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Dear Professor Martindale May I add my voice to those of the many colleagues who have written to you to protest at the proposed redundancy of Dr Anne Simon. The excellence of Dr Simon's teaching and research make the decision to single her out unjustifiable on academic grounds. This deplorable break with collegiality will surely sour relations at the University of Bristol for the forseeable future. At a difficult time for universities, such crude managerialism that rides roughshod over the ethos of the institution is bad management in the long run. Besides the wrong done to Dr Simon I wish to comment on the dangers to academic values when management interferes in the detail of syllabus provision within an academic subject. What disciplines universities offer is clearly a matter for management. But micro-management to the extent of deciding without consultation to "invest" or "disinvest" in this or that element within the syllabus of a discipline is damaging to intellectual autonomy. In this case the decision is also crass in its ignorance or indifference to national provision of both German and medieval studies. That the interference is undertaken on financial not political grounds does not make it any less of a threat. The perception that the University of Bristol is driven by consumerist rather than intellectual values, will surely and deservedly damage its academic reputation. Yours sincerely Elizabeth Boa -- Professor Elizabeth Boa, FBA Emeritus Professor of German University of Nottingham, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD UK Tel: +44(0)115-9475468 This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system: you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.