We are going to fire some music professors

Royal Holloway University of London has just specified that it intends to reduce staff numbers in its music department, ‘where student numbers no longer support the staffing levels.’

Here’s the statement:

Following detailed discussions with Heads of School and Heads of Department, a paper will go to Academic Board on Tuesday 29 June, which sets out a proposal to make a small reduction in the number of academic posts in six disciplines where student numbers no longer support the staffing levels, in order to enable increases in academic posts in disciplines where there are currently high levels of student interest.  

In light of the differences in resources, the six disciplines have reviewed the positioning of their courses for students, the organisation of teaching and the distribution of workload with a view to how they can better align to student interests and, in the meantime, continue to deliver with a smaller number of academic posts.  

In terms of the proposed reduction, in the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance, the Department of Mathematics and in the School of Humanities, the change to overall numbers can be achieved through voluntary means, for example by not recruiting to vacant posts. If the proposed change goes ahead, in the Departments of Earth Sciences, Music and Social Work, to achieve the reduction it would be necessary to commence a consultation process with colleagues in those areas and with our Trade Unions. We are committed to this being a meaningful consultation where we would collectively explore all options to achieve these changes in a voluntary way. …

The expectation is that the music department will change what it teaches:

We are committed to the broad subject mix on offer at Royal Holloway and the proposal to reduce academic staff numbers at all, in any discipline, is not one made lightly. Consideration has been given throughout in order to minimise, as far as possible, any impact on staff and students.  

Where academic staff reductions are proposed, I mentioned that those disciplines are reviewing course content, design and delivery. Within the next three years, the ambition is that they will launch new courses that reflect contemporary developments within their disciplines. As demand for those courses grows, we would expect academic staff numbers to increase accordingly.  

(signed)

Professor Paul Layzell
Principal