Sir, – Having a woman provost for the first time in Trinity’s history should be a cause for celebration. Of all times, this is one in which we would expect transparency and the prevailing of democratic traditions as we strive to become a more inclusive society.
It is very worrying therefore to see that one of the most highly qualified and distinguished candidates was eliminated from standing in the election. It is perhaps no coincidence that this candidate had been outspoken in relation to various issues, including the autonomy of Irish universities, and TCD in particular. Two others, who had not publicly declared their candidacy, were also blocked. This unprecedented action has reduced the number of candidates by 50 per cent – from six to three – the lowest ever seen in any Trinity provost election in living memory.
While the remaining three are fine candidates, the electorate has been deprived of the diversity of a full slate of candidates. The choice of provost has for the first time been taken out of the hands of the 850-strong academic electorate and has been usurped and pre-judged by a small committee which gives administrators a decisive voice. This latest development is a sign of the increasing managerialism which has taken over our universities and contributed to the fall in international rankings. This unprecedented intervention not only raises the question of gender discrimination – as this never happened when the slates of candidates were all or predominantly male – but also raises the question of how public money is spent and, more importantly, who decides what kind of ethos our universities will have. – Yours, etc,
Dr MARGRET
FINE-DAVIS,
Department of Sociology,
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.