As noted last month, the Division of Philosophy at Birkbeck, College of London and different items there are going through drastic cuts. The division’s graduate (post-graduate, or PGR) college students have now written a letter to the administration objecting to the cuts.
Kristoffer Ahlstrom-Vij, chair of Philosophy at Birkbeck, defined the severity of the cuts:
The worst-case situation financial savings targets which were shared by senior administration would contain a college discount of as much as 6 FTE in Philosophy. Since not all colleagues are at 1 FTE, this may seemingly contain a headcount discount of larger than 6, and doubtlessly 50% of the Division. We’re presently working with senior administration to, amongst different issues, question the mannequin used to reach at this financial savings goal, and to impress on them precisely how damaging such a discount could be for the Division. Most significantly, it could severely compromise our vital and distinctive mission of offering philosophy training to a variety of scholars, together with via night and part-time examine, and a extremely profitable conversion program for college kids and not using a formal background in philosophy.
Right here’s the textual content of the scholars’ letter:
Pricey Professor Latchman, Professor Innes, Professor Swann, and Sir Andrew,
We’re writing as members of the 2022/23 Philosophy MPhil/PhD cohort to precise our concern and opposition to the proposed workers reductions. Our division has robust grant-winning efficiency, a superb analysis output – the 2021 REF classed 70% of it as world main or internationally wonderful – and famend members of workers. If these proposals are realised, workers will likely be decreased by as much as 50%, thus harming the division’s future.
We’ve been informed that after the proposed reorganisation, we will likely be supplied with the absolute best expertise as philosophy PGR college students. Nevertheless, we’re deeply sceptical about such assurances, for the next causes:
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- Supervision. Pupil/supervisor relationships are important for profitable PhDs, for not solely are supervisors consultants in our chosen fields, but in addition as a result of we enter right into a deep dialog with them over a few years, and by way of this dialog they provide suggestions and steering. Following the proposals, many people should change supervisors, and an vital thread in our educational growth will likely be severed.
- Tutorial Surroundings. Fewer workers will lead to a worse surroundings for remaining workers and college students. The division provides a variety of alternatives corresponding to examine days, workshops, seminars, studying teams, college Work-in-Progress conferences, and conferences. These occasions rely upon the lecturers, not just for their time, but in addition for his or her world-wide relationships with the philosophy group. This dedication to a multifaceted group of pursuits can’t be maintained if the proposals go forward.
- PGR Educating Alternatives. PGR college students depend on instructing as a part of their educational growth. The proposals will scale back the variety of modules supplied, thus resulting in fewer instructing alternatives.
Discontinuity in supervision, an impoverished educational surroundings, and decreased instructing alternatives, will all put us in a worse off place in contrast with different graduates once we end, breaking an extended story of success for Birkbeck philosophy post-doc placements. The provide made upon our enrolment – as just lately as Summer season 2022 for some – is at risk of not being upheld, and these issues may even make future college students reluctant to enrol.
Birkbeck has been providing first-class training for 200 years. Nevertheless, these proposals threaten to render the philosophy training supplied second-class at greatest, by no fault of the remaining workers. We stand with the workers, and total maintain that these proposals are short-sighted with lasting penalties to the coed physique, laid off workers, remaining workers, and the School itself, particularly in mild of the truth that headwinds to pupil enrolment are prone to be momentary. We urge senior administration and the governors to significantly rethink their proposals.
This letter will likely be circulated publicly. If you happen to want to focus on the above points, please contact our representatives, Romanos Koutedakis at: [email protected], and Simon Courtenage at: [email protected]
Signed: Romanos Koutedakis, Anna Clarke, Gabriella Wyer, Simon Courtenage, Eleanor Robson, Neil Thornton, Farhad Foroutan-Esfahani, Conor Clarke, Sailee Khurjekar, Peter Jackson, Glenda Corridor, Andrew Newton, Thomas Frankfort, Antonio Mateiro, Mattias Ahlgren, Mark Higgins, Alistair Shaw, Maryam Aghdami, Lauren Slater.
[Note: The original image of the letter has been replaced with an updated version that corrrects the spelling of two names.]
