Closure of Philosophy at Middlesex University

Late on Monday 26 April, staff in Philosophy at Middlesex University
in London were informed that the University executive are to close all
Philosophy programmes: undergraduate, postgraduate and MPhil/PhD.

Philosophy is the highest research-rated subject at Middlesex
University, with 65% of its research activity judged ‘world-leading’
or ‘internationally excellent’ in the UK government’s recent Research
Assessment Exercise. It is now widely recognised as one of the most
important centres for the study of modern European philosophy anywhere
in the English-speaking world. Its MA programmes in Philosophy have
grown in recent years to become the largest in the UK, with 42 new
students admitted in September 2009. Middlesex offers one of only a
handful of programmes left in the UK that provides both research-
driven and inclusive post-graduate teaching aimed at a wide range of
students, specialist and non-specialist. It is also one of relatively
few such programmes that remains financially viable, currently
contributing close to half of its total income to the University’s
central administration.

This is a shameful decision which essentially means the end of the Centre for Research in Modern
European Philosophy, a hub for internationally renowned scholarship (http://www.web.mdx.ac.uk/crmep/
; staff include Eric Alliez, Peter Hallward, Mark Kelly, Christian
Kerslake, Peter Osborne and Stella Sandford). This act of wilful self-
harm by the University must be resisted.

Please join the facebook group and spread the word: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119102561449990

Friends at Middlesex are currently putting together a response, but to begin with are asking colleagues and friends, if they feel able, to send a brief email or letter about the closure to the University administrators who have made this unexpected decision. The four people to write to are as follows:

Vice-Chancellor of the University, Michael Driscoll, m.driscoll@mdx.ac.uk;

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise, Waqar Ahmad, w.ahmad@mdx.ac.uk;

Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Margaret House, m.house@mdx.ac.uk;

Dean of the School of Arts & Education, Ed Esche, e.esche@mdx.ac.uk.

(The full set of emails is then: m.driscoll@mdx.ac.uk; w.ahmad@mdx.ac.uk; m.house@mdx.ac.uk; e.esche@mdx.ac.uk).

If you are able to send such an email, it would be helpful if you also blind copied (BCC) it to the Save Middlesex Philosophy campaign email: savemdxphil@gmail.com.