Dear Colleague,
At a special meeting of Senate yesterday, the Academic Plan, predicated on
the Reort of the Strategic Review Group [December 1997], was approved. This
plan will cost £25million in terms of "investment, disinvestment and
re-investment", to quote the Vice-Chancellor, Professor George Bain,
formerly of the London School of Business. What this means precisely is
made clear in the AUT local newsletter, May 1998 : "107 targeted academic
staff are to be asked to leave by September 1999, and that 110 new
appointments will be made.
The major criterion for targeting is whether the individual is expected to
contribute to a Grade 4 or better in the next Research Assessment Exercise.
In addition it is proposed todiscontinue the following subjects: Italian,
Semitic Studies, Geology and Statistics & Operational Research. These
subjects were picked on the basis of expected RAE ratings and little
account appears to have been taken of the impact on students and the
community."
I have been told that no subject specialists were approached with regard to
the decision to discontinue Italian, and have a verbal assurance from the
Provost of the College of Humanities that next year's intake will not be
affected.
Many colleagues from Italian Studies in the UK have already written to the
VC to register their shock and dismay.I am most grateful for their
guidance, help and support. I would now like to invite any other colleagues
who could find the time to raise their voices in protest, to make their
views known to our Vice - Chancellor, Professor George Bain, or to the
Provost, Professor Malcolm Andrew, in an attempt to persuade them to
reconsider. The only teaching of Italian at tertiary level in N. Ireland is
here at QUB. I have rehearsed the regional factor in every possible forum,
but it seems to cut no ice. We currently have around 90 students, including
those spending a year abroad, and numbers were set to increase next year.
It is unnecessary to make the case for the cultural validity of Italian to
fellow Italianists.
I would be most grateful for your support in this, and apologise for making
this request at what is a very busy time for all academics.
The VC may be contacted by post at The Queen's University of Belfast,
University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN; tel. 44-1232-335134; fax :
44-1232-330808; e-mail : [log in to unmask]
The Provost may be contacted by post at College of Humanities, address as
above.Tel. 44-1232-335348; fax : 00-44-1232-249864; e-mail of Provost's
Office :
[log in to unmask]
I would urge all Italianists to make a statement, however brief, to either,
or preferably both, gentlemen, since you never know who will be next for
the axe.
Grazie della collaborazione,
Lynne Press
Head of Italian Studies
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