Thanks for an excellent and of course you have the support from me at Roehampton, as well as from my colleagues. We wrote to our MPs both personally and as a department.
Andrée
Professor Andrée Grau
Professor of the Anthropology of Dance
Convener MA Dance Anthropology
Roehampton University
Froebel College
Roehampton Lane
London SW15 5PJ
________________________________________
From: Dance in higher education. [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Midgelow Vida [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 08 December 2010 23:36
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: cuts
Dear Jane, yes these are clearly important matters.
See a (proposed) letter to be sent tomorrow first thing (with thanks to Tom at Scudd et al)
Open Letter from the Standing Conference of Dance in Higher Education
The Standing Conference of Dance in Higher Education represents lecturers and researchers of Dance across the UK.
We write to voice our extreme disappointment at the governments proposals for the funding of Higher Education Institutions. We are particularly concerned that the withdrawal of public funding for the Arts will put our subject at extreme risk and lead to a lack of cultural leaders, creative thinkers and those able to change lives through their creative vision, enriching us all in invaluable ways.
The effect of these proposals in the creative sector will be hugh and very negative. Further, as with other subjects in the arts, notably the Standing Conference of Drama Departments, we suggest to you that the assumption that stem subjects are of greater value (economic or otherwise) lacks a clear basis in evidence, and fails to pay attention to the impact of the arts across all sectors. Indeed as the recent report by Universities UK states: 'There can be no doubt the UK's creative economy is a jewel in our crown - a national success story and an area which the UK can rightly claim to be a global leader' (Crossick, preface). To place the dance and arts generally at risk is therefore very short sighted, for creatives and the creative industries will be crucial to the economic, as well as social and personal, well being of the UK into the future.
We most strongly urge you to reconsider.
Dr Vida L Midgelow,
Chair, Standing Conference of Dance in Higher Education (SCODHE)
Vida L. Midgelow, PhD.
Reader, Dance and Performance
Chair, Standing Conference on Dance in Higher Education
Director, The Choreographic Lab
School of the Arts
University of Northampton
Avenue Campus
St. George's Avenue
Northampton
NN2 6JD
email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Dance in higher education. on behalf of Jane
Sent: Wed 12/8/2010 19:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: cuts
For those of you on the SCUDD list you will see possible ideas for a draft
letter against the introduction of higher fees for University education. I
know the time is almost too short with the vote upon us but I hope that
someone on the SCHODE exec could also draft and send a letter to Willetts et
al.
I believe it is vital that the dance community develop a political voice and
speak out when the opportunity arises.
Below is the suggested letter posted to SCUDD from Cathy Turner at Exeter
(with apologies and thanks to Cathy)
Thanks
Jane
--
Dr Jane Bacon
Divisional Leader and Reader, Performance Studies
The School of the Arts
The University of Northampton
St Georges Ave
Northampton
NN2 6JD
01604 893296
Hi all not on SCUDD exec, but this is a kind of draft put together from
the Warwick one and extracts of my own letter to MP and Willetts earlier. It
may be blundering, but feel free to use any of it as material towards your
own or a general letter.
Hope you like the Shakespearean reference at the end.
Cathy
We, academic members of Drama departments across the UK, express our deep
concern at the undue haste with which the government is proceeding to enact
legislation to change the principle upon which the funding of higher
education is based. We believe that these proposed
changes have the potential to inflict irreversible damage upon our culture
of education, learning and research. We strongly support the
call for a Public Commission of Inquiry on the future of Higher Education in
England and Wales.
Savings made by cutting public spending on higher education will not
ultimately be justified either economically or socially. Graduates
contribute to the economy and, as importantly, they also contribute to
society in a wider, less quantifiable sense. This whole process suggests a
crassly materialist and short-termist view of what education can offer,
without recognizing the ways in which lives and communities are transformed
by the encouragement of curiosity, imagination and exploration.
Insisting that education is a private benefit only, to be funded by the
individual towards financial superiority, is to grossly underestimate
education as a social good.
Opening the Universities up to market forces will also have unpredictable,
but quite possibly devastating consequences, with institutions failing or
closing and volatility in the system that is not conducive to the longer
time-frames of investigative research, nor to the gradual development of
innovative pedagogy.
Drama, as a subject, may be particularly vulnerable in this Obrave new
world¹, since it is unlikely to attract students who feel that it is
essential to equip themselves for a high-earning career. This, despite the
fact that many Drama students are attractive to employers, precisely because
their less quantifiable Otransferable skills¹ make them good employees and
colleagues. This, also despite the fact that the contributions of this
diverse and expanding subject area bring both economic rewards and just as
importantly, social benefit, and intellectual, imaginative and indeed
political inspiration to many.
Yours sincerely,
etc
This e-mail is private and may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient you are strictly prohibited from using, printing, copying, distributing or disseminating this e-mail or any information contained in it.
We virus scan all E-mails leaving The University of Northampton but no warranty is given that this E-mail and any attachments are virus free. You should undertake your own virus checking. The right to monitor E-mail communications through our networks is reserved by us.
This e-mail is private and may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient you are strictly prohibited from using, printing, copying, distributing or disseminating this e-mail or any information contained in it.
We virus scan all E-mails leaving The University of Northampton but no warranty is given that this E-mail and any attachments are virus free. You should undertake your own virus checking. The right to monitor E-mail communications through our networks is reserved by us.
Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.
This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the addressee and may also be privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the addressee, or have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete it from your system and do not copy, disclose or otherwise act upon any part of this email or its attachments.
Internet communications are not guaranteed to be secure or virus-free. Roehampton University does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from unauthorised access to, or interference with, any Internet communications by any third party, or from the transmission of any viruses.
Any opinion or other information in this e-mail or its attachments that does not relate to the business of Roehampton University is personal to the sender and is not given or endorsed by Roehampton University.
Roehampton University is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England under number 5161359. Registered Office: Grove House, Roehampton Lane, London SW15 5PJ. An exempt charity.
|