Adrian Walter off on stress leave from the School of Music

astrojax said :

Mr Evil said :

Chubby, come back – you weren’t so bad after all!

really? what do you think the country’s chief scientist [?!!] would have done better?? he was an awful manager, with a single agenda and prepared to destroy careers and assets if they didn’t fit in with his agenda…

maybe it’s time for the school of music here, and others, to come under the umbrella of a national conservatory of music rather than a university and be funded accordingly by government…

Compared to the performance of ‘Ned Flanders’, Chubb isn’t looking so bad after all though. At least he seemed to know what he was doing – even though he could be a bully – and he didn’t flip-flop around like ‘Ned’ currently is.

Mr Evil said :

Chubby, come back – you weren’t so bad after all!

really? what do you think the country’s chief scientist [?!!] would have done better?? he was an awful manager, with a single agenda and prepared to destroy careers and assets if they didn’t fit in with his agenda…

maybe it’s time for the school of music here, and others, to come under the umbrella of a national conservatory of music rather than a university and be funded accordingly by government…

Captainblack said :

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more interesting:

http://www.hkapa.edu/asp/general/general_news_details.asp?newsid=804&lang=eng&mode=gui

Messages of sympathy not required.

My information is that the changes to SoM have been in the works for 3 years. So he knew what was coming and probably set about making sure he secured his own future, and I can’t really hold that against him, because word is that the VC gave him an ultimatum of fall into line and push the changes, or else.

The University of East Bumcrack is the story that keeps giving.

Badly played Mr Walter, very badly played. Geoffrey Lancaster’s comments yesterday were spot on, you did betray the students and staff and now you’ll say good riddance to Canberra.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more interesting:

http://www.hkapa.edu/asp/general/general_news_details.asp?newsid=804&lang=eng&mode=gui

Messages of sympathy not required.

Mr Evil said :

Chubby, come back – you weren’t so bad after all!

Dunno about that. I work very closely with someone who’s partner was high up at the ANU until recently. She’s normally a very calm and quiet and cheerful person, so the intensity of her antipathy towards Chubby, and the language she uses about him makes me glad I’m not on his team.

Sorry, left out an “and” between vice chancellor and Marnie in post above …

Swaggie said :

I’d have more sympathy if Adrian Walter would front up instead of claiming “stress leave” and sitting at home with his feet up at the tax payers expense, – stress leave – aww diddums, Will he be reimbursing the school for the salary he gets paid while doing nothing at home?

I think this is the culture the ANU are trying to erode and good on ’em.[/quote

The emotional impact of these cuts will have been devastating. No doubt Walters has been lied to for months, not just let down. I absolutely endorse allowing him to regroup on stress leave in these circumstances. The obscene way that the vice chancellor Marnie Hyphenated Thingammy behaved behind the scenes could well have been bullying. No doubt Walters put up a fight and exhausted himself. Shades of the ANAM controversy a few years ago. Peter Garrett stepped in there as arts minister, because it was an arts training issue. Where the hell is “arts minister” Simon Crean? Is he anything more than “Minister Attending NGA Openings”? Or is Crean tied up in ALP machinations fulltime?

I-filed said :

Huh? Ian Young on 7.30 last night – was accusing the School of Music of being “elitist” – then in the next breath saying students will be expected to “pay for extra sessions” when the $600 allowance (which he says will pay for half the current weekly one-on-one sessions – sheer nonsense) isn’t enough.
So his tack is to expect this “broader swathe of socio-economic background students” he referred to expecting to join the school as an outcome of the changes – e.g. poor students – to cough up cash for their tuition.

Elitist? Last time I looked, Law, Commerce, Economics, Science, Engineering, Medical Science and Computer Sciences were all a bit elitist too.

Something did need to be done at the School of Music, as there have been budget issues simmering in the background for at least the past ten years – but the way it is being done by Ian, Marnie and their team of ‘competent’ people, is absolutely appalling and embarrassing. The saddest thing is that some of the staff and all the current students of the SoM are ultimately paying for the lack of foresight, leadership and professionalism displayed by the previous four or five heads of the SoM.

Watching this whole saga unfold is about as enjoyable as watching someone club baby seals to death.