ABERYSTWYTH University’s vice-chancellor has brushed off criticism of her amid the institution’s four-year slide down league tables, saying it was just “a few noisy people” who got “more of a voice than they would have in other parts of the UK.”

Prof April McMahon was the subject of two petitions calling for her resignation as student satisfaction tumbled coupled with a fall in rankings in influential league tables.

An ongoing petition has attracted nearly 1,000 signatures while a similar petition, launched by student Kieron O’Shea, was closed following a meeting between Mr O’Shea and senior staff.

Asked by a national newspaper what she thought about the campaign against her, Prof McMahon said: “That’s a matter for them, not a matter for me.

“I don’t want to dwell on the personal stuff – I want to talk about the university. If there was wholesale revolt, it wasn’t very visible from where I was sitting. We had a few noisy people that got more of a voice than they would have in other parts of the UK.

Prof McMahon, who has never spoken to the Cambrian News about the issues, said Aberystwyth University’s recent upturn in both UK and world rankings was proof the tide was beginning to turn — and that she was “ridiculously cheery” about the strides being made, predicting the university would rise further up league tables next year.