Outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University Professor Andrew Hamilton will replace John Sexton as the next President of New York University (NYU). He is expected to take up the position in January 2016.

Andrew Hamilton became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2009, having previously served as Provost of Yale University.

Prior to this appointment, Hamilton had several academic posts as a chemist, including at Princeton University. He has also held professorships at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Yale. In 2004, Professor Hamilton was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Hamilton’s time as Vice-Chancellor has not been without controversy. He has previously been criticised for his salary of £442,000, which is the third highest of any university boss in the country.

In 2013, Hamilton also spoke out against the current tuition fee rules in the UK, suggesting that top universities should be able to charge more to reflect the difference in the quality of teaching between institutions. Hamilton noted at the time that it costs £16,000 a year to teach a student in Oxford.

Speaking of his departure Hamilton said, “It is a huge privilege to serve this great university and will remain so for the rest of my time here. It is premature to talk of achievements and legacies – there is still much to be done on my watch – but I am delighted to have been part of a very exciting, dynamic and successful time in Oxford’s long and illustrious history.

“It won’t be easy to leave Oxford. I have learnt a great deal, and I’m sure the insights and experience gained here will stand me in good stead in my new role in New York.”

The committee in charge of nominating the next Vice-Chancellor is expected to put forward a name by early June.

The Oxford Union today faces a leadership crisis, with both the positions of President and Treasurer left vacant.

In a meeting late last night, the Senior Disciplinary Committee ruled to uphold a decision against Roberto Weeden-Sanz, who was revealed last week to have technically resigned as President-Elect under Union rules, after missing three meetings.

In addition, it emerged that Antonia Trent, who had taken up office as Treasurer on Saturday of 8th week, had also missed enough meetings to have technically resigned, leaving a further position unfilled.

Under Union rule 23 (c)(ii)(2), “Any member of any Committee… having missed three ordinary meetings of that Committee without good reason in the same term, shall be deemed to have submitted his resignation from that Committee.”

This rule can be bypassed if there is considered to be ‘good reason’ for absence, “by two-thirds of those present at the first meeting held at least 168 hours after the absence”. ‘Good Reasons’ include sitting University exams, ‘disabling or infectious illness’, a ‘pressing and extraordinary engagement agreed to be unavoidable’ and ‘pursuit of service to the Society…of paramount importance’.

When the position of President becomes vacant, it is first offered to the Librarian, who has 72 hours to accept or reject the offer. The current Librarian is Stuart Webber. A vacant Treasurer’s position is offered first to the Secretary, currently Olivia Merrett. If the offers are declined, they are ‘passed down’ to other officers in order, and it is therefore difficult to predict who will fill the vacant positions.

One consequence of this is that candidates who unsuccessfully ran for Standing Committee in 7th week of Hilary this year will be offered positions without having been elected.

Daniel Johnson, Chair of the Senior Disciplinary Committee, told Cherwell that the Union will release a statement on these matters this weekend.

Roberto Weeden-Sanz and Olivia Merret have been contacted but declined to comment.

Ruskin College has confirmed its decision to cut its Women’s Studies MA programme, after an extended period of speculation and online pressure.

Speaking to Cherwell, Chris Wilkes, Ruskin College’s Principal, confirmed the decision to close the course was taken on Friday 13th March  and explained the financial difficulties facing the College.

He commented, “This academic year has seen a dramatic change in the College’s funding which has resulted in the removal of a substantial higher education subsidy… It is within this climate of funding cuts that the College has undertaken a comprehensive curriculum review.

“The College remains committed to its mission and this is reflected in the revised curriculum offer… The key themes of gender, class and race will be embedded within all our programmes. Looking forward, the College is aiming to maintain the number of women on our higher education programmes.”

Founded in 1899, Ruskin College originally sought to provide university-standard education for working class people to enable them to act more effectively on behalf of working class communities and organisations, including trade unions.

The College continues to specialise in providing educational opportunities to adults who are excluded and disadvantaged, describing itself as “providing educational opportunities for adults with few or no qualifications”. 

The College has promised to support those who have already enrolled in the programme if they wish to finish their degree.

A petition to avert the discontinuation of the course on change.org had reached 824 signatures at the time of writing. Comments made by signatories to this petition suggest that the Women’s Studies MA may not be the only course to close with little or no consultation, with concerns also raised in particular about the future of the College’s English degree.

Saskia Ritchie, Chief Executive of Cheshire without Abuse and a student on the course who started the petition, agreed that the College had not been transparent about the nature of the proposal.

She told Cherwell, “There has been no communication. When asked in another meeting how much consultation had taken place, the Vice-Principal said that six consultations were undertaken but could give no detail. In addition, when pressed, he agreed that consultation opportunities were available only to resident students. The MA is a part time course and has never had a residential cohort.”

Ritchie added, “Women’s Studies is a unique programme of study that allows me to use personal experience to explore political, historical, sociological, philosophical and academic understanding of my chosen field [domestic abuse]. My dissertation will both inform and be informed by my work, my life and my politics.”

According to its website, the programme, believed to be the only one of its kind in the country, “asks students to consider the ways in which gender intersects with other power structures… [it attempts to] explain the ways in which women have been made invisible in the world and to think about the ways in which activism can and does change the world.”

The course was notable for being one of the few graduate-level courses open to students without prior qualifications. Instead, it accepted candidates with a similar level of intellect or those who could show evidence of relevant experience in organisations such as trade unions and political movements.

A group of Oxford alumni has occupied a University building in protest at the University Council’s ruling to defer a decision on fossil fuel divestment.

Cherwell understands that the alumni entered the Clarendon Building on Broad Street, an administration building for the Bodleian Library, at 4.30pm today, occupying one of the offices. The administrative staff present left the premises and were replaced by a group of porters. The police were called. Among the protesters was John Clements, formerly the University’s Director of Finance.

Andrew Taylor, the Fossil Free Campaign Manager at People & Planet, an environmental student campaign network, said in a statement, “It is unacceptable that the University of Oxford is refusing to take urgent action and call out the rogue fossil fuel industry that is driving climate change. This is a needless delay by powerful decision-makers at the University of Oxford, while the citizens of vulnerable nations like Vanuatu face the consequences of inaction.”

The University’s decision comes after a protracted divestment campaign from a number of student groups. Within Oxford, the campaign has received support from 14 JCRs and 14 MCRs, representing roughly 8,200 students. A number of alumni, including solar energy entrepreneur Dr Jeremy Leggett and journalist George Monbiot, have promised to hand back their Oxford University degrees if the University does not commit to divestment from fossil fuels.

Worldwide, divestment campaigns are gathering momentum. The UN yesterday announced its support for divestment campaigns, while the Guardian today launched the ‘Keep it in the Ground’ campaign, urging the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to divest from fossil fuels.

If the University does decide to divest, it will follow in the footsteps of leading universities including Stanford and Glasgow. Its endowment is estimated to stand at £3.8 billion.

A spokesperson for the University said, “Last October’s Oxford University Student Union resolution has raised an important and multi-faceted matter which requires thorough consideration. The University Council had a good discussion of the issues and agreed to consider the matter further at a future meeting.”

With regards to the occupation, Cherwell has yet to receive from the University a reply to its request for comment.

OUSU President Louis Trup was present at the meeting. In a statement, he said, “University Council has seriously considered the proposals and has decided it wants to get more information before making a final decision, most likely in May. I hope that in the time between then and now, students continue to make it clear that the university has a moral duty to the planet and to the Oxford University researchers who are leading calls to divest. My colleagues and I who sit on University Council will then be able to show that the significant student view and the undeniable scientific evidence must not be ignored.

“I also want to thank OUSU’s Environment and Ethics campaign for their work on this, which has proven that students can force the university to tackle these big issues.”

OUSU’s Environment & Ethics Fossil Free Campaign said in a statement,  “Today, Oxford University Council met to discuss proposals for fossil fuel divestment. We are disappointed that they have deferred this important decision until a future meeting. This deferral represents serious complacency towards the urgent need for action on climate change.”

It pledged to continue lobbying the University, adding, “We appreciate the University’s active engagement with the student body on this issue, and  strongly urge the University to make the right decision without delay.”