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The leader of a cash-strapped university where hundreds of jobs could face the axe has announced he will step down.
Principal and vice-chancellor Professor Rama Thirunamachandran today stated he will retire from Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) next January.
In a circular email seen by KentOnline, Prof Thirunamachandran wrote his departure will coincide with his thirteenth year in the role, 25 years in senior management, all the while turning 60.
“The time will therefore be right for new leadership to take the University on to the next stage,” he said.
"I am proud of what we have collectively achieved in my time at the university.
"This includes the creation of the new medical school, a brand new engineering hub and curriculum that the region so dearly needs and the development of our digitally based creative arts.
"We can also be proud of the major estates developments which support these areas, including the Verena Holmes and Daphne Oram buildings.”
But on thanking colleagues for creating a “transformative university experience”, Prof Thirunamachandran added: “There have also been numerous external challenges, some that we continue to navigate.”
It comes less than two months after KentOnline revealed more than a quarter of jobs at the university could be slashed in a bid to save £20 million.
Mr Thirunamachandran has told CCCU staff about 80% of the savings will come from redundancies.
It is understood the move will put some 400 roles at risk - 26% of the institution’s 1,500-strong workforce.
Questions have been raised over how the university got into its current situation after Prof Thirunamachandran said in the institution’s annual financial report published in July that “we are in a relatively strong financial position” despite difficulties across the sector.
The document confirmed the university made a profit of £3.6m in the 2023/24 financial year - although this was down from £7.2m the previous year - from an income of £319m, up 21% compared to 2023.
It also highlighted there were 11,000 more students enrolled in 2024 at 38,000 compared to 27,000 studying there in the year before.
Prof Thirunamachandran replaced Prof Robin Baker in June 2013 after the latter was forced to resign eight months prior for reasons the university did not reveal.
The Cambridge University graduate arrived at CCCU from Keele University in Staffordshire, where he had been a deputy vice-chancellor since 2008.
An expert in geography and natural sciences, he worked with the United Nations on a project exploring flooding in Bangladesh.
From 2002, he was director for research, innovation and skills at the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
He has also held posts at the University of Bristol, King’s College London and Royal Holloway, University of London and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent in November 2020.
In a public statement today, Prof Thirunamachandran said: “It has been the greatest privilege and honour of my life to have led Canterbury Christ Church University since 2013 and to work with such dedicated, caring and courageous students and colleagues.
“Over the next 12 months, I remain resolutely focused on ensuring the university remains successful and sustainable into the future.”