Leo McCann
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leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann
@leomc76.bsky.social
160 followers 310 following 78 posts

Academic @york.ac.uk
Sociology of Professions / Critical Management Studies / History

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Business 28%
Political science 26%
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leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · Sep 16
Thinking of using #ChatGPT for 'help' with assessments? Think again. #university #AI

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Letter
Letter: Prof Leo McCann and Prof Simon Sweeney say student misuse of generative artificial intelligence is widespread and we must be sceptical of its usefulness
www.theguardian.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 3d
'The Goffman Nobody Knows.' Really enjoyed this book review from @jerolmack.bsky.social. The book sounds fabulous. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The Goffman Nobody Knows
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Leo McCann

ronaldhartz.bsky.social
Ronald Hartz @ronaldhartz.bsky.social · 3d
"[V]iolating academic freedom becomes an essential requisite for entrenching and sustaining the specific illiberal mindset that the erosion agents pursue."

Interesting new study about the erosion of #AcademicFreedom in Hungary and Poland.

#HigherEd

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
The sequencing of academic freedom violations during democratic erosion: Comparing the cases of Hungary and Poland - Ellen Bos, Marianne Kneuer, 2026
This paper addresses the widely accepted but still little elaborated observation that democratic erosion evolves in a sequential manner. We argue that the viola...
journals.sagepub.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 4d
An excellent video from @ucu.org.uk highlighting the continued destruction of higher education in this country. We need urgent change to how the entire sector is funded, led and governed. Please, @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social, can this Labour government do something?
ucu.org.uk University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 14d
400 jobs at risk. A campus set to close.

This film explains what’s happening at the University of Essex and why staff, students and the local community are organising to stop it.

📍 Southend rally | 5 February

Reposted by Leo McCann

forbes.com
Forbes @forbes.com · 4d
Airline bookings to the U.S. in advance of the World Cup are soft, calling into question whether the high-profile tournament will deliver the boon U.S. tourism officials are expecting.
Fewer Europeans Are Heading To The U.S. This Summer—Here’s What That Could Mean For The World Cup
Airline bookings to the U.S. in advance of the World Cup are soft, calling into question whether the high-profile tournament will deliver the boon U.S. tourism officials are expecting.
www.forbes.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 5d
Week zero of the semester and life is hectic. Looking forward to getting back in the classroom but the amount of things swirling around... Let's just say this fog feels appropriate. Hope everyone is well and feeling some sunshine soon! ☀️

Reposted by Leo McCann

charleskeener.bsky.social
Charles Keener @charleskeener.bsky.social · 7d
orinocotribune.com/calls-mount-...
Calls Mount for FIFA World Cup Boycott Amid US Rights Abuses
By Camila Escalante  -  Jan 29, 2026 At least 15 nations scheduled to participate in the World Cup face U.S. travel bans and visa restrictions, as ICE abductions, disappearances and killings continue....
orinocotribune.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 7d
Worst I've seen in university sector was 'shaping for excellence' at Leicester.

Shaping for Mediocrity by Gibson Burrell et al - The Sociological Review share.google/3C4iucDwvizA...
Shaping for Mediocrity by Gibson Burrell et al
Was the University of Leicester the test bed for the current waves of redundancies, asks Steven Brown reviewing Shaping for Mediocrity by Gibson Burrell and friends.
share.google

Reposted by David Hopkins, Leo McCann

petraboynton.bsky.social
Petra Boynton @petraboynton.bsky.social · 8d
The phrases used to avoid saying 'redundancy' and to sanitise the brutality of laying staff off are really something. "Adapting for continued success" here. What others have you heard?
21group.bsky.social 21 Group @21group.bsky.social · 8d
400 jobs lost but still in deficit

New Principal Prof Edwards hopes Aberdeen University can soon break even

There've been “regular management updates” about the 'Adapting for Continued Success' transformation

Small comfort to the 100s who are now jobless

www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6943...
Exclusive: Aberdeen University sheds more than 440 permanent staff over two years in cost-cutting drive
Trade union officials say there has been a “lack of meaningful engagement" over future job losses as strike action remains on the table.
www.pressandjournal.co.uk

Reposted by Greg Walker, Leo McCann, Katrina Navickas , and 1 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10d
'We likely require fewer academics with research in their remit, but those that do need greater time allocated, and must be subject to a strategic research management regime'.

I remain very sceptical/negative about the medium- and long-turn impacts of separating research and teaching. 1/2
For Everything to Stay the Same, Everything Must Change
... a riposte to academic nostalgia
profserious.substack.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Amir Attaran, Michelle Everson , and 14 more

onestpress.onestnetwork.com
Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 14d
France announced today it’s phasing out Teams, Zoom, etc. to be replaced with a French/European solution called Visio. The data is hosted on Outscale. Transcripts and subtitles are also handled by French providers. The target is set on 2027 for government agencies.

Reposted by Leo McCann

ewacat.bsky.social
Neon Genesis Ewangelion @ewacat.bsky.social · 14d
*hisses like a cat* BAD www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK loses measles elimination status
Decision made after outbreaks in 2024, when there were nearly 3,000 cases in England and Wales.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by David Britain, Leo McCann, Angela Piccini

ucu.org.uk
University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 14d
400 jobs at risk. A campus set to close.

This film explains what’s happening at the University of Essex and why staff, students and the local community are organising to stop it.

📍 Southend rally | 5 February

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 16d
A boycott of the World Cup absolutely needs doing. But I very much doubt anyone else will suggest it. Few in sport or politics have the gumption or courage.
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
German FA official wants 2026 World Cup boycott talks
A German football association official believes it is time to consider a boycott of the 2026 World Cup in the wake of United States President Donald Trump's actions.
www.bbc.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 17d
And, if you are able, please consider donating to the strike fund:

gofund.me/0a7c7dac4
Donate to Support University of Sheffield striking staff!, organized by Mark Pendleton
I'm the branch treasurer for the University of Sheffield University and… Mark Pendleton needs your support for Support University of Sheffield striking staff!
gofund.me

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 17d
Please consider supporting striking staff at University of Sheffield. Please sign: www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/no...
No lockout for University of Sheffield staff
UCU members have been standing up against the continual cutting and restructuring of the last several years which has significantly damaged the University’s international standing, the quality of educ...
www.megaphone.org.uk

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 18d
While it's good to fight back against the price gouging, the library cuts are hurting research. Papers we publish aren't open access any more, making public engagement harder. Write a blog and the links effectively take you to paywalls. This isn't right.

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 18d
If I join the Board of Peace, do I get a free Trump Steak?

Reposted by Leo McCann

ianmoody.bsky.social
Ian Moody @ianmoody.bsky.social · 18d
Trump claims world ‘richer, safer’ than year ago at launch of his ‘board of peace’. US president repeats claims to have stopped eight wars as he hosts signing ceremony at World Economic Forum.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Trump claims world ‘richer, safer’ than year ago at launch of his ‘board of peace’
US president repeats claims to have stopped eight wars as he hosts signing ceremony at World Economic Forum
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by John Drury, Martin Paul Eve, Benjamin Braun , and 2 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19d
Kent, Essex and apparently Sussex all decline to be gouged by Elsevier Read & Publish deals. Others may well follow. 1/2
Three major research universities opt out of new Elsevier deal
Complaints over ‘price increases’ and open access models spur UK institutions to walk away from offer from publishing giant, despite nationally negotiated agreement
www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Leo McCann

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20d
'To speak of the “demise” of the UK university is not to suggest its disappearance, but its transformation into something increasingly unrecognisable.'

Wise words, these. 1/3
Why are UK universities failing? - LSE Impact
The HE sector in the UK faces the prospect of a university going into administration. How have universities fallen so low and is change possible?
blogs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Elizabeth Saunders, Joe R. Feagin , and 19 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20d
Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop"

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 22d
Congress can't do anything even if it wanted to. This won't require a formal declaration of war. If Trump is serious about this, then he'll order US military to annexe Greenland, saying it's not a war, it's a 'special operation'. Same as Gulf of Tonkin, or Russian invasion of Ukraine.

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · 23d
Genuine question: Does 'theft of railway signalling cables' actually happen in countries outside the UK, or is it just something we do really well here?

vimeo.com/1155503192?f...
0117 St Albans City
This is "0117 St Albans City" by National Rail on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
vimeo.com

Reposted by Leo McCann

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 23d
'this reflects on the media organisations too. Surely you shouldn’t splash about a report being published if (a) you’ve not seen the report and (b) don’t have a guarantee that the report will actually be published. Otherwise it might be that the report doesn’t exist'. 1/2
mike-rat.bsky.social Mike Ratcliffe @mike-rat.bsky.social · 23d
Two weeks ago the Telegraph posted an article about ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees based on a report by the Taxpayers Alliance. This post is not about the meaning of TPA report, but what it means that the TPA report has not appeared.

moremeansbetter.wordpress.com/2026/01/17/t...
Too woke to publish
The Telegraph ran an article about a report on Mickey Mouse degrees, but the TPA hasn’t actually published the report.
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · Jan 7
The situation across the country is increasingly desperate. Some depts have huge student numbers whereas others face possible closure. Everywhere there is short staffing and stress. Student AI misuse is rampant, creating tremendous problems. People feel disempowered. Leadership is often invisible.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders, Steven Van de Walle , and 29 more

olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · Jan 7
"I’m going to pause here just to review: an institution that purports to be a university has told a philosophy professor he is forbidden from teaching Plato."

surreal times

dailynous.com/2026/01/06/t...
Texas A&M Bans Plato - Daily Nous
Drop the race and gender material from your course and the Plato readings, or teach a different course. You have a day to decide. That's a paraphrase of what Martin Peterson, professor of philosophy a...
dailynous.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · Jan 7
'Moral evaluation' in the 'besieged fortress'. I really enjoyed Marius Wamsiedel's ethnography of emergency departments in Romania. See my review in 'Symbolic Interaction'. (If you hit a paywall, please get in touch!)
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Colin Murray, Leo McCann, Catriona Seth

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jan 7
'Despite all their difficulties, universities remain an enormous and irreplaceable national asset. As well as educating millions of people, they generate about £24bn in export earnings, which is about 1% of GDP – more than aircraft manufacturing and legal services combined'. 1/2
The Guardian view on universities: Labour needs a clearer plan | Editorial
Editorial: Ministers promised a ‘change of approach’, but their new tax could tip weaker institutions over the edge
www.theguardian.com

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · Dec 31
Has to be Palace winning the FA Cup. It was an incredible achievement and a momentous day!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Crystal Palace fans in ecstasy after FA Cup win over Manchester City
Victory over Man City marks the Eagles first ever major trophy in their 120-year professional history.
www.bbc.co.uk

leomc76.bsky.social
Leo McCann @leomc76.bsky.social · Dec 30
The redundancies and deletion of specific academic sub-disciplines at Leicester were appalling. The university was widely condemned for it. But the VC then gets rewarded by a Labour government? This cannot be right. thesociologicalreview.org/reviews/shap...
Shaping for Mediocrity by Gibson Burrell et al
Was the University of Leicester the test bed for the current waves of redundancies, asks Steven Brown reviewing Shaping for Mediocrity by Gibson Burrell and friends.
thesociologicalreview.org