Relations between chancellor John Cassidy and vice-chancellor Professor Alan Pettigrew have broken down.

Chancellor Cassidy recently called on Professor Pettigrew to resign.

Professor Pettigrew refused to do so.

The vice-chancellor has received a strong expression of support from a recent meeting of the UNE professorate.

The professorate also recently requested that the UNE Council not re-endorse Mr Cassidy for the chancellorship when his current term expired.

The UNE Council meeting yesterday was preceded by a meeting of the UNE Council Standing Committee.

This saw some minor changes in the recommendations that had been drafted at a meeting of the standing committee in Sydney last week.

The final resolutions were that:

The UNE Council appoint Sir Laurence Street QC to:

1. Provide a clear determination of the roles of the chancellor and vice-chancellor, both specifically under the current circumstances and in general;

2. Establish a performance appraisal framework for the vice-chancellor for the future; and

3. Provide an independent performance appraisal of the vice-chancellor now.

Deputy chancellor Dr James Harris said the first two recommendations were carried unanimously at the meeting of the full council.

The third was carried with a clear majority.

Dr Harris said the council was happy with the direction the university was now going.

“I believe it will help the university community to move forward with a more harmonious attitude,” he said.

“The university can now go back to doing what it does.”

Dr Harris said council members were fully aware of how the university community felt.

They were also aware of the support the vice chancellor had received.

“I believe the resolutions that were moved today will only enhance this,” he said.

Dr Harris said there were 18 people at the standing committee meeting.

As many as 40 people, including observers, are believed to have attended the open session.

“It was remarkably calm, cool and collected and the chancellor and vice-chancellor were at both meetings but both abstained from voting. It was very civil,” he said.

Dr Harris said the university community will now wait for Sir Laurence Street to finish his job and produce his report.

The UNE Council is next scheduled to meet in August.

Dr Harris said if the report was released well before that, the council would have a special meeting.