'Professor' David Vaughan - BA Ceramics is now at Central Academy... Shit floats!

 ...and in charge of 'school improvement' - Don't laugh! The vanity of this man has no end... He single-handedly secured the non-future of the design college, using it to advance his professional ambitions. He was invisible, making decisions that negatively affected many academics' lives. If you dared to complain, he would suspend you without following proper procedures and then try to buy your silence with non-disclosure agreements. These days, he is a 'Trustee' at the Central Academy. Shit floats. https://www.rrca.org.uk/about-us/governance

'University of South Wales should commission an independent review into toxic culture allegations'

 
"A university can have policies, procedures and reporting systems and still have a cultural problem," writes columnist Dylan Jones Evans.

The recent Newyddion S4C report into allegations of a “toxic work culture and bullying” at the University of South Wales should concern anyone who cares about the future of Welsh higher education.

The report says that former staff members have raised serious concerns about the university's culture, and that the allegations have prompted calls for an inquiry. Those claims are, of course, allegations and must be treated as such, but the fact that these concerns have now entered the public domain means this can no longer be treated as a purely private employment matter.

Universities are not ordinary employers but publicly funded civic institutions. They shape students' lives, employ thousands of people, influence regional economies, and help define the moral and intellectual standards of public life in Wales.

When allegations are made about bullying, harassment, discrimination, or a culture in which people feel they have not been treated fairly, the issue is not only whether individual claims can be defended, but also whether the institution, its regulator, and the Welsh Government are prepared to examine whether the systems meant to protect staff are working as they should…

Following the broadcast, the university circulated an internal message to staff acknowledging the story and stating that it was “very difficult to hear and read the perspectives of former members of staff”. It said the university was “very sorry that individuals feel they have not been treated fairly”, condemned bullying, harassment and discrimination, and stated that allegations are taken seriously and thoroughly examined...

Not surprisingly, the university’s internal message states that it disagrees with the assertions but cannot comment on the details of the two former members of staff who spoke to S4C, due to ongoing legal action. Of course, the legal caution is understandable, and any institution facing contested claims will be advised not to concede points that may be relevant to proceedings.

But legal caution aside, a public body can still avoid prejudging individual cases while acknowledging that the experiences described by its staff are serious enough to warrant independent reflection. Indeed, the university goes on to list a range of internal mechanisms, including a new People Strategy, a Dignity at Work and Study Policy, expanded whistleblowing arrangements, equality charters, and a People and Culture Board.

None of these is irrelevant, but when allegations relate to workplace culture, the existence of such mechanisms does not prove they are effective, because culture is not measured by the number of policies an organisation can list but by its behaviour and by whether people believe the institution will listen to employees' concerns…

If there is nothing to hide, as USW’s senior management has claimed, then the university itself should have no objection to commissioning an independent review to determine whether this is a few people complaining about poor treatment or a wider “toxic work culture” within the university that must be changed.

When serious allegations are made about a public institution, the answer cannot simply be that procedures exist and that the public has a right to know whether those who have been let down by such procedures have been treated fairly.

Most importantly, it’s time for those staff who have given so much to higher education to finally be heard and for real action to be taken to address this issue. Certainly, those in positions of power should not look the other way when such serious allegations are made, as Wales is far better than that.

From: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/university-south-wales-should-commission-34002639

Why Don't We Talk About Bullying in Higher Education?

...But let's be honest. Bullying exists across the sector. I've seen it in many guises over three decades in HE, and I see it now with increasing frequency in conversations with clients, colleagues and friends. Not as an occasional outlier, but as a pattern that becomes more visible when pressure rises, and people feel threatened... 

 ...workplace stress and bullying than men. My own experience and interactions over the years align with that... 

 ...Decision makers in the process tend to be risk-averse, which compounds the problem. The perceived need to have definitive evidence often results in the process simply failing the victim. I’ve seen relatively few cases where the evidence is water-tight - generally it’s a succession of low-level incidents sustained over long periods of time, every single moment not quite crossing ‘the line’ (who sets that line anyway?!)... 

 ...in pressured institutions, this dynamic can accelerate quickly. Territorial skirmishes turn into turf wars. Information is hoarded rather than shared. Colleagues who once collaborated become guarded and transactional. And if you're the person tasked with implementing difficult decisions or surfacing uncomfortable truths, you can become a convenient lightning rod for blame and negative attention. Working in this environment is exhausting. And it's isolating... 

 ...Document relentlessly. Dates, times, exact words, witnesses, context. Email yourself a contemporaneous note after each incident. This feels tedious and exhausting, but it's essential if things escalate. Memory isn't evidence; records are. And the very process of documenting all of this can be bizarrely liberating as the dawning realisation that you are not imagining things starts to sink in. 

 Find allies. Serious bullies rarely have just one target. Quietly and carefully, find out whether others have experienced similar behaviour. There's safety and credibility in numbers, and it shifts the narrative from ‘personality clash’ (i.e. victim blaming) to ‘pattern of behaviour.’ To be clear, this shouldn’t ever descend to gossip or character assassination in the corridor. Preserve your own integrity in this process. 

Get external support. Union rep, coach, therapist, trusted mentor or HR expert outside the institution. You need someone who isn't embedded in the politics and can help you think clearly. This external view is vital for helping you feel supported and empowered and for providing options you may not have been aware of. 

Know your formal options, even if you choose not to use them. Understand your institution's grievance process, dignity-at-work policy, and the thresholds. Check out the escalation routes thoroughly. · 

Recognise when leaving is the right choice. This absolutely is not defeat, and it is not ‘letting them win’. Sometimes the institution is too invested in protecting the bully, and the cost of staying outweighs the benefits. Protecting your health, career and reputation elsewhere can be the wisest move. Only you can know for sure if this is the route for you... 

Let's be frank about the power dynamics at play. 

Some bullies are protected because they bring in money. Research income, student recruitment, and commercial partnerships - these carry weight. An academic who generates millions in grants may be quietly deemed ‘too valuable to lose,’ regardless of how many staff they've driven out or damaged. 

Some are protected because they hold political capital. They sit on the right committees, have the ear of the Vice-Chancellor, or know where institutional bodies are buried. Challenging them risks destabilising delicate power structures. Some are protected because confronting them is simply too difficult.

Employment law feels risky, the process feels endless, and the evidence can seem flimsy. The bully is articulate, well-connected, and will fight back hard. It's easier to wait until retirement or hope the problem resolves. Spoiler alert – it won’t. And some institutions choose reputation management over genuine action. The priority becomes containing the story rather than addressing the behaviour. Confidentiality becomes a shield - not for the complainant, but for the institution. The result? Staff learn that raising concerns is futile. They leave, or they stay silent. The bully remains. And the cycle continues... 

 From: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-dont-we-talk-bullying-higher-education-jenny-jenkin-pvj2e

American University library staff detail culture of bullying by supervisors

Across the two years she has worked at the American University library, Sydney Henry has compiled a notebook of her experiences. The pages chronicle, she says, a years-long pattern of intimidation and belittlement by supervisors. 

Henry said she was left out of meetings and was told she was lucky her employers gave her a chance despite her youth. Henry, 23, is the library’s communication and event coordinator. 
When she was assigned work beyond her pay grade and started seeking a raise, Henry met with University Librarian Jeehyun Davis, a member of the Dean’s Council and Henry’s top supervisor. Davis told her she likely wouldn’t do anything going through the Staff Union or human resources, Henry said.  

Henry, a unionised employee, had already filed a pay grievance through AU’s Staff Union in February 2025. When her supervisors learned of this, the bullying increased, Henry said. 
Henry is not the only library employee to say she’s faced mistreatment specifically from Davis, nor is she the only one to report it with no actionable results. Davis declined to sit for an interview but said in an emailed statement she “cannot comment on individual personnel matters” and that she takes “any concerns about workplace culture seriously and supports the university’s established processes for reviewing and addressing them.” 

According to Henry, others have reported Davis to the University over the last two years. One of those staff members is Bella Goris, now an adjunct professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, who formerly worked in the Office of Inclusive Excellence and for budget and personnel in the library.

Goris said their experience working in the library was similar to Henry’s. They too said they were asked to do work beyond their job description and paygrade and were belittled and excluded once they started asking for a raise.  

In spring 2025, Goris said she filed a Title IX complaint against Davis for discrimination, but never heard back from the Office of Equity and Title IX. The Eagle has not seen documentation of the complaint because it was made verbally and in person at the office...

According to Elison, the system to report workplace bullying at AU isn’t responsive enough to address the scope of the issue. He said he’s seen staff become so disillusioned with the reporting process that they don't follow through.

“It’s not even worth the trauma of going and reporting it,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to leave.” 

Henry, who first filed a grievance with the union in February 2025, said she saw an increase in mistreatment and described the reporting process as exhausting.

When it comes to reporting workplace mistreatment, staff at AU generally have two options: going through AU human resources directly, or union-eligible employees can file a grievance through AU’s Staff Union, part of Service Employees International Union Local 500.

Employees can also file a Title IX complaint through the Equity and Title IX Office when they feel like they’re being discriminated against based on their sex or gender identity. Goris said she filed a Title IX complaint regarding her experiences in the library but never heard back from the office...

From: https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2026/01/american-university-library-staff-detail-culture-of-bullying-by-supervisors

Professors call for overhaul of university governance - University of Luxembourg

Two University of Luxembourg professors are calling for the institution’s governance to be overhauled as it approaches its 25th anniversary, and with an audit to get underway in the coming weeks.

In an open letter published Saturday in the Luxemburger Wort, Luc Heuschling, a professor of constitutional law, and Benoît Majerus, a European history professor, described the university as hierarchical and not democratic enough.

The letter was published as the government is preparing an audit of the university’s governance structures.

The audit comes after persistent media reports of bullying and mismanagement within the institution – including by this newspaper – which began after masked protesters had handed out flyers to members of parliament last September, warning of an “alarming situation behind the scenes.

Heuschling and Majerus criticised the university’s response to the reports, saying it had attempted to discredit the testimonials, describing them as personal frustrations while also presenting the university as the victim.  

Complaints mechanisms within the university appear not to fulfil their role if members of staff feel no other recourse than turning to the press, they said.

From: https://www.luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/university-of-luxembourgs-professors-call-for-governance-overhaul-amid-bullying-claims/140217072.html

Some 2025 posts...

Academic bullying is hidden in plain sight

... And, above all, there is no mention of emails, emails, emails: hundreds, thousands of them, full of unnecessary or impossible jobs – emails telling you off for not doing said unnecessary or impossible jobs – emails undermining you in front of others – emails magnifying minor failures – or emails damning with faint or ambivalent praise. Those emails sent on Monday mornings, to upset you at the start of the week – emails sent on Friday afternoons, so you dwell on them all weekend. Emails, emails, emails incessantly scything to and fro above you, like a razor-sharp pendulum, looming closer and closer…


https://bulliedacademics.blogspot.com/2024/09/academic-bullying-is-hidden-in-plain.html

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Workplace Bullying Among Higher Education Faculty: A Review of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature - Part 2
...The structural characteristics of higher education institutions make university settings susceptible to abuses of power that produce ongoing, and frequently escalating, perceptions of injustice... Faculty self-governance processes that include the nomination and election of a Chair from within a department create situations in which department leaders have limited management experience or training and have instead spent their careers in competitive isolation as they confront the challenges of publication, teaching, service, tenure, and promotion...

https://articlegateway.com/index.php/JHETP/article/view/4601

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The Peter and Dilbert Principles applied to academe


…individuals can be placed in managerial positions for which they are not competent. Thus, Peter (1969) and Peter and Hull (2011) refer to the Peter Principle, which asserts that within a firm's hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence, an outcome of this process… 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10101-020-00235-6

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The effects of long-term workplace bullying on academics
...Psychological and Emotional Effects: Workplace bullying can lead to increased stress, mental distress, sleep disturbances, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and even work-related suicide. Victims may experience a loss of self-esteem and feelings of isolation, powerlessness, confusion, and helplessness...

https://bulliedacademics.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-effects-of-long-term-workplace.html

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“My Core Is Cracked”—Bullying in Higher Education as a Traumatic Process
The higher prevalence in universities can be understood in terms of well-established institutional factors that predispose specific organizations to bullying and coalesce in HEIs. Large organizations, hierarchical organizations and public sector organizations are vulnerable to a higher prevalence of bullying...

https://bulliedacademics.blogspot.com/2025/06/my-core-is-crackedbullying-in-higher.html

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Academic bullies leave no trace.
Academic bullying has recently received much greater attention from stakeholders and decision-makers in the scientific community through news coverage, actions taken against culpable lab leaders, and serious corrective measures taken by large institutions. Though some reports claim higher rates of bullying in academic than in non-academic settings, one suspects there would have been an even larger gap between the two settings if all incidents had been reported. 

https://bulliedacademics.blogspot.com/2025/10/academic-bullies-leave-no-trace.html

Academic bullies leave no trace

Academic bullying has recently received much greater attention from stakeholders and decision-makers in the scientific community through news coverage, actions taken against culpable lab leaders, and serious corrective measures taken by large institutions. Though some reports claim higher rates of bullying in academic compared to non-academic settings, one suspects there would have been an even larger gap between these two settings if all incidents were reported. 

Possible reasons for unreported incidents of bullying include, but are not limited to, (i) lack of robust and easy-to-access institutional protocols for reporting incidence, (ii) feelings of insecurity among lab members about their positions and dependence on monthly paychecks, (iii) fear of being fired, (iv) fear of being treated unfairly, and (v) concerns over receiving substandard recommendations for future jobs. These issues are much more threatening for international students/scholars, who are in the US on visas and therefore feel more pressure than domestic lab workers. 

To date, reported incidents of academic bullying have consisted mainly of insults, snubs and/or invasions of privacy by lab leaders. However, higher-level and more serious types of bullying include violations of intellectual property and unfair crediting of authors in scientific publications. 

These kinds of abusive behaviors cause serious and long-lasting effects on both the academic and personal lives of targets and their families. It is therefore pressing that academic institutions and funding agencies offer clear, fair, and accessible protocols for students/scholars to report abusive behaviors of any kind, as free as possible of concerns about recrimination. Ideally, institutions could play a key role in reducing academic bullying by designing fair and thorough reporting systems and minimizing the possibility of reprisal. It should be noted that though well-intentioned institutions may believe their investigations of bullying to be fair and unbiased, their corrective actions against bullies may be insufficient, for several reasons.

A central issue is concern of possible damage to the reputation of the institution. Another important issue is that, compared with bullies in other types of workplaces, bullies in academia are likely to be intelligent enough to leave minimal evidence of their inappropriate actions; e.g., they may use phone or individual meetings rather than emails or public/group meetings to attempt to exercise power over a bullying target. In order to improperly take control of intellectual property or inappropriately alter author positioning, academic bullies may force their targets to sign falsified consent forms stating that they made no contribution or have no rights to publications/patents that actually arose from their own work.

One way for institutions and other stakeholders to combat bullying would be to create strategic plans to identify and eliminate these more-sophisticated forms of false documentation. One strategy might be to create a team of multidisciplinary expert investigators (including lawyers and psychologists) to examine all such documentation for signs of coercion or inaccuracy. In addition, specific trainings should be offered to those at risk of abuse (e.g., students and postdocs) on how report bullying, even when confronted with intelligent bullies who attempt to leave no trace.

From: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6726746/

Workplace bullying is prevalent in higher education...

 

Workplace bullying is prevalent in higher education, often occurring at higher rates than in other sectors. Studies suggest that systemic issues related to university structures and academic culture create an environment where bullying can easily develop and persist. The complex power dynamics within academia make addressing bullying especially difficult.

Reasons for high rates of bullying in academia

Hierarchical structure: Universities have well-defined hierarchies where power imbalances make junior staff, adjunct professors, and even graduate students particularly vulnerable to bullying by those in senior positions.

• Neo-liberal managerialism: The increasing corporatization of higher education, with its emphasis on metrics, competition for funding, and pressure to "publish or perish," intensifies job insecurity. This hyper-competitive climate can fuel bullying and hostile behavior.
• Poor managerial training: Leadership within academia is often drawn from senior faculty who have strong research backgrounds but may lack formal management training. This can leave them ill-equipped to handle bullying situations effectively.
• Culture of silence: Victims often remain silent for fear of retaliation, damage to their reputation, or harm to their career progression. Some view reporting an academic superior as "the kiss of death" for their career. A culture of distrust and silence can also make bystanders reluctant to speak up.
• Lack of effective recourse: While most universities have anti-bullying policies, the procedures are often insufficient to address complex bullying dynamics. The institutional response can sometimes be more traumatic for the victim than the bullying itself.
• The "brilliant jerk" phenomenon: In a system that rewards research output and academic achievement above all else, institutions may tolerate or even protect high-performing faculty members with poor social skills or a history of abusive behavior. 

Manifestations of bullying

Academic bullying can take many forms, including subtle and insidious behaviors that are difficult to prove. 

• Professional undermining: Unjustified criticism, exclusion from meetings or opportunities, ghost authoring (taking undue credit for others' work), and the removal of authority without reason.
• Abuse of power: Setting impossible deadlines, assigning meaningless tasks, and excessive monitoring of work.
• Verbal and social abuse: Public humiliation, insults, spreading malicious rumors, and social isolation.
• Mobbing: A particularly sophisticated form of bullying where multiple people gang up to systematically target and diminish a victim through intimidation and harassment. 

Impact of bullying

The effects of bullying in higher education are severe, impacting individuals, institutions, and even the progress of science. 

• On individuals: Victims often suffer from serious and long-lasting mental health issues, including stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts. Bullying can also lead to physical health problems and addiction.
• On institutions: Bullying negatively affects workplace culture, leading to reduced productivity, lower employee morale, increased employee turnover, and damage to the institution's reputation.
• Systemic issues: By creating a toxic research culture, bullying and harassment hinder scientific progress and negatively impact research integrity. 

Potential solutions

Addressing bullying in higher education requires a multi-pronged approach that targets systemic and cultural issues. 

• Training and accountability for leaders: Provide mandatory management training for academic leaders to help them recognize and effectively address bullying. A zero-tolerance policy must be enforced consistently.
• Improved reporting systems: Establish clearer, more effective, and confidential reporting and grievance mechanisms that offer victims support without fear of reprisal.
• Address systemic factors: Critically examine and address institutional drivers of bullying, such as hyper-competitiveness and power imbalances. Promote a culture that values collaboration, emotional intelligence, and integrity.
• Robust support for victims: Offer accessible support services, such as counselling and mediation, to help staff cope with the psychological effects of bullying.
• Shift evaluation criteria: Broaden promotion and hiring criteria beyond publication records to include social skills and emotional intelligence, thus de-legitimizing the "brilliant jerk" archetype. 
  
  

  https://www.google.com/search?q=workplace+bullying+higher+education

  
  

Chronic silencing is a critical barrier to breaking the cycle of bullying in academia and industry

 ...To effectively address and resolve the pervasive issue of bullying in academic workplaces, stakeholders must take decisive action to dismantle the entrenched, albeit often implicit, culture of silence that surrounds it. This culture, which often protects the reputations of institutions and those in power, allows harmful behaviors to persist unchallenged, and undermines the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability that are essential to academic environments. Institutions must be held accountable by fostering open dialog, implementing transparent reporting mechanisms and ensuring that policies are enforced equitably to create safe and supportive environments for all members of the academic community.

Research indicates that bullying is rife in higher education and that members of underrepresented groups suffer most at the hands of bullies. Many contend that endemic features of higher education — hierarchy, hypercompetition, a cult of personality, ever-dwindling resources and increasing precarity — help to create a climate conducive to bullying or, as Wyn Evans of the University of Cambridge, UK, suggests, make bullies a “feature, not a bug”. In such a climate, bullying is not just an unfortunate byproduct; rather, it functions as a career tool used by mediocre academics to “remove their competition”...

...In addition to perpetuating the cycle of abuse within departments and universities, silencing those who allege abuse (for example, through isolation, exclusion, dismissal, legal threats and/or non-disclosure agreements) only serves to deepen the psychological wounds and breed mistrust among survivors. Dorothy Suskind describes the silencing and othering associated with workplace bullying as leaving targets in a “state of suspension” that may result in what therapist and researcher Pauline Boss terms ‘ambiguous loss’ — “a loss that remains unclear and without official verification or immediate resolution, which may never be achieved”. It is in this space that shame, despair and distrust set in. We have seen this firsthand in our advocacy work and in our own experiences of bullying: chronic exposure to abuse and unresolved trauma can leave emotional scars that distort perceptions and responses in targets. Even after the bullying has ceased, targets may be easily triggered, even by those organizations and people who are trying to help...

...the compulsion to silence and ‘disappear’ bullying claims is fundamentally inconsistent with universities’ missions as truth-seeking and truth-sharing organizations. Moreover, university administrators can no longer claim ignorance about the prevalence and consequences of academic bullying. The responsibility now lies with university leaders and those tasked with handling complaints to educate themselves about bullying and its associated traumas and to provide fair hearings for all community members...

Vogelaar, A.E., Mahmoudi, M. Chronic silencing is a critical barrier to breaking the cycle of bullying in academia and industry. Nat Biotechnol 43, 1577–1579 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-025-02803-9

Silence on bullying at universities ‘like Post Office scandal’, says Cambridge chancellor hopeful

The culture of silence on bullying at universities is like the Post Office scandal, a candidate in the running to be the next Cambridge University chancellor has claimed.

Prof Wyn Evans, one of 10 hopefuls who could become Cambridge University’s next figurehead, said academics were routinely made to feel as if their allegations about bullying and harassment were isolated cases.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the astrophysics professor at Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy claimed he was subject to “prolonged retaliation” after he tried to blow the whistle over mistreatment of a colleague.

Prof Evans raised concerns with the university in July 2021 that a female member of staff in his department in the “throes of extreme mental distress” was being bullied by a more senior employee, adding that he was worried about her welfare as a result.

Cambridge University appointed an independent barrister to investigate the claims, but also tasked them with probing separate allegations made about Prof Evans’s own behaviour.

It took more than a year and a half before the investigation was completed. The barrister concluded that Prof Evans’s intervention met the legal threshold for whistleblowing, but that the behaviour reported by him did not constitute bullying.

The lawyer dismissed the personal allegations made against Prof Evans and said the claimant provided no evidence to substantiate them.

Prof Evans told The Telegraph that the drawn-out process had an enormous impact on his mental health, and that at his lowest ebb during the investigation, he had thoughts of ending his own life.

‘Not even a droplet of compassion’

“My problems all started when I intervened on [my colleague’s] behalf. I contacted a prominent figure in the university for help in dealing with the victim… No help was offered. There was not even a droplet of compassion for the victim,” he said.

“As is very common in whistleblowing cases, there was then prolonged retaliation against me. The retaliation caused significant disruption to my work and my mental health. I went on sick leave. Sleep was an elusive luxury [and] I was plagued with recurrent nightmares.”

The astrophysics professor has promised to introduce an ombudsman at Cambridge University to investigate “serious abuses or mismanagement” if elected chancellor. The scientist, whose research is around the formation of the Milky Way, launched a blog about his ordeal in 2023 calling for other academics to come forward with their own experiences…

The 21 Group, named after the percentage of Cambridge University employees who reported being subjected to bullying or harassment in an internal staff survey, has seen almost 300 academics from around the world share their stories about bullying and harassment to date.

The 21 Group has seen more than 8,000 visitors to its website in the past week alone, according to Prof Evans, with most academics active on the platform claiming to be from research-intensive universities across the UK.

Some allege they have been stripped of research funding as part of power struggles with more senior colleagues…

“The magnificent role the university could play in encouraging greater empathy, diversity, kindness and inclusion as well as public interest in scholarship and learning, is undermined by its poor culture,” he said.

“Culture is set by the people at the top. This is one of things I would change as chancellor.”

Cambridge University said it strongly refuted Prof Evans’s claims.

The astrophysics professor will run against rival candidates including Sandi Toksvig, the comedian and ex-presenter of the Great British Bake Off, and Gina Miller, the anti-Brexit campaigner, in the race to become the next Cambridge chancellor…

https://www.yahoo.com/news/silence-bullying-universities-post-office