Call for 'greater openness to change' at Cambridge

The vice-chancellor of Cambridge has called for a "greater openness to change" at the university.

In a speech to university staff, Prof Deborah Prentice said it had been a "very challenging time" following the death of former professor Jason Arday.

The 41-year-old was found dead at his home in London on 14 August, a week after resigning from his position as professor of sociology of education following intense scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism. He had denied the claims.

Prentice said: "The strongest signal that an organisation needs to change is when things go wrong, and therefore we must take the losses, the setbacks, and heaven knows the tragedies very, very seriously."

Last month, the university launched an independent review into its "decision making and actions" in the lead-up to Arday's death.

The review will examine the support and interventions available to Arday, as well as the wider context of his time at the university.

In her annual address on Thursday, Prentice said the tragedy came after a "stormy and vitriolic public debate".

She acknowledged it had been a "difficult summer" for many across the university.

"While this is not the time to go into details about the tragedy, as we launch independent reviews and await their recommendations, I know it is on many people's minds, and in their hearts," she said.

While she said the university had not survived for 817 years by staying the same, she said she would "make the case for greater openness to change at Cambridge".

She said: "Just as humans are equipped with a negativity bias in their emotional system, organisations need to pay more attention and react more strongly to the bad news than the good.

"The university is committed to learning from recent negative events, and we are bringing in independent experts to facilitate that learning.

"We are not marking our own homework here; we want the rigour and clarity that outside experts can provide.

"Let's work together to show that Cambridge can not just be a brilliant and innovative community, but also a learning and caring one."

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