The new University of Guyana (UG) council is today expected to hold its first meeting since the start of the new semester and members anticipate discussions will focus on the selection of a new Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor.
Earlier this year, Professor Lawrence Carrington vacated the office of the Vice-Chancellor and subsequently Professor Compton Bourne resigned as the Chancellor, following calls from the unions for him to do so, days after he was re-appointed to act within this capacity.
President of the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA), Dr Patsy Francis yesterday told Stabroek News that during today’s meeting it will be decided whether the shortlist, which was presented to the council by the select committee, will be accepted or amended.
This select committee, of which Francis is a member, was established to select the university’s Vice-Chancellor and had shortlisted four candidates.
The position formerly held by Carrington became vacant on April 1 this year. Candidates for this position are required to be of high academic standing and have experience in university administration.
“They should have the credibility to lead an academic community and to work effectively with the university’s many stakeholders. They should demonstrate knowledge of the issues pertinent to higher education in a developing country such as Guyana and should evince capability of providing leadership in the development and delivery of tertiary level curricula relevant to the needs of the country,” an advertisement put out by UG earlier this year said.
When asked if Professor Daizal Samad, Director of the University of Guyana’s Berbice Campus (UGBC) was one of the persons shortlisted, a source had previously told this newspaper no.
With regard to the position of Chancellor, Francis said she presumes Bourne’s resignation will be tabled and discussions about whether or not he will be asked to return or if someone would else would be selected will be held.
Bourne had explained in a letter that his initial term of office would have ended on June 29 and although he valued the confidence the council placed in him when he was unanimously re-elected to the post for another term of three years, he would be unable to accept the offer considering the “increasingly fractious climate of the university”.
Bourne had said that the situation at the Turkeyen campus signalled further deterioration, rather than improvement and was not one for which he was suited and as such, he had made the decision to resign.
