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Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
First MP to come out as gay is named Cambridge chancellor
The first MP to come out as gay has been named as the new chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Lord Smith of Finsbury will replace Lord Sainsbury of Turville, a fellow Labour peer, to become the university's 109th chancellor. He beat nine rivals to the role, including Sandi Toksvig, the former host of the Great British Bake Off, Gina Miller, the anti-Brexit campaigner, and Lord Browne of Madingley, the former chief executive of BP and a cross-bench peer. The chancellorship is a largely ceremonial position at the head of the university, representing it at events and in fundraising initiatives. The role is unpaid, but its extensive foreign travel is covered by the university. Around 25,000 Cambridge alumni and staff cast their votes in the chancellorship race, which was the first to take place both online and in person in the role's 800-year history. Mohamed El-Erian, an Egyptian-American businessman and the current president of Queen's College, Cambridge, won the most first choice votes in the ballot, but the single transferable vote system saw Lord Smith emerge the victor. The politician has been the master of Pembroke College, Cambridge since 2015 and became a Labour peer last year, having previously served as the party's MP for Islington South and Finsbury. Lord Smith's 22-year stint as a Labour MP saw him serve as secretary of state for culture, media and sport for four years during the Blair administration. He later became chairman of both the Environment Agency and the Advertising Standards Authority. In his candidate statement to become Cambridge chancellor, Lord Smith said his experience as the first openly gay MP showed his commitment to 'diversity, openness and ethics'. He won 4,500 votes in the initial count compared to Mr El-Erian's 4,818, but scooped up other votes in the ranked ballot to become the overall winner. In a statement announcing his election, Lord Smith said: 'To be elected as chancellor of the university I love is a huge honour. I'm thrilled. I look forward to being the best possible ambassador for Cambridge, to being a strong voice for higher education more generally, and to working closely together with the vice-chancellor and her team.' Prof Deborah Prentice, Cambridge's vice-chancellor, said: 'On behalf of everyone at the university, I offer my warm congratulations to Chris on his election. I very much look forward to working with him and building on the strong relationship that we have developed since I became vice-chancellor. 'Chris has had a long involvement with the university, and brings a wealth of relevant experience to this important role. I would like to thank the other nine candidates for standing for the role and their willingness to serve Cambridge.' Lord Sainsbury stepped down earlier this year after 14 years as chancellor. Lord Smith, who will serve a reduced term of 10 years under new chancellorship rules, inherits Cambridge's figurehead position at a difficult time for the university sector as it grapples with a worsening financial crisis and increasingly polarised debate over free speech. His appointment comes on the day Cambridge was been granted a year-long injunction banning pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Cambridge has been granted several previous injunctions to stop protest activity on campus, but those have all covered specific events, such as forthcoming graduation ceremonies. Lord Smith has previously supported the university's use of legal action to shut down pro-Palestine encampments on campus, citing potential disruption to students' exams. The university returned to the High Court on Wednesday seeking a more sweeping 12-month injunction, which will also cover Chestnut Tree Lawn – a plot of land in front of King's College – as well as Senate House, the Old Schools and Greenwich House. The Russell Group institution said in written submissions to the court that there was 'an increase in the risk and threat of direct action taking place against the university'. It added that 'the possibility of further war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran amongst other countries is also likely to lead to further unrest over the summer period'. Kester Lees KC, for the university, said the harm caused to the university by previous protests was 'substantial', including thousands of people being disrupted during graduations, staff being unable to work, and more than £230,000 being spent on extra security, cleaning, and legal costs. The European Legal Support Centre and the human rights group Liberty both intervened in the case to express opposition to the move, with the university's students' union, which is not involved in the legal proceedings, also criticising the injunction bid. Mr Justice Butcher, the judge presiding over the case, said he would set out his reasons for granting the injunction at a later date. The injunction could place Lord Smith in a difficult position, with his pitch for chancellorship centred around a commitment to freedom of speech. In an interview with The Telegraph last month he criticised those who attempt to 'no-platform' controversial figures in the university, saying: 'Free speech is about allowing people to say controversial things, but then challenging them and debating with them.' He also criticised the BBC for livestreaming 'Death to the IDF' chants on a Glastonbury stage by the punk duo Bob Vylan last month. Lord Smith told The Telegraph: 'Urging death to anyone, including the IDF, is completely unacceptable. If I were the BBC, I would have pulled the feed immediately. It's what they should have done.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chinese university expels student over 'inappropriate behavior' with Ukrainian
[Source] A university in northeastern China has sparked debate in the country by expelling a student for what it calls 'inappropriate behavior' with a Ukrainian e-sports player that allegedly damaged national dignity. What the school is saying: Dalian Polytechnic University, located in Liaoning province, issued the expulsion notice on July 8, telling the student, 'Your inappropriate behavior on December 16, 2024, has caused a severe negative impact.' The university applied disciplinary regulations stating that students engaging in 'improper relationships with foreigners that undermine national dignity and the university's reputation may face a demerit or more serious disciplinary action, depending on the circumstances.' The notice was posted publicly on the university's website, revealing the student's full name. The student and the foreigner: The controversy centers on former Ukrainian 'Counter-Strike' professional gamer Danylo Teslenko, nicknamed 'Zeus,' who shared videos of himself with the student on his Telegram channel during a December tournament visit to Shanghai. In his posts, Teslenko reportedly referred to the student as an 'easy girl.' Video screenshots circulating online also show the pair in a hotel room — with the student appearing aware of being filmed — though no explicit content was displayed. The Ukrainian national later apologized and clarified he was neither married nor in a relationship. Reactions: Chinese social media users are divided about the student's expulsion. On Weibo, one blogger with 14 million followers noted that 'fawning over foreigners' would never be respectable. On the other hand, Peking University law professor Zhao Hong wrote that 'the online spectators who frantically humiliated an ordinary woman under the banner of so-called justice' were the real threat to national dignity. The hashtag 'disciplined student should not be publicly shamed' also garnered over 57 million views on Weibo, with many condemning the sharing of the student's identity and private content as excessive punishment. Trending on NextShark: The big picture: Beyond the university's action, the incident unveils tensions over China's complex relationship with foreigners, particularly given Ukraine's precarious position amid Beijing's close ties with Russia. Critics also highlighted gender disparities in public reactions, noting that Chinese men who pursue foreign partners typically face no similar scrutiny. Meanwhile, legal scholars questioned whether the university violated higher education laws and China's Civil Code provisions protecting personal data. The student has 60 days to appeal the expulsion decision. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UWS lecturers vote to strike over redundancies
Lecturers at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) have voted to go on strike in a dispute over planned job losses. The university is seeking to make the equivalent of 75 full-time academic roles redundant. It had a deficit of £14.4m in 2023-24 and its governing body has agreed an £8.4m deficit for the current financial year. The EIS union's University Lecturers Association said their members had "delivered a strong mandate" with 94% of those who voted supporting the strike action. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland UWS is one of a number of Scottish universities seeking to make redundancies. About 2,000 staff work at UWS which has sites in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton, London and its largest campus in Paisley, which has about 10,000 students. The union argued the job losses would lead to fewer courses being offered and affect the quality of learning and teaching. It has called for talks with UWS management and strike dates have yet to be announced. The university is yet to comment. What does the future hold for Scottish universities? Lecturers at UWS move closer to strike vote University of West of Scotland to cut jobs in bid to save £6.2m
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
UWS lecturers vote to strike over redundancies
Lecturers at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) have voted to go on strike in a dispute over planned job losses. The university is seeking to make the equivalent of 75 full-time academic roles had a deficit of £14.4m in 2023-24 and its governing body has agreed an £8.4m deficit for the current financial EIS union's University Lecturers Association said their members had "delivered a strong mandate" with 94% of those who voted supporting the strike action. UWS is one of a number of Scottish universities seeking to make 2,000 staff work at UWS which has sites in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton, London and its largest campus in Paisley, which has about 10,000 union argued the job losses would lead to fewer courses being offered and affect the quality of learning and has called for talks with UWS management and strike dates have yet to be university is yet to comment.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must make the most of its allure for mainland Chinese, overseas students
When it comes to studying abroad, the top choices are usually the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Increasingly, Hong Kong has also become a popular destination thanks to its top universities , international environment, affordable education fees and good career prospects. Advertisement The city's appeal is not confined to just foreign students. A growing number of mainland Chinese pupils are taking the city's university entrance examinations. The Diploma of Secondary Education exam is not only considered less stressful than its equivalent on the mainland, where about 13.4 million students registered for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination this year, it is also seen as a step towards more diverse opportunities in higher education. Of the 55,489 DSE candidates this year, there were 960 non-local private ones, up from 238 in 2023 and 549 last year, according to the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. Two students from across the border who achieved good scores in the DSE this year told the Post that they intended to study at local universities. Currently, 145 mainland and around 130 Taiwan higher education institutions admit Hong Kong students on the basis of their DSE results. The number of bodies recognising DSE results in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Asia-Pacific and Europe has also increased steadily over the years, according to the authority. Meanwhile, the 'Study in Hong Kong' brand continues to shine internationally, with some universities ranked favourably by well-established agencies. The city claimed 17th place in the latest global ranking of best student cities by the UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds. However, while the city was described as Asia's most improved higher education system after rising from 22nd place last year, it still lags behind Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Taipei. It also still falls short of the city's peak showing of fifth place in 2015. Advertisement The authorities must step up cooperation with stakeholders to strengthen the city's role as an international education and talent hub. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has renewed efforts on this front. In addition to raising the quota for non-locals and offering more scholarships to overseas students, there also needs to be more affordable off-campus accommodation choices. The move to relax rules for converting hotels and commercial buildings into student hostels should be actively pursued. With the right policy support and promotions, Hong Kong would be an ideal choice for those seeking quality education, diverse opportunities and global connectivity.
