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From: Chair of Search Committee
Date: 29/03/98
Confidential To: PVC (Human Resources) As you will realise, in a highly competitive market it is essential to ensure that we offer the best inducements to appropriate people who might consider coming to Armageddon. You will also know that all candidates will expect us to recognise that relocation of distinguished candidates will also involve other members of their family etc. and that this is why we have put £1M aside in next year's minor building building programme for the modernisation of The Lodge in anticipation of a successful outcome of our consultations. Following receipt of the University Governing Board's adoption of your proposals for Armageddon as a Perfect Employer, our headhunters Grabbitas and Badstreet have quite properly raised how the inclusion of the statement in the announcement that the University is 'positively striving towards an equal opportunities policy' would be interpreted in considering two eminent scholars who would certainly only consider the position on a 'job share' basis. I have no indication as yet as to the names of the possible candidates, but have sounded out the Director of Estates who has experience in the Services of POSSLQs (people of opposite sex sharing living quarters) and thinks that no difficulties would be raised if the Lodge could be assigned to the VCs as joint tenants as long as there was no assumption as to gender - to satisfy the requirements of the Equal Opportunities legislation. The Director of Finance that, since two candidates would bring in double the R income, any extra costs of such an appointment could be included in the departmental budgets where that income could be expected to accrue. The Director of Personnel has cautioned us that difficulties might arise in the event of the resignation of one of the sharers and suggests that a better solution might be to appoint one as Vice Chancellor - with the other as Deputy with nominal teaching duties in an appropriate cost centre. Do you think I have covered all the relevent issues? I must say, personally, that the opportunity to attract two distinguished people to Armageddon for the price of one would be an attractive proposition which should appeal to the staff at large and give us much needed positive publicity in these difficult times. But any comments from you would be most welcome.