The UK's largest arts university is facing demands from academics and students to withdraw an honorary award it bestowed upon Rebekah Brooks for her "considerable contribution" to journalism.
Brooks received an honorary fellowship from the University of the Arts London (UAL) last year amid much fanfare. The institution posted photos on its Flickr account of Brooks at the ceremony with the university's rector, Nigel Carrington. But these were taken down on Friday after enquiries were made by the the Guardian.
A letter, signed by academics and the head of the university's student union, has been sent to the university's registrar, Steve Marshall, insisting that the fellowship is revoked. They include Gary Horne, a governor of the university and director of the journalism masters course at the London College of Communication (LCC), where Brooks was once a student.
The letter's nine signatories include academics representing the institution's branch of the lecturers' trade union – the University and College Union, as well as support staff, the student union and alumni.
The letter describes giving Brooks the fellowship as "offensive and indefensible". Horne said staff, and the general public, felt the actions of some News of the World journalists had been "reprehensible" and "repugnant".
Horne, who has previously worked for First Tuesday at ITV and BBC's Panorama, said: "This was a culture that was presided over by Rebekah Brooks when she was editor ... She should take responsibility for this."
He said the practices exposed by the phone hacking scandal were contrary to the university's journalism training, which embodied "a clear public service value" and taught "students to practise journalism within an ethical code of conduct". There will be a meeting of the university's governors on Monday, Horne said.
Students have set up a separate Facebook campaign to lobby the university to withdraw the award, which since Friday has attracted around 400 members including Turner Prize winner Martin Creed and art critic Matthew Collings.
One its co-ordinators Dan Westlake, an MA fine art student at Central Saint Martins, said: "I think it is an absolute disgrace that Rebekah Brooks was given an honorary fellowship by the University of the Arts London.
"In the summer of 2010, when the honour was awarded, her reputation was already as such as to make such an honour, bestowed by a liberal university, grossly inappropriate. Recent revelations about the criminal activities taking place at the paper under her stewardship make it essential that this honour is now withdrawn immediately."
Brooks is a graduate of the LCC, which was called the London College of Printing when she was a student.
The head of the college, Sandra Kemp, emailed all staff on Friday informing them that "it would be inappropriate for us to comment on any aspect of this matter while official investigations are ongoing", and warned staff they should refer media calls to the college press office.
A university spokeswoman said it awarded honorary degrees to those it judged to have "made considerable contributions to the creative and cultural industries". She said Brooks had been presented the honorary fellowship in recognition of her achievements, which included being appointed the Sun's first female editor.
This article has been amended to remove the implication that the phone hacking issue would be discussed at meeting at the London College of Communication on Monday