Endorsement from Professor Gail Davies, University of Exeter
I want to work in a tertiary education sector that foregrounds equality and diversity, promotes sustainable research careers, supports the international exchange of ideas, values workplaces that foster long-term creativity rather than reductive metrics, and provides inclusive training and education. I will be voting for Jo Grady for General Secretary of the UCU.
My name is Gail Davies. I work on the geographies of science and for the last six years I have sat on a committee providing science policy advice to the British government. I have seen how the marketisation of education and intensification of metrics is affecting individuals and research. I am deeply concerned about the impact of management practices on colleagues’ health and wellbeing and the consequence for knowledge production, when, to quote the editor of The Lancet “no-one is incentivised to be right”.
The UCU has not grasped the extent and impact of changes to the ways we are working and has failed to provide the leadership the sector needs. We require a reformed UCU able to support us in addressing the future challenges of health, the environment, education, and democracy. I believe Jo Grady’s unique mix of activism and analysis will provide the change we urgently need as educators and researchers.
Jo Grady for UCU General Secretary