Higgins retires, student body rejoices

Chris Higgins, Vice-Chancellor of Durham, has announced his retirement today and will be stepping down at the end of the academic year.

It’s no secret that the student body has been critical of Higgins’ rule of Durham. Recently, Durham Students have been lashing out on public Facebook pages about his apparent lack of leadership, unfair staff wages, and proposed disruption of the college system.

Durham students will no doubt be in mourning today.

In his retirement email Higgins said, “The University and its Colleges are probably in the best shape it has ever been, academically and financially, providing a strong platform for my successor to take the University and its Colleges to even greater heights.”

Some students find this debatable, with one first year Anthropology student stating, “Of course the colleges are in great shape, Higgins received his pay increase and buggered off.”

Another student has commented, “It’s about time, before he dismantles the entire university!”

An artist’s impression of Higgins’ retirement.

Robert Gillepsie, Chair of the University Council, said that Higgins desired to retire before the age of 60, which he will be reaching in June 2015. The previous default retirement age in England was 65, so the question buzzing around Durham is whether Higgins is retiring because of “old age” or his unpopularity.

One student joked that, “Durham didn’t have a harbour suitable for his Super yacht, so he’s considering a move to Southampton.”

The transition from old to new Vice-Chancellor should be smooth sailing.