Former Robert Gordon principal calls out bullying in universities

An oppressive culture that facilitates staff bullying is being tolerated or sometimes even promoted by senior staff at some universities, a former principal has claimed.

Ferdinand von Prondzynski, who left his role as principal of Robert Gordon University in August 2018, said in a blog post on 19 February that pressures in higher education could be causing “unnecessary human misery” for some university staff.

“Most universities make a genuine effort to maintain a culture and atmosphere in which people—students and staff—can thrive and in which intellectual debate and challenge is encouraged in a setting of personal respect,” he said. “But a few don’t, and so in some institutions there may be individual cases of bullying, and sometimes a more widespread problem.