Lord Patten is stepping down as Chancellor of Oxford University at the end of the academic year. He says "I would prefer to have a farewell dinner than a memorial service in which my part would be necessarily limited".
He stood down from chairing the BBC because of heart trouble, and admits it's still with him. "I am kept on the road these days by the welcome, skilled and hugely professional work of cardiologists and, in addition, have to spend rather longer on my in-tray because I suffer from macular degeneration, for which I am also being medically treated. "
His whole resignation letter is worth a read. He makes this note on longevity in post in public life: "There have been five Vice-Chancellors since I became Chancellor. I regularly attend meetings when I am the only person in the room still doing the same job after 20 years. It is not uncommon for me to be at meetings with, for instance, Heads of House, some of whom are the third or fourth in post since my own arrival on the scene. Looking towards Whitehall I can also count 15 Secretaries of State for Education since I became Chancellor. Government after government says that its priority is education. Whether this is demonstrated by the fecundity of appointments to the top ministerial job is a matter of debate. During Louise Richardson’s tenure of seven years as Vice-Chancellor there were nine secretaries of state, the longest serving of whom was Gavin Williamson."
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