Difficult decisions and transformative change mark decade in charge

At the end of this week I hand over the vice-chancellor's reins for Keele University to Professor Kevin Shakesheff who is joining from the Open University, and I wish him every success as head of this wonderful university.

- Prof Trevor McMillan - Vice-chancellor, Keele University

A vice-chancellor's job is a complex one, and an increasingly difficult one.

The complexity comes in part from the wide range of 'business" that is done in universities.

For example, 2,000 staff and 13,000 students from a very wide range of backgrounds and with a wide range of needs, have a right to detailed attention and support in order to help them succeed in their studies or the roles that they play.

The increasing difficulty in making sure we can provide this support is, in no small part, a result of the fact that we currently do not have a financially sustainable model for higher education in this country.

Difficult decisions have been made in many universities, including Keele, but they are always done with the best interests of the university as a whole at their heart.