, Geography, Geology & Modern Languages

Who needs staff or courses when you’ve got concrete & PowerPoints?

Strikes begin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicest...

One of the most rewarding things is when one of your students graduates with a PhD! Congratulations to Dr @allanlui.bsky.social! @caldaslab.bsky.social rejoices!!

Voice of Victim

"Human Resources isn’t just leave, grievances or recruitment

Good HR helps people flourish — and puts their mental wellbeing first

My University's HR does the exact opposite

It actively destroys people & research groups

Nothing kills a university faster than bad HR"

Academia runs on exploitation: stringing along young researchers with low-paid, short-term contracts, selling a false hope of stability of permanent job

This isn’t a career ladder—it’s a treadmill

Everyone loses when young talent is chewed up like this

Deluge of Data Subject Access Requests at Cambridge
University

Trend suggests deep-seated cultural problems — disputes are mishandled, information withheld & the staff use data protection laws as last line of defence

21percent.org?p=2606

Action long overdue

Voice of Victim

"We finally got the University to investigate the multiple allegations of sexual harassment of grad students by the Director

The University offered him the choice of retiring or an investigation

Guess what he chose?

He's still around as an emeritus"

Case study: Council Member recruitment | Newcastle University - Peridot We were delighted to support Newcastle University with the recruitment of new Council Members. Read on to learn more about the process.

With several Newcastle University Council members retiring, Peridot Partners were hired to manage recruitment & deliver the usual suspects: senior execs who run everything else & won’t rock the boat

Council is now “refreshed” — and exactly the same

www.peridotpartners.co.uk/case-study-c...

Student complaints at Cambridge University are rising, mostly
from postgrads

Success rate has collapsed from 50% in 2016-2017 to 13% in 2023-2024

This raises questions about whether thresholds for upholding grievances are fair

21percent.org?p=2628

University of Limerick whistleblowers were penalised for speaking out, report finds Whistleblowers were “maligned”, “penalised” and subject to “appalling” treatment at the University of Limerick (UL), an independent review of protected disclosures has found.

Whistleblowers lacked protection at the University of Limerick

Conflicts of interest were widespread

Those accused often investigated their own complaints

Sounds like Cambridge University

Employment Tribunal at Bury St Edmunds 1-28 June 2026 on whistleblowing

www.independent.ie/irish-news/u...

REF 29 is pure Alice in Wonderland: ever more fantastical twists

How can you fund fields that won’t exist by the 2030s?

Having overseen collapse of University research culture, REF shouldn’t be policing it

Time to cancel or boycott it

Only HE grifters will benefit from it

Voice of a Victim

"The law firm partner said, strictly off the record,

'Universities treat their staff like dirt. Lucky for us. HE is a cash cow. We have contracts with the big ones'

Said in confidence, so shame I can’t share it … except, you know, here

EXCLUSIVE: The rejected Dundee University recovery plan that proposed 690 job losses The Courier reveals the full details of the now rejected recovery plan proposed by Dundee University.

Scottish University of the Year 2025’ — yet Dundee is on the brink

Trophy in one hand, bankruptcy notice in the other

More swingeing job cuts proposed by management, then blocked by Scottish govt

No viable plan, no direction. Where does this end?

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/...

Rejected Dundee University recovery plan included more job cuts - BBC News The cash-strapped institution had suggested a further 220 voluntary redundancies and 170 compulsory redundancies.

Of course, they'll get away with it

Just as in the 2008 financial crisis, there was no payback for the Goodwins & Applegarths

Those who set @dundeeuni ablaze will be tallying up their moneybags

The staff & students can only look on in disgust & incredulity

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

University Blues

21percent.org?p=2554

The scale of organised staff abuse at some Universities is becoming well-known

Instead of helping people to flourish, Human Resources are often malevolent

Things are changing thanks to exposure by journalists & better employment legislation from Govt