BREAKING: UofA Chancellor resigns, Vice-Chancellor on indefinite leave
Words by Nicholas Birchall
In a huge shake up to the University of Adelaide’s senior management, the University of Adelaide Chancellor Kevin Scarce has resigned as Adelaide University Chancellor, a position he has held since December 2014.
Following on from this, an email was distributed to staff at University outlining how the Vice-Chancellor Peter Rathjen is currently on “special leave” for an “indefinite period”. The facts contained within this email have since been corroborated by an employee within the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
On Dit contacted the Vice-Chancellor’s office directly for comment, and was subsequently referred to the External Relations office, who at the time of publication have been unavailable for comment.
It currently unknown if there is a connection between the Chancellor’s resignation and the Vice-Chancellor’s indefinite leave, or if any of this is due to criticisms faced by the university over the last few months, or any external investigations.
This criticism primarily concerned the embattled Vice-Chancellor and university’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, specifically the rocky transition to online learning for students, and potential cuts to staff salaries.
Previously in March of this year, the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) also undertook surveys at the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of South Australia.
According to ICAC’s website, a report on the results of the survey is expected to be made publicly available August of this year.
