Karen Cox, who has been in charge of the university since 2017, has been a controversial figure, bringing in the Kent 2030 vision that has seen course cuts and job losses.
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00:00 Nearly seven years in the job, now stepping down.
00:04 Karen Cox had announced today that she'll be resigning her role as Vice-Chancellor
00:08 at the University of Kent next month.
00:11 It follows the University's announcement it will be closing seven courses
00:16 across Canterbury and Medway as part of a consultation she helped lead.
00:21 The Chair of the University Council says the plan won the support of key internal and external stakeholders.
00:28 But a reaction to her stepping down has been mixed.
00:31 Bit of a shock to be fair. I don't think we'd be expecting it.
00:35 Equally I wouldn't be surprised in the sense that there's been a lot going on in the background recently,
00:39 especially regarding the course closures, which have got quite a bit of backlash, understandably.
00:45 Since she took over in 2017, the rankings have slipped.
00:49 Much of the eateries and commercial facilities on campus have declined.
00:54 The quality of food, for example, just isn't as good.
00:57 To be honest, I don't really know a lot about her or what she does.
01:01 Yeah, I feel like, I don't know, I feel like it doesn't really affect that many students.
01:06 So I don't know. I guess it's a mixed opinion.
01:09 Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate that, you know, with Brexit and many of the other changes in the uni,
01:16 it's really difficult. You know, the uni has been losing less money.
01:20 So I agree more so with some of the other changes they made.
01:24 But some staff say that it wouldn't be fair to blame the vice chancellor solely for the university's current situation.
01:31 No individual can be entirely blamed or praised for that matter,
01:39 for the situation that an institution such as a university is in.
01:48 There have been many factors and we have seen that there is a crisis across the sector that is affecting many, many universities.
01:57 Many of my colleagues, I can't speak for everyone, of course,
02:02 see her as a part of the machinery that was responsible for Kent 20, 30, but not the main architect, I would say.
02:16 In a farewell statement, the vice chancellor acknowledged why the sector has faced challenges,
02:21 seeing students achieve their ambitions and going to make the world a better place remains as moving as it always has been.
02:29 She states that she is and will remain an advocate for the power of higher education as a driver of social mobility.
02:37 A recruitment process will now take place to appoint the university's seventh vice chancellor.
02:42 In the meantime, the university's deputy chancellor will take over in a temporary capacity at the end of May this year.
02:50 While some may welcome the outgoing vice chancellor's achievements, for many on campus, her legacy will be a controversial one.
02:58 Oliver Leeds and Sacks reporting for KMTV.