Bartlett names interim dean

The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment has announced that Jacqui Glass will serve as interim dean from April, when Christoph Lindner becomes president and vice-chancellor at the Royal College of Art.

Glass is currently vice-dean of research at the Bartlett, which is part of University College London, and has led the faculty’s multidisciplinary research community for several years.

The Bartlett said she was expected to serve as interim dean for a number of months, until a permanent successor to Lindner is appointed.

Lindner joined the Bartlett in 2019 and his time as dean coincided with 2022’s revelations about a toxic culture of bullying, racism and sexual misconduct at the Bartlett School of Architecture, which was said to have spanned decades.

In the wake of a damning report on the issue by intelligence consultancy Howlett Brown, some staff were suspended from their posts and UCL apologised for what it described as a culture of “unacceptable behaviour”. 

At the time, Lindner said he was “truly sorry” that staff and students had been subjected to “unforgivable incidents” at the school.

“We know this is a moment of change for the BSA, as well as for the architecture sector as a whole, which has also been struggling to address workplace cultures and behaviour,” he said.

“It’s time for us to have some difficult conversations about how we disrupt existing structures of privilege and power, making space and opportunities for those who have previously been marginalised.”

The Royal College of Art announced it had hired Lindner as its next president and vice-chancellor in November.

RCA pro-chancellor and chair Peter Bazalgette said Lindner “stood out” because of his international standing, breadth of experience, and understandng of interdisciplinary teaching and research.

He added: “Importantly, his empathetic leadership, commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and his championing of the student experience reflect what we know our staff and students also want from a leader.”

Prior to joining the Bartlett, Lindner was dean of the College of Design at the University of Oregon. He has also been professor of media and culture at the University of Amsterdam and served as a visiting professor at New York University, University of California-Berkeley, and Queen Mary University of London.