[D-G] GLASGOW UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CLOSURE – PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

[hwenk]

Hello,

as I great supporter of higher education, I regret the closing of a campus.
Especially I support your protest against the closing of your Campus.

As a German, the finances of British Universities are even more dark to me
than that of German Universities -
closing some faculties or cutting off some positions for scientist is also
usual her in Germany,
also education and science is always said to increase as investition into
the future.

The only thing I read, was hat Mr. Blair raised the payments for the
students for studying.

Has it something to do with that?

The other thing interesting me, is that we sometimes have some trouble even
for
fresh academics to get a job after university.  That is even the case
for industry near engineers or natural scientist, also their chances are
better than the people with higher educations in humanities and arts.
The only sure possibility for them are schools.

Is that similar in Great Britain?

Greetings Dr. Harald Wenk

-----Original Message-----
From: deleuze-guattari-bounces at lists.driftline.org
[mailto:deleuze-guattari-bounces at lists.driftline.org]On Behalf Of Rowan
Wilson
Sent: Donnerstag, 12. April 2007 14:52
To: deleuze-guattari at lists.driftline.org
Subject: [D-G] GLASGOW UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CLOSURE – PLEASE SHOW YOUR
SUPPORT


GLASGOW  UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CLOSURE – PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

On February 14th Glasgow University Court voted to close down the
University's Crichton Campus (UGCC) 80 miles away in Dumfries. UGCC is
Southwest Scotland's only provider of HE courses in the Humanities, Arts,
Environmental Sustainability and Community Learning.  The decision if
implemented would not only deny vital educational opportunities for an
already deprived and marginalised area but also put 40+ members of staff at
risk of compulsory redundancy.

A friend asked me to forward the message below:


Dear All,

I am writing to request support. On Wednesday 17th January at 6pm, the
Principal of Glasgow University (GU) announced that he would be closing down
the GU part of the Crichton Campus in Dumfries in South West Scotland.

Because the situation is somewhat complicated, I should fill in some
background information.

The Crichton Campus is based in Dumfries. It opened less than ten years ago,
to provide Higher Education opportunities for a region which, until then,
had no Higher Education institution. This caused demographic, cultural,
economic and social problems for the area as large numbers of young people
left the area for HE not to return. Also because of lack of provision,
Dumfries and Galloway had a far lower than thge national average of uptake
of Higher education.

The Crichton Campus is made up predominantly of three institutions, each of
which has its main organisational centre outwith the area. The three
institutions are Bell College, who provide nurse training (whose centre is
in Hamilton); Paisley University who provide predominantly computing and
management courses and Glasgow University who provide predominantly Arts and
Humanities courses and post-grad provision. There was a prior agreement by
the institutions to avoid replication, so each institution concentrates on
particular sections of the curriculum.

The campus lacks most of the basic elements required. There are few sports
facilities (bar green fields), no students union, no refectory so there is
nowhere for staff and students to have a hot meal. However it does have
committed staff and students, who provide in these less than ideal
circumstances, by all current accepted measures, educational experiences of
very high quality.

On Wednesday 16th January at 6pm the Principal of the University of Glasgow
(based in Glasgow), announced that he was closing Glasgow University's part
of the Crichton Campus. A decision ratified by University Court on 14th
February.
What this means for staff and students is still fairly vague, but it is not
good: redundancies for staff, truncated academic careers for students, and
lack of educational opportunities for future students in the region, and the
ending of a significant cultural resource for the region as a whole.

Because of the complicated structure of the Campus, with many institutional
partners, the land being owned by the council and an incredibly labyrinthine
funding arrangement from the Scottish Funding Council, everyone responsible
has the possibility to blame someone else for closing the campus down. The
UG Principal, Sir Muir Russell is blaming the Funding Council, the Funding
Council is blaming the Principal; the Scottish Executive also bear some
responsibility for under-resourcing, as do the local council for not
providing basic infrastructure on the site.

There is no economic argument for closing the Crichton. Glasgow University
is in surplus, the Arts Faculty to which the campus belongs is in surplus,
and the monies which are planned to be redistributed up from the
impoverished Dumfries site to the relatively well-off Glasgow Campus if UGCC
closes are earmarked not for student services, but as the Principal
indicated at a public meeting in March 2007 in Dumfries, for hiring a couple
of 'star' academic researchers.

Students and staff are not taking the threatened closure lying down. UCU the
biggest union on campus has already met and there was unanimity to oppose
the closure (there are also 3 members of the IWW who are work there and are
active in the campaign). There have been a number of demonstrations in
Dumfries, up on the main campus in Glasgow and outside the SFC and Scottish
parliament in Edinburgh. The next protests are planned for GLASGOW
UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS (IN GLASGOW nearest tube Hillhead) WEDNESDAY APRIL
18th at 1pm. Meet at Flagpole behind the quads.

Crichton protestors will be joining the DUMFRIES MAYDAY MARCH - SATURDAY
APRIL 28th, 12 Noon, BURNS STATUE, DUMFRIES TOWN CENTRE.

Crichton campaigners would welcome your participation and advice.

Please attend if possible and/or write to following, asking them to reverse
the decision with regards to funding for the University of Glasgow Crichton
Campus:

Sir Muir Russell,
The Principal
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12

principal at gla.ac.uk


Roger McClure
Chief Executive
Scottish Funding Council
Donaldson House
97 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh
EH12 5HD

rmcclure at sfc.ac.uk

Further information about the campaigns are available from
http://www.geocities.com/glasgow_at_crichton/ (General Campaign Website)
http://www.cucsa.org.uk/ (Students Representative Council and campaign
website) http://www.gla.ac.uk/Staff/GAUT/Crichton/index.html (UCU Union
campaign website) http://iwwscotland.wordpress.com/crichton-struggle/ (IWW
campaign website)

More details from glasgow_at_crichton at yahoo.co.uk


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