Higher Education Authority chair pleaded with CEO not to quit

By Ken Foxe

The chairman of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) had pleaded with the chief executive of the organisation not to resign after he had stepped down just 18 months into the job.

HEA chief executive Graham Love had announced his departure from the job last summer, saying the role had not “matched [his] expectations” while also raising serious concerns over how third-level education was managed.

It has emerged, now, that the chairman of the authority, Michael Horgan, had urged him to reconsider his decision saying a year and a half was not enough time to “effect any meaningful change” when working in the public service.

Mr Horgan had written: “I doubt five years is even enough.

“You have learned a great deal since your appointment both about leadership as well as managing staff, politicians, civil servants and the board. It would be a shame to waste that learning.”

The correspondence relating to Mr Love’s resignation has been released following an FOI request.

Access to emails about his decision had originally been refused on the basis their release could have a “significant, adverse effect” on the management of the HEA.

However, many of the records have now been released following an appeal through transparency group Right to Know.

They show how attempts were made to get Mr Love to change his mind about what proved an embarrassing resignation for the Department of Education.

In his email, Mr Horgan said many of the issues involving poor practice by higher education institutions (HEIs) were as a result of a failure of “governance”.

He said: “This should allow us influence and guide the HEIs now without interfering with their autonomy; while also reducing demands on your time for intervention.”

Mr Horgan also urged Mr Love to consider the fact that a number of senior management appointments had just been made to the authority.

He said these would help “significantly” in sharing the workload and “easing the burden”.

“They will also be in a position to take over and lead some of the more administrative tasks,” he said. “As their recruiter, you also have a responsibility to them.”

Mr Horgan said the current board of the HEA was “one of the best [he had] ever served on”.

He said: “It has a combination of skills, experience, good character and a willingness to listen, challenge and act. In my experience, this is a very rare combination in public bodies.”

Mr Horgan said Mr Love had the full confidence of the entire board and he was sure they would also want him to stay on to allow “a more realistic timeframe to make the kind of contribution to Irish higher education that you know you can”.

In response to the email, Mr Love said that he was not going to change his mind.

“I appreciate this but the decision is made.”