Tête à Tête: Did Vice Chancellor Nigel Thrift deserve his knighthood?

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Connor O’Shea says YES

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he purpose of a knighthood is to recognise and reward significant contributions to communities lives; Thrift’s continued successes are certainly deserving of this. I cannot understand why such a large group of students voice a hatred, let alone mount protests, against his recent knighthood.

Without doubt, Sir Nigel has led Warwick well since he was appointed vice-chancellor in 2006. Any corporation, including universities, needs strong leadership, and we must remember that, during his time in office, Warwick has been continually ranked inside the top 10 in the league tables, produced world leading research, and is currently the Times ‘University of the Year’. Of course, every member of the Warwick community has a part to play, but these successes would not have been possible without the leadership of Thrift whose job is to provide a clear strategic direction for the University.

One the business side, Sir Nigel has propelled Warwick to new heights. Under Thrift, turnover has increased from £330 million in 2006 to £480 million last year. Thrift’s clear ability to drive development should not go unrewarded. Since taking up the role Thrift has developed the university’s links with both national and international businesses and industries such as Jaguar Land Rover, benefiting not only students, but also the regional automotive industry from the research carried out by Warwick.

Thrift has also focused on making Warwick a university that looks out at the continually globalising world. Thrift has overseen initiatives such as Warwick in Africa and the International Gateway for Gifted Youth. His strategy has also focused on establishing partnerships with leading global universities in the US, Australia, India, Asia and Europe, and more Warwick students than ever before are now going on years abroad. His strategic leadership has been essential for improving the student experience.

Outside Warwick, Sir Nigel has dedicated his life to the higher education sector, having held leadership posts at both Oxford University and Bristol. He is also an academic powerhouse, a leading figure in human geography who continues to actively research alongside his role as vice-chancellor.

Sir Nigel Thrift is due to retire at the end of 2015 and I truly believe that his knighthood is a well deserved reward for his lifetime service to higher education.

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Miguel Costa Matos says NO

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]igel Thrift does not deserve a knighthood and it is worthwhile to look into whether Nigel Thrift’s “services to higher education” are commendable.

In his years at Warwick, we have seen the University become increasingly divided. Last year, we saw several strikes and this year there was a threat of a marking boycott during which the University did not protect students nor negotiate, instead threatening to lock workers out. After the police brutality at the December 3 protest, Thrift abused his power to e-mail to all students by telling a narrative that was thoroughly disproven by video evidence, namely that police communicated with protesters before using violence. This did not calm tensions between protesters and management. On December 4, Warwick saw the biggest demonstration in its history, and a week-long occupation forced to leave by a court injunction that has been condemned by Amnesty International.

This division is not just political but is founded in social experiences. Warwick relies increasingly on casual staff, including 40 percent of the postgraduates who teach our seminars. These tutors are denied adequate wages, office space and other conditions required to succeed. If this wasn’t enough, academic staff pay has decreased by 15 percent while Nigel Thrift’s pay has soared by 27 percent. He is not alone in this as the University has seen a substantial increase in the number of staff paid over $100,000. Year by year, Warwick becomes a tale of two cities, nested together, intimately yet uncomfortably, and towering above these two cities is a University management that consumes increasing amounts of resources. Spending on teaching and learning has fallen by 4 percent between 2009 and 2012, coming close to being undeer 50 percent of the University’s spending. This is clearly not in the interests of students, staff or the University.

This is evident in the university rankings, which consumes student interest these days. Newcomers like Surrey and Exeter are rising quickly and established competitors like UCL and Bath continually outpace Warwick in improvements to infrastructure, student satisfaction and research. With the real University of Warwick, the learning community, divided, underfunded and casualised, it is no surprise that it is so.

If these are Nigel Thrift’s services to higher education, then a knighthood is something he does not deserve.

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Photo: flickr/centregcs