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.

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The university posted an underlying deficit of £12 million in its latest financial accounts and said it expects an even bigger shortfall of more than £30 million in the current year.

A radical restructuring programme announced earlier this year proposed closing nine courses, later revised to six after a consultation.

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Student recruitment is being halted for anthropology, art history, health and social care, journalism, music and audio technology and philosophy – before they will all be phased out entirely in the coming years. Up to 58 jobs were initially put at risk of redundancy as a result of the changes.

The university has also faced criticism for its plans to cut the amount of time staff are given for research and for the way it closed its Brussels campus last year.

In announcing her departure, Kent highlighted Professor Cox’s role in initiatives such as the launch of the Kent and Medway Medical School with Canterbury Christ Church University and recent approval for the Docking Station, a cultural centre being built in a former police station at Chatham’s historic dockyard.

“While the sector faces well-known challenges, seeing students achieve their ambitions with us and go on to make the world a better place remains as moving as it has always been,” Professor Cox said.

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“I am, and will remain, a passionate advocate for the power of higher education as a driver of social mobility and as a key part of our wider civic society. I look forward to celebrating both this and Kent’s continued successes under new leadership in the years ahead.”

Before joining Kent, Professor Cox spent more than 20 years at the University of Nottingham, joining as a district nurse and research associate and rising to become head of the School of Nursing and then deputy vice-chancellor, responsible for strategy development and change management.

Mark Preston, the chair of Kent’s council, said Professor Cox had shown “exceptional leadership” during an “incredibly challenging period for the sector”.

“Karen’s work has culminated in leading a strategic review of our size, shape and ambition for the future, captured in our Kent 2030 plan,” he added. “It draws on our strengths, creates a clear mission for the next phase of the university’s life, and has won the support of key internal and external stakeholders.

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“We will now be looking for the next person to take Kent forward, continuing to build on this strategy, while ensuring we meet what students and industry are looking for from universities in the future.”

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com