Paul Boyle will become the next vice-chancellor of Swansea University after leaving the University of Leicester, to replace Swansea¡¯s suspended leader ¡°following his planned retirement¡±.

In November, Swansea suspended vice-chancellor Richard Davies, who was scheduled to step down at the end of the current academic year. Marc Clement, dean of the university¡¯s management school, and two other staff members, were also suspended at the same time.

The suspensions appear to have been linked to concerns over plans to build a ?200 million Wellness Village at Llanelli, part of the ?1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal.

It is thought Swansea subsequently offered the vice-chancellor¡¯s post to Alison Jones, deputy vice-chancellor (health and communities) of the University of Wollongong in New South Wales. However, she then turned down the job, .

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Roger Jones, Swansea¡¯s chair of council, said Professor Boyle ¡°has agreed to become vice-chancellor following the planned retirement of Professor Richard Davies at the end of the current academic year¡±.

Professor Boyle ¡°brings a wealth of experience at the highest level, with his achievements in Leicester including increased research funding and citations, investment in student experience and championing equality and diversity¡±, he added.

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A Swansea spokeswoman said there was no start date for Professor Boyle as yet.

Professor Boyle, who started his academic career at Swansea and is a former chief executive of the Economic and Social Research Council, joined Leicester in October 2014.

He said his decision to leave had been ¡°an incredibly difficult one¡±. The ¡°university and the city of Leicester will always be very special for?me and my family¡±, he added.

¡°So much has been achieved at Swansea in recent years, including the campus, growth in student numbers, and a rise in some important rankings,¡± Professor Boyle also said. ¡°I look forward to working with staff and students to build on this success.

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¡°More personally, it is wonderful to be returning to the university where I began my academic career and, having grown up on the east coast, I am looking forward to being back by the sea.¡±

Bridget Towle, chair of council at Leicester, said: ¡°Since his arrival, Professor Boyle has worked hard to achieve significant progress in a number of key areas. There has been increased investment in our student experience and he has driven our research success.

¡°His campaigning for equality and inclusivity and the delivery of a vision for Space Park Leicester are a testament to his leadership. I am sure that everyone in our community will join me in giving Paul their best wishes as he embarks on the next phase of his career.¡± ?

In a 10-page grievance letter to the Swansea University council, Professor Davies had said that the Wellness Village project took up 75 per cent of the ¡°column centimetres¡± in the suspension letter that he received, with the rest detailing allegations that he ¡°failed to assure appropriate due diligence, governance and systems of control around major projects and commercial activities of the university¡±.

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He accused the university registrar of trying to ¡°seize the position of vice-chancellor¡± and said that the university council has been ¡°negligent in permitting this manifestly unfair concentration of power in the hands of one person¡±.

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com