Dear MeCCSA colleagues,
I am delighted to confirm that Glasgow Caledonian University will host the 2023 MeCCSA Annual Conference. This will now take place on Monday to Wednesday 4-6th September 2023.
This follows MeCCSA’s withdrawal from the original host institution, Falmouth University, over concerns about their plans for employing staff using a subsidiary company. Full details about this decision in my email below and on our website:
https://www.meccsa.org.uk/news/important-update-on-meccsa-annual-conference-2023/
We are very grateful to Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) for stepping in at short notice. Please do be patient and join us in supporting the organisers as they are working to put on a national conference with less time than usual to prepare.
The Monday to Wednesday schedule is a pragmatic approach to fit around other campus activities at GCU that week, which was inevitable given the timescales involved on this occasion. We are cognisant of additional pressures these days might cause for some members, and we will aim to be as accommodating as possible when scheduling the programme. These dates are a one-off given the exceptional circumstances with the late change to host institution.
The full call for papers will be circulated later this month.
All the best,
Einar
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Professor Einar Thorsen
Executive Dean
Faculty of Media & Communication
Bournemouth University
p: +44 (0)1202 968838
t: @einarthorsen<http://twitter.com/einarthorsen>
m: @[log in to unmask]<https://sciences.social/@einar>
w: http://journalismstudies.info
www.bournemouth.ac.uk<http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/>
Chair of MeCCSA: www.meccsa.org.uk<http://www.meccsa.org.uk>
From: Einar Thorsen <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, 14 November 2022 at 10:55
To: MECCSA <[log in to unmask]>, MECCSA ([log in to unmask]) <[log in to unmask]>, MECCSA <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, MECCSA-POLICY <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Important update on MeCCSA Annual Conference 2023
Dear MeCCSA colleagues,
It is with deep regret the MeCCSA Executive Committee has taken the difficult decision that we cannot proceed with Falmouth University hosting our Annual Conference in September 2023 as previously planned.
We are currently in advanced talks with another institution to host our 2023 conference. Full details explaining the context and rationale for this decision are provided below.
I also provide a brief update on the situation at Birkbeck and MeCCSA's response to this.
FALMOUTH - BACKGROUND CONTEXT
Senior management at Falmouth University has proposed to employ staff on inferior contracts using a subsidiary Falmouth Staffing Ltd. UCU have been in dispute for some time over what would mean the creation of a two-tier workforce, including a three-day local strike action that took place 17-19th October.
Details on the dispute are available on the UCU website:
https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12560/Three-day-strike-begins-Monday-at-Falmouth-University-over-2-tier-workforce
I wrote to the Vice Chancellor of Falmouth University on 12th October to express the MeCCSA Executive Committee's concerns and urge the institution to reverse this action. We consider the fragmentation of the workforce at Falmouth University and employing new staff on significantly inferior terms to be a direct threat to our field. It will create a two-tier workforce and undermine staff, which by extension will undermine the subject areas Falmouth University specialise in. It cuts across principles of collegiality, commensurability and fair governance that underpin collaboration in research and teaching across our sector.
Since my letter we have not received any reassurance that Falmouth University intends to re-consider and reverse the action taken.
Whilst we understand senior management is arranging talks with UCU in good faith to propose a schedule of negotiations, this does not amount to a commitment to stopping the policy. We could not take the risk that these negotiations did not result in reversing the current policy direction, thus giving an alternative host insufficient time to prepare for the conference. I have therefore written to the Vice Chancellor at Falmouth University last week to confirm MeCCSA withdraw from Falmouth hosting our Annual Conference.
We have not taken this decision lightly and I want to stress to all MeCCSA colleagues that it is no reflection on the local organising committee. They have done a tremendous job preparing for the conference and acted with great integrity and professionalism when we raised our original concerns about Falmouth Staffing Ltd. We know they have been planning this conference for several years, with the original proposal to host our 2022 conference submitted in 2019 (postponed due to pandemic), and this will therefore be particularly frustrating.
Original letter to Falmouth VC on 12th October (PDF):
https://www.meccsa.org.uk/app/uploads/2022/11/MeCCSA-Letter-Falmouth-October-2022.pdf
Subsequent letter to Falmouth VC on 11th November (PDF):
https://www.meccsa.org.uk/app/uploads/2022/11/MeCCSA-Letter-Falmouth-November-2022.pdf
PLANS FOR NEW 2023 CONFERENCE HOST
We ask that colleagues remain patient whilst we work on confirming revised details for the 2023 conference.
We are currently in positive conversations with Glasgow Caledonian University to step in on short notice and host the Annual Conference in September 2023. A separate announcement about this will be made shortly.
We have also started a dialogue with keynote speakers who were scheduled for the Falmouth conference about the change to our plans, and are working on a revised theme and call for papers that will be published soon.
If you have any questions about the conference in the meantime, please contact Agnes Gulyas ([log in to unmask]), who is Chair of the MeCCSA Association Activities sub-committee.
BROADER CHALLENGES
Unfortunately the situation at Falmouth University is reflective of broader challenges of the Higher Education sector currently, which I have highlighted to you previously.
Whilst MeCCSA is not a trade union, we do have a duty to consider the needs of staff and students in the areas we represent, and indeed to protect the standing of our fields generally. On this basis we do make interventions and public statements in solidarity of colleagues.
Recently I wrote to the Vice Chancellor and Chair of the Board at Birkbeck, University of London, on 4th November to urge them to rethink a proposed restructuring that involves removing up to 140 full-time equivalent academic and school administrative posts across the institution.
We understand that up to seven of these posts could be removed from the Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, which equates to more than a quarter of established academic staff in this Department. This would inevitably threaten the viability of programmes that could not be resourced and potentially face closure.
You can read the letter on our website (PDF):
https://www.meccsa.org.uk/app/uploads/2022/11/MeCCSA-Letter-Birkbeck-November-2022.pdf
This is an egregious action that has even been opposed by the Birkbeck President, broadcaster Joan Bakewell:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/nov/13/dismay-at-threat-of-devastating-job-cuts-at-birkbeck-university-of-london
Please consider signing the petition in solidarity here:
https://www.change.org/p/no-job-cuts-at-birkbeck-university-of-london
All the best,
Einar
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor Einar Thorsen
Executive Dean
Faculty of Media & Communication
Bournemouth University
p: +44 (0)1202 968838
t: @einarthorsen<http://twitter.com/einarthorsen>
m: @[log in to unmask]<https://sciences.social/@einar>
w: http://journalismstudies.info
www.bournemouth.ac.uk<http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/>
Chair of MeCCSA: www.meccsa.org.uk<http://www.meccsa.org.uk>
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