Third Cardiff Met Dean made redundant within five months
STAFF at Cardiff Metropolitan University have said they are shocked after a third senior member of staff has been made redundant within five months.
Professor Dan Davies, Dean of the School of Education, pictured, has left with immediate effect after only two years in the post according to a letter from the university to staff.
His departure comes at a time when the university has told unions it is having to make cuts of £10.5m over the next five years, partly as a result of Brexit.
In May, as part of what was described as an ongoing process, two other deans of school left as part of plans to co-locate sport and health sciences within the university’s Cyncoed campus.
Referring to Prof Davies’ departure, a member of the university’s staff said: “He leaves at a very delicate time for the university. All universities in Wales are having to reapply to deliver teacher training programmes and the deadline for submissions is December 1 this year.
“Dan’s departure at the end of September is a huge blow to our submission.”
An email to staff from Dr Julia Jenkins, a senior lecturer in the department, said: “I am writing to inform you that Professor Dan Davies has decided to take voluntary severance with immediate effect. I am sure we would all wish to thank him for the contribution he has made to the CSESP [Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy] and university in the past few years.
“The Vice Chancellor has asked me to take up the role of Acting Dean commencing from today and she wishes to assure you that the university senior management fully support the work of the CSESP moving forward.”
A Cardiff Metropolitan University spokesman said: “As previously reported, a new and ambitious strategic plan, covering the period 201718 to 2022-23, was agreed by the Board of Governors following extensive discussions with staff, students and stakeholders.
“The plan is focused on excellence, growth and diversification with an ambition of becoming a top 50 UK university by 2022-23.
“The new strategy emboldens the university’s commitment to practice-focused and professionally oriented education, research, and innovation undertaken in partnership with our students, governments, business and industry and includes exciting new plans including the development of Cardiff School of Technologies. “The Board of Governors and the Vice Chancellor recognised that the university needed to streamline, rationalise and re-focus resources towards the student experience to ensure that its structure and staffing were more strongly aligned to meet the needs of the new plan. The university has now concluded a programme of voluntary severance in which some staff, including the Dean of Education, have opted to take advantage of the scheme.
“The university is wholly committed to the development of teacher education in Wales and strenuously denies that this area of provision will be affected in any negative way as a result of any internal changes. ”
Prof Davies did not respond to messages sent to him.
When he arrived at the university in 2015, having previously spent 16 years at Bath Spa University, Jacqui Hare, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Cardiff Metropolitan University said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome an academic of Dan’s calibre to the School of Education.
“His expertise will be a great asset to the school and will enable us to further cement our reputation to the research culture across Wales. The school has a committed and hugely accomplished team in place, who enjoy new challenges and will thrive on Dan’s leadership.”