I share Dan’s views. The numbers don’t make sense.

Sarah

From: JISCmail German Studies List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Frank Finlay
Sent: 02 March 2011 09:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: REF: AGS consultation

Dear Colleagues,

With Dan’s permission, I am forwarding to the mail base a recent email.

It relates to his concerns about the representation of German on the REF panel.

I have cut and pasted the attachment to which Dan refers into the bottom of his message.

I am forwarding this, in particular, to those among you in our discipline community who have responsibility for preparing REF submissions.

I am inviting *brief and measured* comment to me (I don’t think members’ inboxes will appreciate one of those ‘viral’ discussions!) and, assuming Dan’s views are widely shared, I will undertake to collate responses, share them with the mail base, and make any representation necessary on behalf of the AGS. This representation will necessarily carry most weight if it is broad and evidence-based, so in the meantime I’ll review data relating to submissions (e.g. numbers of outputs submitted to the various sub-panels).

Please reply using the above Subject line.

Best wishes,

Frank

From: Wilson, D [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 February 2011 23:01
To: Frank Finlay
Subject: FW: REF panellists announced

Dear Frank,

[…]

I’m writing because it seems to me that AGS ought to protest at the make-up of the REF panel and the serious underrepresentation of German. As one of my colleagues asks, how can they justify having 3 panellists for Russian/Slavic, 3 for Italian (incl Italian linguistics) and only 2 for German? In 2008 there were 15 submissions for Russian, 18 for Italian and 30 for German. Most glaringly, there were 25 submissions in linguistics, and yet they have 5 panellists (6 if one includes the chair […].

How are we meant to have faith in this process? How in the world are Nick and Pol supposed to read the same number – or likely, more – outputs as four of you did in 2008? Maybe there’s something I’m missing here, but it sounds really bonkers. And the amount of money they’re saving by reducing the size of the panels is peanuts compared with the total amount of money at stake. They can’t afford to get it wrong.

My Head of School has added into the list of panellists their disciplinary specialisation – see attached. I realise that there is a note to the effect that more panellists may be added, but it’s not likely to happen in languages unless we squawk, I think.

Thanks for letting me vent – let me know how you see it.

Best,

Dan

Sub-panel 28: Modern Languages
Chair
Professor Kersti Börjars	University of Manchester
Members
Professor Michael Basker	University of Bristol (Russian)
Professor Lucille Cairns	Durham University (French)
Professor Jenny Cheshire	Queen Mary, University of London (Linguistics)
Professor Sioned Davies	Cardiff University (Celtic)
Professor Gerard Docherty	Newcastle University (Linguistics)
Professor Robert Dunbar	Sabhal Mor Ostaig/UHI Millennium Institute (Law and Celtic)
Professor Charles Forsdick	University of Liverpool (French)
Professor Simon Gaunt	King's College London (French)
Professor Andrew Ginger	University of Stirling (Hispanic Studies)
Professor Ann Hallamore Caesar	University of Warwick (Italian)
Professor Stephen Hart	University College London (Hispanic Studies)
Dr Jerry Hunter	Bangor University (Celtic)
Dr Adam Ledgeway	University of Cambridge (Italian Linguistics)
Professor Marjorie Lorch	Birkbeck, University of London (Applied Linguistics)
Professor Martin McLaughlin	University of Oxford (Italian)
Professor Florence Myles	Newcastle University (Linguistics)
Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh	University of Ulster (German)
Professor Richard Parish	University of Oxford (French)
Professor Nicholas Saul	University of Durham (German)
Professor David Shepherd	Keele University (Russian)
Dr Isabel Torres	Queen's University Belfast (Hispanic Studies)
Professor Marilyn Vihman	University of York (Linguistics)
Ms Janet Zmroczek	British Library (Curator of Baltic and Polish Collections)
Panel Secretary
Ms Rebecca Lambert	University of Warwick

W. Daniel Wilson

Professor of German

School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Royal Holloway, University of London

Egham, Surrey

TW20 0EX

Tel. +44 (0)1784 414 668

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/modern-languages/staff/wilson.html