As graduates, current students and friends of the Department of Politics, University of Surrey we are writing to express our concern at recent reports that the Department will be effectively closed at the end of this academic year. The purported end of the Department impacts not only students and graduates, but the disciplines of Politics and International Relations and higher education more widely.
We wish to write in support of the experience we had at Surrey Politics and in outrage at the actions of the University in closing a small, vibrant Department on the rise and now ranked 6th and 17th in the Guardian and Complete University Guide league tables respectively. A number of us were in the first cohort in 2006 and have continued to watch the Department grow from strength to strength. This is a Department which provided an incredibly supportive environment for us to develop and in which many of us thrived. The experiences we had during our time at Surrey Politics have undoubtedly helped us to prosper as graduates and inspired many of us in our chosen career paths. This is testament to the commitment of our teachers who went above and beyond what was expected of them, their dedication to us as students saw them put in long hours at work to the detriment of time with their own families. They have inspired many of us who are graduates to pursue our chosen career paths and instilled us with the confidence and skills to be able to do so. Evidence of this is found in the National Student Survey (NSS) results which showed in 2014 97% student satisfaction among Politics students (above the University average of 91%).
We would also like to express concern about how the University management has failed to communicate the full extent and impact of the measures they are proposing. News of the extent of the 'restructuring' reached many of us over social media and did not reflect the message from the University of Surrey's Vice President, Dr David Ashton, that the changes would be implemented with 'disruption to students at an absolute minimum'. For one thing, the University has overlooked the negative effect this will have on graduates and students, both in terms of the current degree programmes and – most significantly - the impact on the value of a degree from a Department now apparently deemed worthy of closure. All this from a University ranked first in the UK for employability.
Finally, we would like to draw attention to the University's marketing strategy which has seen the campus adorned in recent years with huge banners proclaiming 'Wonderful Things Happen Here'. Yes they do, or rather they did and Surrey Politics was a shining example.
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 18, 2015
March 17, 2015
Seeing this kind of momentum feels surreal because I remember sitting in those classrooms and knowing exactly how special that department was. Your support proves that my own experience was not just a one-off and that the community we built truly matters to people across the country.
March 17, 2015
Seeing the count climb toward one thousand makes me think of all the nights my professors spent mentoring me in that office. We need to push harder right now to show the administration that this department is worth saving before they make a permanent mistake.
Reached 100 supporters
March 15, 2015
March 14, 2015
Seeing the count climb toward one hundred signatures proves how much this department meant to all of us who thrived there. Please post this link to your social media accounts now to help us clear this hurdle before the university administration ignores us again.
213 Comments
Please reconsider - closure rather than growth is not the track to follow to reach prosperity. This is devastating to all staff morale - those who loose their job and those who wonder if they will be next. Stop punishing staff and students for management failures.
Politics graduate here - studying politics gave me an insight into society and power, and also skills as data scientist. Disgusting decision. Staff that have time to focus on teaching are undervalued t the detriment of the university as a whole.
A shortsighted drive threatening the very existence of some high quality provision. The University of Surrey should think about the type of institution they want to be for their students and their community. What respectable Higher Education institution has, in the last 1,000 years, marginalised politics, languages and music?
Politics students at Surrey have paid £9000 per year to study here and have contributed to the excellent reputation of the department. Closing it now would be a terrible blow to the value of their hard-earned degrees.
The Politics department gives an exceptional degree of support that, from what I understand, simply isn't achieved elsewhere. Reducing the department to 5-6 teaching staff will ruin its outstanding reputation, undo the hardwork of its staff, and harm its past, present and future graduates.
I am a politics student - the study of politics is essential to understanding the goings-on in the modern world
I was the first Head of Surrey's Politics department
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As graduates, current students and friends of the Department of Politics, University of Surrey we are writing to express our concern at recent reports that the Department will be effectively closed at the end of this academic year. The purported end of the Department impacts not only students and graduates, but the disciplines of Politics and International Relations and higher education more widely.
We wish to write in support of the experience we had at Surrey Politics and in outrage at the actions of the University in closing a small, vibrant Department on the rise and now ranked 6th and 17th in the Guardian and Complete University Guide league tables respectively. A number of us were in the first cohort in 2006 and have continued to watch the Department grow from strength to strength. This is a Department which provided an incredibly supportive environment for us to develop and in which many of us thrived. The experiences we had during our time at Surrey Politics have undoubtedly helped us to prosper as graduates and inspired many of us in our chosen career paths. This is testament to the commitment of our teachers who went above and beyond what was expected of them, their dedication to us as students saw them put in long hours at work to the detriment of time with their own families. They have inspired many of us who are graduates to pursue our chosen career paths and instilled us with the confidence and skills to be able to do so. Evidence of this is found in the National Student Survey (NSS) results which showed in 2014 97% student satisfaction among Politics students (above the University average of 91%).
We would also like to express concern about how the University management has failed to communicate the full extent and impact of the measures they are proposing. News of the extent of the 'restructuring' reached many of us over social media and did not reflect the message from the University of Surrey's Vice President, Dr David Ashton, that the changes would be implemented with 'disruption to students at an absolute minimum'. For one thing, the University has overlooked the negative effect this will have on graduates and students, both in terms of the current degree programmes and – most significantly - the impact on the value of a degree from a Department now apparently deemed worthy of closure. All this from a University ranked first in the UK for employability.
Finally, we would like to draw attention to the University's marketing strategy which has seen the campus adorned in recent years with huge banners proclaiming 'Wonderful Things Happen Here'. Yes they do, or rather they did and Surrey Politics was a shining example.
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 18, 2015
March 17, 2015
Seeing this kind of momentum feels surreal because I remember sitting in those classrooms and knowing exactly how special that department was. Your support proves that my own experience was not just a one-off and that the community we built truly matters to people across the country.
March 17, 2015
Seeing the count climb toward one thousand makes me think of all the nights my professors spent mentoring me in that office. We need to push harder right now to show the administration that this department is worth saving before they make a permanent mistake.
Reached 100 supporters
March 15, 2015
March 14, 2015
Seeing the count climb toward one hundred signatures proves how much this department meant to all of us who thrived there. Please post this link to your social media accounts now to help us clear this hurdle before the university administration ignores us again.
213 Comments
fantastic department run by committed staff who know their students inside out. I would not be enjoying my military career without the help and support of the academics within this department. To get rid of this academic facility would be ludicrous.
Please reconsider - closure rather than growth is not the track to follow to reach prosperity. This is devastating to all staff morale - those who loose their job and those who wonder if they will be next. Stop punishing staff and students for management failures.
Politics graduate here - studying politics gave me an insight into society and power, and also skills as data scientist. Disgusting decision. Staff that have time to focus on teaching are undervalued t the detriment of the university as a whole.
A shortsighted drive threatening the very existence of some high quality provision. The University of Surrey should think about the type of institution they want to be for their students and their community. What respectable Higher Education institution has, in the last 1,000 years, marginalised politics, languages and music?
Politics students at Surrey have paid £9000 per year to study here and have contributed to the excellent reputation of the department. Closing it now would be a terrible blow to the value of their hard-earned degrees.
The Politics department gives an exceptional degree of support that, from what I understand, simply isn't achieved elsewhere. Reducing the department to 5-6 teaching staff will ruin its outstanding reputation, undo the hardwork of its staff, and harm its past, present and future graduates.
I am a politics student - the study of politics is essential to understanding the goings-on in the modern world
I was the first Head of Surrey's Politics department
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fantastic department run by committed staff who know their students inside out. I would not be enjoying my military career without the help and support of the academics within this department. To get rid of this academic facility would be ludicrous.