A strange coincidence: the present vc of Birmingham is none other than the
engineer, Professor Michael Sterling

See
http://www.bugs.bham.ac.uk/studentvoices/atuni/general/vc.htm
for details.

Sterling was formerly vc at Brunel.

* During my own time time there (1993-9), the Departments of Physics and
Chemistry were closed down - admittedly at a time of falling recruitment,
but a bit of a surprise at a science and engineering oriented university.
The argument was that previous edicts to improve recruitment had failed,
as I recall, but the shock was still great.
* In addition, there was a big fuss about the award of an honorary doctorate
to Margaret Thatcher, that some of us got into hot water for opposing, and
the university creche was also closed (to which there was also opposition).

* My view is that the vc - quite a good leader in other respects - operated
the university on market and entrepreneurial principles - Departments had
to prove their worth (under devolved budgeting), and there was considerable
importance given to RAE scores as well. 'Underperforming units' always had
to look over their shoulder, and well-performing ones were rewarded. The
University improved, but sometimes with some ruthless/hard decisions taken.


I wonder if this market model has any relevance to the closure of CCS at
Birmingham? Just speculating. Sociology was not attacked at Brunel to my
knowledge, but with substantial grants flowing to it and big names like Steve
Woolgar and Alan Irwin, there is no reason it should have been under the
management model of the time, perhaps.

Raises a perenial question that also is debated at the national level in
UK: entrust governance to many, through democratic processes with teeth in
some form of post-Weberian, participatory bureaucracy; or to a few senior
figures (some elected, some not) who have great power in very Weberian (rational/oligarchal)
bureaucracies? And should the prime focus on a university be on entrepreneurial
activity, or the performance of a social welfare/civic duty function?

If we adopt the entrepreneurial model in universities, occasional departmental
closures are probably more inevitable.  I am not sure entrepreneurship can
be easily combined with other frameworks of governance. The Brunel model
is like capitalism; great costs, but also benefits.


S

-----------------
To see this story with its related links on the EducationGuardian.co.uk
site, go to http://education.guardian.co.uk

Death of a department
A bewildered Frank Webster mourns the unexpected closure of the
successful Cultural Studies and Sociology department at the University
of Birmingham
Frank Webster
Wednesday August 14 2002
The Guardian


Term ended at the University of Birmingham on June 14. The 2001-2 year
had been the best of my three years in Cultural Studies and Sociology
(CSS): the Sociology degree I had been brought in to introduce was top
of the Guardian rankings for the third successive year, and its sister,
Media, Culture and Society (MCS) was close behind.

Demand was enormously strong with between 10 and 15 applicants for each
place, postgraduate recruitment was booming, and ESRC 1+3 recognition
had been achieved. Financially CSS was robust and set to expand.

The one disappointment had been in the Research Assessment Exercise
(RAE). In December 2001, we had learned that the Communication, Cultural
and Media Studies panel had awarded a 3A. This was a surprise since,
following a rigorous internal review; there was confidence the target
score (4) would be reached comfortably.

The pro-vice-chancellor responsible for the RAE, an engineer, had
amended the original submission against my advice to ensure - in his
judgement - a 4. I had objected, but was reminded that the RAE was his
responsibility and that I would thank him later for the interference.

The 3A result came as a shock. Nevertheless, CSS was just
four-years-old, with many young and new staff, and it had developed a
distinctive and innovative intellectual project operating on the borders
of cultural studies and sociology. Students' reactions were enthusiastic
and encouraging, and initial scepticism from some staff had been
overcome.

Of course, post-RAE research would need re-directing and clearer targets
set for the 2002-6 period, but CSS was fundamentally strong and full of
promise. It had fallen just below the university target of a grade 4, so
CSS responded with detailed plans for the next five years, for which it
got the backing of the School of Social Science to which it belonged.
There was reason to remain positive about the future.

On June 20, I met with Head of School to review plans for the coming
year. To my astonishment he told me he had received instructions to
close CSS by the following month, and that only four staff were to be
retained (out of 12.6 positions) to deliver the programmes that would be
relocated.

Of the four 'fixed and limited' posts to remain, one would be in
sociology, the rest in cultural studies. A severance offer would be
made, and if insufficient numbers took this up, then redundancy notices
would follow.

Job losses had never been considered a serious issue over the previous
six months. A 65-page university plan, 2002-7 had recently passed
through council. A short paragraph made reference to CSS, but it
contained not a whisper about staff reductions.

The decision to decimate CSS came presumably from central management
alone. The Head of School had received no feedback on the School of
Social Science's strategy regarding CSS, yet now he believed the
situation was 'non-negotiable'.

There was no point in seeking a meeting with the vice-chancellor since
all that remained was to implement the decision. Our meeting ended, he
instructed a secretary to inform the CSS staff of the situation by
e-mail. He refused to attend an emergency department meeting, feeling he
had nothing to say.

Though no explanation for the decision was provided, the university has
since issued statements that the 70% reduction in CSS staffing was
justified because there were 'under-employed' staff elsewhere who could
take over.

All staff in CSS took 'voluntary' severance. They were appalled by the
university's behaviour and convinced that quality programmes were
undeliverable by just four remaining staff. So they left together, in
defence of academic standards and intimidated by the threat of
redundancy.

As professor of sociology my own position was untenable. A full degree
in sociology, with well over 100 undergraduates, is neither viable nor
credible with a single sociologist. I also knew that excess expertise
was not available elsewhere in Birmingham - the Department of Social
Policy and Social Work, our closest cousin, promptly reported it had
nothing to offer.

There were a couple of political sociologists around, but these already
contributed specialist options to our degree and were set squarely in a
Department of Political Science and International Relations, a far cry
from our sociology which advertised the 'cultural turn' as its central
concern.

Undergraduates were away on vacation so unable to comment, but the 50
plus research students in CSS, who had been ignored thus far, vigorously
protested the university edict. There have also been howls of outrage
from around the world. A student website has been tracking and
documenting the situation.

It seems that just three or four central managers have killed the
university's renowned worldwide brand, the 'Birmingham School' of
Cultural Studies.

They have likely stemmed the strong supply of overseas research students
and the invigorating cosmopolitanism this brought to Birmingham (as well
as losing direct income well in excess of =C2=A3100,000 per annum).

They have potentially devalued the degrees and diminished the
experiences of returning undergraduates, some of whom are now seeking
legal advice regarding the discrepancy between what was promised and
what will be delivered.

Extraordinarily, the university is continuing to recruit students to
programmes which it insists are unchanged.

Rumours circulate that a political scientist (who personally led his own
department to a 3A) has agreed to take over sociology, lured by the
offer of additional posts, and a philosopher who specialises in the
study of virtue is to be brought out of retirement to re-conceive
cultural studies. A research fellow and a part-time lecturer are being
drafted in, and last year's course materials are being sought out as
guides for stop-gap teachers.

Meanwhile, the CSS staff who worked so hard to make the degrees among
the best in the country are unemployed.

The completely unanticipated loss of our jobs is much like a
bereavement. First the shock, then the adrenalin rush to handle the
bureaucracy - in our case consult lawyers and clear offices in just over
a month.

Now the awful realisation dawns and we leave somewhere we enjoyed
working, without a word of farewell or thanks. Recognition, in the form
of e-mails from all over the world, are our unexpected obituaries.

· Frank Webster was formerly Head of Department, Cultural Studies
and Sociology, at the University of Birmingham.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited

Dr Simon Batterbury, Assistant Professor
Dept. of Geography and Regional Development
The University of Arizona
409 Harvill Building, Box #2
Tucson, AZ  85721-0076, USA
Phone:  (520) 626-8054
Fax:  (520) 621-2889
http://geog.arizona.edu/~web/faculty.htm

currently:
Visiting Research Fellow, Development Studies Institute, London School of
Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, United
Kingdom. Tel: +44 (020) 7955-7425
Fax: +44 (020) 7955-6844

from Sept:
Visiting Professor
International Development Studies/Geography
Roskilde University
Building 05.1, P.O. Box 260
DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
http://www.institut3.ruc.dk/iu/homepage.htm