Philosophy degrees facing axe to help save £1.3m at Keele University
PLANS to scrap philosophy degrees at Keele University as part of £1.3 million of cutbacks have been condemned by academics from across the UK.
The entire philosophy programme, which caters for around 150 undergraduate students, could be closed down under proposals due to be discussed by the university's senate on Wednesday next week.
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Academic posts across humanities, natural sciences, and pharmacy could also be affected. The centre for professional ethics at Keele could also be shut down.
The plans are the latest phase of a £6.5 million programme of savings, which The Sentinel first revealed last year.
Although more than £4 million of reductions have already been identified, largely through voluntary redundancies, early retirements and natural wastage, there is still a £1.3 million gap.
Now almost 2,000 people, including students and academics from other UK universities, have joined a Facebook campaign to save philosophy from the chop.
The group was set up by 22-year-old Adam Kimberley, who is in the third year of a philosophy and education studies degree at Keele.
Adam, who lives in Northwood, said: "The course is fantastic and the staff are great. If it hadn't been for Keele, I wouldn't have discovered my passion for philosophy. We really want to show the senate and the university management how much this means to students."
Keele's links with philosophy date back to when it was founded in the 1950s, with its first graduate achieving a degree in the subject.
Academic luminaries at Keele have included the philosopher Antony Flew, who was a world-renowned atheist.
Philosophy lecturer James Tartaglia said staff only found out this week the subject was under threat.
He added: "We've got support from every philosophy department in the UK. There is a general sense of outrage within the philosophy community."
The University and College Union (UCU) has also criticised the plans, saying they are based on out-of-date figures.
Just three academics teach philosophy at Keele, yet university officials say scrapping the programme will save £300,000.
Joe Andrew, an executive officer at UCU's Keele branch, said: "They seem to be counting members of staff who have either left or are due to leave this summer because they are on a fixed-term contract."
He also accused Keele of being "premature" in drawing up the latest plans, saying they may be able to realise these savings through other means.
But since Keele first announced it needed to reduce its staffing bill by 2013, it has suffered larger than expected cuts in Government funding.
Its grants for 2011/12 are being slashed by 4.6 per cent, leaving the university with little room for maneouvre.
A university spokesman said: "Closure of discipline areas is a very serious and painful step for any university to contemplate, and Keele is no exception.
"But in the circumstances, it is not possible to achieve the necessary improvements to the university's financial position without taking difficult decisions of this kind.
"The university is aware of, and very much regrets, the impact the proposals will have on individual members of staff and on students, and will do all it can to minimise this impact."
Current philosophy students will be able to complete their degrees, but there might be no new intake at the university in September.
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5 Comments
by Laura, Keele
Tuesday, March 22 2011, 2:25PM
“As a postgraduate student at Keele, it concerns me the dive-in-feet-first approach that has been taken towards the proposed closure - how long will it be, before other course/schools, that boast excellence in research and teaching are shut down.
There is even doubt that these cuts would even work to save money for the university. "It is another case of a University being prepared to sacrifice its academic values, its educational vision, and the intellectual coherence of its course provision, in order to make relatively small short term saving of £300,000" (James Gordon Finlayson).
Keele was set up by A. D. Lindsay, a philosopher, as an "experimental college" - closing this school undermimes its founders intentions.”
by anon, on the hill
Monday, March 21 2011, 9:26AM
“Scrapping professional ethics... some irony there.”
by Martin, Stoke
Sunday, March 20 2011, 5:56PM
“Why am I not surprisrd that courses are being axed. This 'latest phase of £6.5 million savings; is part of the gradual winding down of the university. Since its apparent metamorphosis into a property development company it can only be a matter of time before Keele puts in its next plan, perhaps an out of town retail development or housing estate. When will the council wake up to Keele's real long term agenda, and it isnt the persuit of excellence in education!”
by Jeff, Stoke
Sunday, March 20 2011, 10:56AM
“I don't really agree with that Brian. Has philosophy not been as important to Western society as engineering and medicine? The unique part about Keele also means you don't just study philosophy, you study something in conjunction with it. This means that people can broaden their horizons and increase their knowledge of the human condition in philosophy and then study something more "employable" also.
To call philosophy self indulgent is short sighted at best and downright ignorant at worst. Why should philosophy be the one that is cut? Is philosophy not as important as History or English literature. I think it's far too easy an argument to say that philosophy is something 'purely academic' that should be cut. I find your philosophy problematic and self interested.”
by Brian, Talke
Saturday, March 19 2011, 8:50PM
“It would appear that the Academic community feel they should be exempted from the need to balance the books. In the modern world there is a need for practical skills such as engineering and medicine and purely academic studies should be self funded . I don't really think the fact that the students enjoy the course is relevant , well that's my philosophy. In my , and lots of other people's, opinion there are far too many self indulgent university courses and it's time that Academics came into the real world of the people who fund them.”