The vice-chancellor of the University of Kent has announced that she is leaving the role next month after overseeing a major restructuring programme in the face of a potential £30 million deficit.
Karen Cox, who has led the institution since 2017, will be replaced on an interim basis by her deputy, Georgina Randsley de Moura, from 22 May.
A former nurse who became a professor of cancer and palliative care before moving into university administration, Professor Cox said that her time in post had been a “complete privilege” and that she had been inspired daily “by the talent, drive and ingenuity of our students and staff”.
But her seven years in charge have seen Kent bear the brunt of sector-wide trends, losing out heavily in student recruitment as competitor Russell Group institutions expanded, while cost-of-living pressures have driven higher-than-average dropouts.
