by Julia Chapman

Durham University Registrar and Secretary Carolyn Fowler wrote a controversial blog post, which has since been removed, commenting critically on her professional relationship with the University Vice Chancellor, Professor Christopher Higgins.

In the post made on her blog, durhamregistrar.wordpress.com, Ms Fowler likened herself to Kermit the frog and Prof Higgins to Miss Piggy, both characters from the Muppets.

As a comparison to the Vice Chancellor, Ms Fowler wrote: “Piggy, secure in her stardom and suffering not a moment of self-doubt, performs with single-minded determination regardless of whatever chaos might be going on around her.”

In contrast, she wrote of herself: “Meanwhile the registrar – Kermit desperately tries to keep Piggy and everyone else happy at the same time, his only fixed point of knowledge that the show must go on.”

An excerpt from the post is still available on Times Higher Education, here.

In her position as Registrar Ms Fowler acts as University Chief Operating Officer responsible to Prof Higgins. However, she is currently on leave.

After posting her blog, Ms Fowler was challenged on Twitter for her audacity, tweeting in response: “The boss thought it was funny!”

The blog is controlled by Ms Fowler and the post has since been deleted.

Ms Fowler, the University’s first female registrar, has occupied the position since April 2009.

She is also a former Durham University student, having been one of the earliest female graduates from University College in 1990 with a BA (Hons) in History.