Archive for Strategic Plan

A Test for Presidential Plagiarism

Posted in Education, Maynooth with tags , , , , on January 3, 2024 by telescoper

I was shocked today to hear the news that Claudine Gay has resigned from her post as President of Harvard University amid allegations of plagiarism.

I think we can all agree that plagiarism is a serious form of misconduct that constitutes a breach of academic integrity and, as such, should be punished wherever it is found. But just how widespread is this kind of unethical behaviour among the leaders of public universities?

Fortunately, I have thought of a simple test to identify Presidential plagiarism, which I encourage academics everywhere to carry out.

One of the documents for which a University President (or Vice Chancellor, or equivalent) is responsible is their institution’s Strategic Plan, which normally carries their Leader’s signature on the front page.

If you work in a University, therefore, all you need to do is run this document through the plagiarism detector Turnitin. This will compare the document with others available on the internet and produce a similarity report indicating how much of it has been copied from elsewhere. If the document is found to have been significantly plagiarized, then your President (or Vice Chancellor, or equivalent) should be forced to resign.

This simple test will probably lead to many so-called leaders being removed from office so, as well as improving academic integrity, it will also save institutions a great deal of money in salary costs. It’s a win-win situation for all (except perhaps for the ex-Presidents).

P.S. Please feel free to copy this idea.

3 Comments »

The Metamorphosis of Narcissism

Posted in Art, Education, Maynooth with tags on October 24, 2023 by telescoper

My attention was drawn today to a paper in the journal Research Policy. It’s an Elsevier journal so the article is behind a paywall, and the methodology looks very dodgy, but the abstract is worth reading for amusement value (the emphasis is mine):

Universities hold a prominent role in knowledge creation through research and education. In this study, we examine the effects of VC narcissism on university performance. We measure VC narcissism based on the size of the signature, in line with a methodological approach which has been widely used in the recent literature and repeatedly validated in laboratory experiments. We exploit a quasi-natural experiment of VC changes and employ a Difference-in-Difference research design, which alleviates concerns related to endogeneity and identification bias. We show that the appointment of a highly narcissistic VC leads to an overall deterioration in research and teaching performance and concomitantly league table performance. We further identify excessive financial risk taking and empire-building as possible mechanisms explaining the main results and provide evidence on the moderating role of university governance. Our findings are consistent with the view that narcissism is one of the most prominent traits of destructive leadership; they also have practical implications for leadership recruitment and the monitoring of leadership practices in the higher education sector. The results of this study extend prior research in several ways. Extant literature on executive leadership and narcissism yields inconclusive findings; this literature has mainly focused on for-profit organisations and has not considered universities. In addition, prior research in higher education on the determinants of university performance has not yet examined the role of leadership personality traits.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2023.104901

I chose the title of this post – an allusion to a famous painting by Salvador Dalí that plays with the themes of hallucination and delusion – reading a sentence in the introduction to the paper:

Over the past few years the complexity and challenges of running a higher education institution have changed beyond recognition.

In other news, I am dismayed that, because of my absence from campus on sabbatical, I am unable to attend today’s long-awaited launch event for the brand new Maynooth University Strategic Plan (which will be accompanied by a protest by postgraduate students at Maynooth about low stipends and poor working conditions). The latter seems to me to be of far greater importance to the future of the University than the former.

10 Comments »

The Existentialist University: A Strategic Plan for Authentic Learning

Posted in Education, Maynooth with tags , , on August 8, 2023 by telescoper

Guess who has been playing with an AI text generator again?

I. Introduction

In the vast cosmos of knowledge, we find ourselves, a university, a microcosm of the universe itself. We are not merely an institution, but a collective entity, a gathering of minds seeking to understand the essence of existence. Our strategic plan, therefore, is not a mere roadmap, but a philosophical treatise, a reflection of our existentialist ethos.

II. Vision

Our vision is to cultivate an environment where students are not just passive recipients of knowledge, but active seekers of truth. We aim to foster a culture of questioning, where the essence of learning is not in the answers, but in the pursuit of questions. We envision a university where education is not a means to an end, but an end in itself.

III. Mission

Our mission is to create a space where students can confront the absurdity of existence, and find meaning in their own individuality. We strive to nurture minds that are not confined by societal norms, but are free to explore the depths of their own consciousness. We aim to produce graduates who are not just equipped with skills, but with the courage to face the existential angst of life.

IV. Core Values

1. Authenticity: We value authenticity over conformity. We encourage our students to be true to themselves, to embrace their uniqueness, and to resist the pressure to fit into predefined molds.

2. Freedom: We uphold the freedom of thought, the freedom to question, and the freedom to dissent. We believe that true learning can only occur in an environment where minds are free to explore, to challenge, and to innovate.

3. Responsibility: We emphasize the responsibility that comes with freedom. We instill in our students the understanding that they are the authors of their own lives, and that every choice they make shapes their destiny.

V. Strategic Goals

1. Curriculum Development: To develop a curriculum that encourages critical thinking, fosters existential inquiry, and promotes self-discovery.

2. Faculty Development: To attract and retain faculty who are not just experts in their fields, but are also committed to our existentialist ethos.

3. Student Engagement: To create opportunities for students to engage in meaningful dialogues, to participate in existential debates, and to express their individuality.

4. Community Engagement: To extend our existentialist ethos beyond the university, and to engage with the wider community in discussions about the meaning of life, the nature of existence, and the purpose of education.

VI. Conclusion

In the face of an ever-changing world, our strategic plan is not a rigid blueprint, but a flexible guide. It is a reflection of our commitment to existentialist principles, and our belief in the power of education to transform lives. We invite all members of our university community to join us in this existential journey, as we strive to create a university that is not just a place of learning, but a space for authentic living.

Leave a comment »

A Marxist University Strategic Plan

Posted in Education, Politics with tags , on August 2, 2023 by telescoper

I asked an AI text generator to write a University strategic plan using language inspired by revolutionary Marxist ideology. 

–0–

Title: A Revolutionary Blueprint for the Liberation of Academia

Introduction:

In a world plagued by capitalist exploitation and class struggle, our University stands as a potential beacon of hope, empowering the masses through education and disseminating revolutionary knowledge. This strategic plan aims to dismantle oppressive structures, challenge the prevailing bourgeois ideology, and create a training ground for future Marxist revolutionaries.

1. Mission Statement:

Our mission is to cultivate a class-conscious academic community that aims to dismantle the prevailing capitalist neoliberal order, liberate the proletariat, and build a socialist society based on equality, justice, and collective ownership of the means of production.

2. Curriculum Reform:

a) The fundamental aim of our curriculum will be to decolonize knowledge, expose the hidden power dynamics embedded within it, and weave an emancipatory narrative from a Marxist perspective.

b) Introduce mandatory courses on critical theory, historical materialism, and class struggle that challenge dominant paradigms.

c) Ensure that the curriculum reflects the experiences and ideas of historically marginalized groups, giving voice to their struggles and promoting solidarity among all oppressed peoples.

3. Faculty and Staff:

a) Establish strict selection criteria to ensure that faculty and staff align with our revolutionary vision and principles, actively engage in anti-capitalist research and activism, and prioritize pedagogical engagement.

b) Encourage the formation of faculty and staff unions to safeguard against exploitation, regularly review salaries to ensure equitable compensation, and provide opportunities for professional development.

c) Encourage the recruitment of scholars from historically oppressed communities, diversifying perspectives and challenging dominant knowledge production.

4. Campus Community:

a) Create safe spaces for open discussions and political organizing, fostering an environment that encourages class-consciousness, solidarity, and resistance.

b) Establish student support systems that address financial burdens, mental health struggles, and any form of discrimination or oppression.

c) Promote democratic decision-making processes in all aspects of university governance, where students, faculty, and staff have equal voices in shaping the university’s direction.

5. Research and Activism:

a) Encourage and support research that critically examines capitalist exploitation, exposes the contradictions of the system, and offers alternatives for a just socialist society.

b) Forge alliances and partnerships with grassroots organizations, labour movements, and other revolutionary groups to nurture a culture of activism and revolutionary praxis.

c) Prioritize research that positively impacts working-class communities, seeking solutions to their pressing problems and involving them in the research process.

6. Community Engagement:

a) Forge strong ties with working-class communities, initiating outreach programs that offer educational resources and promote social mobility.

b) Establish partnerships with trade unions and labor organizations to provide students with opportunities for practical learning and connection to real-world struggles.

c) Collaborate with progressive organizations to advocate for policy changes that address socio-economic inequalities and pave the way for a socialist transformation.

Conclusion:

This strategic plan strives to create an academically rigorous, politically conscious, and inclusive environment that nurtures critical thinking, challenges capitalist hegemony, and empowers students, faculty, and staff towards the emancipation of the working class. By implementing these measures, our University will become a bulwark of Marxist education, fostering the next generation of revolutionaries who will shape a society based on justice, equality, and liberation.

Leave a comment »

Strategic Plans

Posted in Biographical, Education, Maynooth with tags , , on September 18, 2022 by telescoper

Maynooth University is in the middle a consultation exercise involving the construction a new Strategic Plan Envisioning Our Future for the period 2023-28. This is something higher education institutions do from time to time, and it usually involves dreaming up ways of spending money they haven’t got on things they don’t need. I’ve seen a few Strategic Plans in my time, but yet to see one that was worth the glossy paper it was expensively printed on. I can’t envision this one being any different,

You could dismiss the current Strategic Plan as merely an irrelevance but it is having a real effect, in that it has completed distracted the University management away from crucial operational matters, such as new appointments and fixing various failing systems. Moreover, it seems very likely, there being little chance of a substantial increase in government funding, that any new “initiatives” arising from the Strategic Plan will be paid for by further plundering already hard-pressed departmental budgets.

The other day I looked up “Strategy” in a dictionary and found

Noun: a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.

The biggest issue is not the plan of action bit, it’s the articulation of the aim and the interpretation of long-term as being “the next five years”. I know I am excessively old-fashioned but I think a university – especially a publicly funded one – should be aiming to be as good as possible at teaching and research. If we have to have a plan for the next five years, at a bare minimum it should involve increasing the investment in its existing departments and providing better teaching facilities. I don’t see either of those happening at all. We’ve got a new teaching building, but nothing has been done to improve any of the other teaching rooms on campus. It’s very dispiriting for front-line academic staff to appearance such neglect of what should be the core functions of the institution.

Anyway, now that I am no longer Head of Department and free of the requirement to attend pointless meeting after pointless meeting I am going to focus what remains of my energy on teaching and research, even if The Management does not deem these important.

Tomorrow (19th September) is the first week of teaching term for the 2022-23. Though new students don’t officially start until 26th September, some are already here and I have even spoken to them. Although we have had a very rough couple of years, our first-year numbers look healthy, which is a good point to be handing over the reins. I have two new PhD student and one Research Masters student arriving this academic year which should help me with my research plans.

Undergraduate science degrees and PhD degrees in Maynooth are typically of four years’ duration. I’ll be sixty during this academic year and over the last few weeks I have been doing a bit of strategic planning of my own. Although I can’t be made to retire until I’m 70, I think it will be a good time to go when the incoming UG & PG cohort finishes, i.e. four years from now. I love teaching and enjoy my research but there is a point at which one should step aside and make way for someone younger.

Assuming, that is, that: (a) I live that long; (b) I can sell my old house and pay off my mortgage; (c) my USS pension is not worthless by then; (d) I’m not sacked in the meantime for insubordination.

4 Comments »

Graphic Display

Posted in Art, Biographical with tags , , , , on November 29, 2014 by telescoper

Two days ago, on Thursday, I had the pleasure of spending all day at an “Awayday” trying to work out how to implement the University of Sussex Strategic Plan, Making the Future. My main contribution was this beautifully clear diagram summarising a lengthy discussion on research strategy:
IMG_0974
Obviously the diagram needs no further explanation, but members of the audience were so impressed with it as a piece of graphic art that the end of the day I was asked to sign it.

Research Strategy

Now, who’s going to nominate me for the Turner Prize?

Leave a comment »