Dr Vicky Randall

@vrandall.bsky.social

Senior Lecturer in Modern British History. Interested mainly in Victorians and their interaction with the Arab-Islamic World.

I was told that managers argued for potential cuts and closure of departments by looking at their contribution margins, i.e. their financial contribution to the university. I wonder if these managers have ever heard about the 'cost allocation death spiral'. #UKHE www.linkedin.com/pulse/cost-a...

The Cost Allocation Death Spiral and the University

The Cost Allocation Death Spiral and the University Accountants, as people whose business it chiefly is to bring hard news to powerful people, generally avoid emotional terms. They prefer softer, nuan...

linkedin.com

In a study of professors, women got 378 new work requests over 4 weeks vs 118 for men. Women spent more time on service, advising & teaching; men on research. Orgs should track who is taking extra duties & ensure they are rewarded and distributed fairly. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...

Being Too Helpful At Work Can Hurt Your Career—Here’s How To Say No

Women are more likely to take on behind-the-scenes duties at work—extra tasks like onboarding or event planning—and it's hurting their careers. Here's how to say no.

forbes.com

Last year we ran a survey on UK HE redundancies. Based on 349 responses, the UNIVERSITIES DEGRADED REPORT uncovers awful conditions, targeting of marginalised groups, & far more cuts than estimated. People's stories matter. We can hold leaders to account. Please share widely tinyurl.com/48nzf7ew

Universities Degraded: Staff Experiences & Employer Practices of Redundancies in UK Higher Education

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Conducted between August and October 2024 and publicised mainly by members of the University and College Union (UCU), the ‘Survey for UCU Members on HE Redundancies’ invited response...

zenodo.org

Gisèle Pelicot stood with her head held high in a courtroom in Avignon, France, on Thursday as the verdicts in the four-month rape trial of her ex-husband and 50 other men were read. Her image has become a symbol of female strength around the world, our critic writes. Read more: nyti.ms/41Ju7lP

A close-up of Gisèle Pelicot shows her smiling. She has short light brown hair and wears a black zip-front jacket with a white scarf. Text reads: "Gisèle Pelicot: The Face of Courage." Photo credit: Clement Mahoudeau/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sure, Taylor Swift has just completed a globe-spanning, multi-billion dollar making, epochal, music tour. She is a god that walks among us. BUT has she ever completed 12 weeks of teaching and stared down the barrel of marking 60 end of year student portfolios? At Christmas? No. She has not.

I’m doing a lot of Uni marking at the moment and noticing two words being used repeatedly (and not accurately) by students. ‘Profoundly’ and ‘contrastingly’. I have no idea why! AI, maybe?

I was told recently that a major reason humanists aren’t in as many upper admin positions is that we’re viewed as annoying progress blockers because we ask inconvenient questions and also because we’re comfortable sitting w ambiguity & discomfort and also don’t rush to the nearest solution as an end

I keep trying to write something eloquent and just being tired. History matters. Philosophy matters. Languages and literature matter. Indigenous studies matter. Arts and humanities and social sciences matter. All of them. Signed, a physicist

Autocorrect ALMOST got me into a lot of trouble today. I was sending an email to a student and wrote ‘Hi Dougal’ and, without me noticing at first, it changed it to ‘Hi Adorable’. Can you imagine if I hadn’t proof- read and sent it to the student like that??? MORTIFYING