John G. Hughes

John G. Hughes (b, 28 Aug 1953)[1] is a former president of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Ireland[2] who served from 2004 to 2010 and Vice-Chancellor at Bangor University, Wales, from 2010 to 2018.[3][4][5]

Early life and career

Professor Hughes was born and raised in Belfast, educated at St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School and at Queen's University Belfast where he obtained a BSc with First Class Honours in Mathematics and a PhD in Theoretical Physics.[6]

Following appointments at Queen's and at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, he became Professor of Information Systems Engineering at the University of Ulster in 1991. There he held a range of senior academic positions and was actively involved in promoting research and technology transfer initiatives which attracted substantial funding to the university. He sits on the boards of a range of public and private sector organisations. Under his presidency at Maynooth, the institution suffered severe financial problems.[7]

Hughes has international links in Europe, the US and Asia. He has initiated a large number of research collaborations with prestigious institutions including the Max-Planck Institutes, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Criticism

Hughes was criticised for appointing his then wife to a high-paying position at Bangor,[8] and the purchase and refurbishment of his house by the university (costing the institution £750,000)[8][9][10] as well as for a number of other scandals and for being a non-Welsh speaker.[11] Under Hughes's leadership, Bangor University faced severe financial problems, resulting in several reductions of staff. From his takeover in 2010, when Bangor University made a £4.2 million profit, to 2017, the university's nominal income had risen by 12 per cent, but their expenditures by 19 per cent with the university's interests and finance costs soaring by 747 per cent.[12][13] When a new financial crisis as well as allegations of racist and sexist harassment against his ex-wife were revealed in late 2018, Bangor University announced Hughes's resignation by December 2018, eight months ahead of his ordinary retirement.[14][15][16]

References
  1. "Birthdays". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. 28 Aug 2014. p. 35.
  2. "NUI Maynooth> About NUI Maynooth > President's Greeting". 2006-04-20. Archived from the original on 2006-04-20. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  3. "Bangor University appoints non-Welsh speaker as head - BBC News". BBC News. 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  4. "Bangor University appoints high-flyer from Ireland as new vice-chancellor". Wales Online. 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  5. "Professor John G. Hughes | About the University | Bangor University". Bangor.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  6. "Maynooth University Office of the President". President.nuim.ie. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  7. "Jobs freeze looms as pay cuts 'panic' grips colleges - Independent.ie".
  8. Martin Shipton (2010-10-18). "Union criticises job for university head's wife". Wales Online. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  9. "Bangor University to buy £475,000 house for new head - BBC News". BBC News. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  10. Bennett, Rosemary (2017-08-07). "University chief living in luxury as staff face the axe". The Times. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  11. https://medium.com/@UUKspin/the-legacy-of-bangor-university-vice-chancellor-john-g-hughes-2010-18-b1b248bb5451
  12. University, Bangor. "Bangor University Annual Accounts | Finance Office | Bangor University". www.bangor.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  13. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/university-paid-huge-sums-new-15688798
  14. http://www.thebangoraye.com/calls-for-urgent-meeting-over-bangor-university-redundancies-threat/
  15. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-46639721
  16. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/12/21/university-vice-chancellor-boasted-ex-wifes-new-husband-had




Academic offices
Preceded by
W. J. Smyth		 President of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth
2004–2010		 Succeeded by
Philip Nolan
Preceded by
Merfyn Jones		 Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University
2010–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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