"Professor Newell's dismissal on purely economic grounds should serve as a cautionary tale to those who value the UK's treasured institutions of learning and research..." open letter
Last week, the Salford Star highlighted the shocking case of James Newell, the Salford University professor who was sacked from the institute after 27 years service for refusing to chase research money; what he called having to "shoehorn research into the achievement of a research grant, rather than deciding you need a research grant in order to carry out a piece of research...
"It involves running universities like businesses and using financial targets as a means of assessing staff, rather than their genuine abilities in the area of teaching and research" he added.*
The outcry against Professor Newell's treatment has led to over 4,500 people signing a petition** and an open letter to The Guardian, signed by over 130 academics calling for the University to reinstate him.
The University, the Salford Star understands, has now made the out of court offer of a five figure sum to Professor Newell which would preclude him from taking them to a tribunal or court, but this has been rejected as he is demanding a public apology and reinstatement.
The full text of the open letter reads...
"On 12 June, Professor James Newell was dismissed from his position as professor of politics at Salford University after 27 years of service. The reason given by the institution is that he had failed to meet arbitrary targets linked to the successful capture of external funding, targets that were introduced retroactively after his appointment to professor in 2005 and thus not part of the original contract.
This has enormous ramifications for academics working at universities in the UK. Gearing the academic enterprise towards economic logics rather than the production of knowledge for its own sake should be a cautionary tale for all researchers, academics and lecturers employed at the coalface of higher education.
Professor Newell is a highly respected academic veteran, an internationally renowned scholar and the most eminent UK researcher in the field of Italian politics. Over the past 27 years, he has published five monographs (with two on the way), 11 edited anthologies, 44 peer-reviewed journal articles and 48 book chapters. He has written for the Guardian, the Conversation, and has appeared on the BBC to share his expertise in Italian politics.
Professor Newell's dismissal on purely economic grounds should serve as a cautionary tale to those who value the UK's treasured institutions of learning and research. We are in the process of being besieged by market forces, which are rapidly and radically changing the very principles of higher education and learning that many hold dear.
We, the undersigned, ask that the vice-chancellor, Helen Marshall, reinstate Professor Newell with immediate effect in light of what can only be described as a serious attack on the principles of higher education, with Professor Newell the latest victim of the damaging shift towards the continued marketisation and corporatisation of higher education.
The executive committee of the Italian Politics Specialist Group of the UK's Political Studies Association has set up a petition, asking for the reinstatement of Professor James Newell, which thousands of people have signed. Please join them."
Professor Mona Baker, University of Manchester
Professor Martin Barker, Aberystwyth University
Professor Stewart Barr, University of Exeter
Professor Anita Biressi, University of Roehampton
Professor Nigel Byott, University of Exeter
Professor Jane Caplan, University of Oxford
Professor Ian Cook, University of Exeter
Professor Fiona Cox, University of Exeter
Professor Kate Crosby, King's College London
Professor Giorgia Dona, University of East London
Professor Natalie Fenton, Goldsmiths University
Professor Des Freedman, Goldsmiths University
Professor Christian Fuchs, University of Westminster
Professor Anne Goldgar, King's College London
Professor Rebecca Gould, University of Birmingham
Professor Peter Golding, Northumbria University
Professor Laura Gowing, King's College London
Dr. Leora Hadas, University of Nottingham
Professor Danielle Hipkins, University of Exeter
Professor Matt Hills, University of Huddersfield
Professor Lee Hogarth, University of Exeter
Professor Richard Howells, King's College University
Professor Joanne Horton, University of Exeter
Professor J. Majeed, King's College London
Professor Neville Morley, University of Exeter
Professor Mica Nava, University of East London
Professor Melissa Percival, University of Exeter
Professor Stuart Price, De Montfort University, Leicester
Professor Angelique Richardson, University of Exeter
Professor Clarissa Smith, University of Sunderland
Professor Richard Toye, University of Exeter
Professor Mike Wayne, Brunel University
Professor Matt Whiteman, University of Exeter
Dr. Stacey Abbott University of Roehampton
Sue Abbott, Newcastle University
Dr Alev Adil, Independent Scholar
Dr. Gary Anderson, Liverpool Hope University
Dr. Ana Antic, University of Exeter
Pura Ariza, Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr. Stephanie Allen, Bournemouth University
Dr. Adrian Bailey, University of Exeter
Dr. Claire Beaugrand, University of Exeter
Dr. Anna Bernard, King's College London
Dr. Christine Bicknell, University of Exeter
Dr. Clare Birchall, King's College London
Dr. Carl-Henrik Bjerstrom, University of Exeter
Dr. Dorothée Boulanger, King's College London
Jess Bowyer, University of Exeter
Mandy Brown UCU London Regional Secretary and NEC
Dr. Simon Brown, Kingston University, London
Dr. Chris Campbell, University of Exeter
Russell Caplan, London South Bank University
Carol Cody, City of Liverpool College, UCU NW Women's Equality Rep
Dr. Steve Cannon, University of Sunderland
Dr. Dario Castiglione, University of Exeter
Ruth Craggs, King's College London
Dr. Joseph Crawford, University of Exeter
Dr. James Cresswell, University of Exeter
Julia Crick, King's College London
Dr. Adrian Curtin, University of Exeter
Dr Jill Daniels, University of East London
Santanu Das, King's College London
Dr. Rohit K Dasgupta, London Borough of Newham/ Loughborough University
Roger Domeneghetti, Northumbria University
Deepa Govindarajan Driver, University of Reading
James Dunkerley, Queen Mary University of London
Dr. Ana Duarte, University of Exeter
Dr. Jane Elliott, King's College London
Dr. Jonathan Ellis, Sheffield University
Dr. Nathan Farrell, Bournemouth University
Dr. Jane Feaver, University of Exeter
Ken Fero, Coventry University
Dr. Mike Finn, University of Exeter
Dr. Claire Foullon, University of Exeter
Dr João Florêncio, University of Exeter
Dr. Seb Franklin, King's College London
Dr. Arianna Giovannini, Co-Chair PSA Italian Politics Specialist Group.
Dr. Elisabetta Girelli, University of St. Andrews
Dr. Marcus Vinicius Peinado Gomes, University of Exeter
Dr. Bérénice Guyot-Rechard, King's College London
Dr. Leora Hadas, University of Nottingham
Dr. Marion Hersh, University of Glasgow
Dr. Andy Higginbottom, University of Kingston
Dr. Andrew Hobbs, University of Central Lancashire
Professor Katharine Hodgkin, University of East London
Dr. Alexander Hutton, King's College London
Dr. Emily A. Bernhard Jackson, University of Exeter
Dr. Bob Jeffrey, Sheffield Hallam University
Dr Freya Cox Jensen, University of Exeter
Annie Jones, Sheffield Hallam University
Rhian Keyse, University of Exeter
Dr. Mirella Koleva, King's College London
Dr. Stathis Kouvelakis, King's College London
Sinéad Kennedy Krebs, King's College London
Dr. Jennifer Lea, University of Exeter
Dr. Heidi Lempp, King's College London
Serena Lervolino, King's College London
Dr. Eva CY Li, King's College London
Junxiong Li, University of Exeter
Dr. Ben Little, University of East Anglia
Dr. Ann Luce, Bournemouth University
Anna Maerker, King's College London
Dr. Anna Maguire, King's College London
Chris Manias, King's College London
Dr. Daniel Matlin, King's College London
Marian Mayer, Bournemouth University
Dr. Richard McCulloch, University of Huddersfield
Lesley McGorrigan, University of Leeds
Dr. Mark McKenna, Independent Scholar
Dr. Martin Moore, University of Exeter
Christian Mossman, University of Exeter
Dr. Jon Morgan, University of Exeter
Dave Muritu, UCU Chair of Equality Committee, NEC
Dr. An Nguyen, Bournemouth University
Dr. José Abdelnour Nocera, University of West London
Christina Paine, London Metropolitan University
Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska, University of Bedfordshire
Dr. William Proctor, Bournemouth University
Dr. Anandi Ramamurthy, Reader, Sheffield Hallam University
Dr. Matthias Reiss, University of Exeter
Dr. Peter Riley, University of Exeter
Dr. Severine Saintier, University of Exeter
Nita Sanghera, SCCB, Bournville College. UCU Vice President
Dr. Hester Schadee, University of Exeter
Dr. Gajendra Singh, University of Exeter
Malaka Mohammed Shwaikh, University of Exeter
Dr. Einar Thorsen, Bournemouth University
Che Thornton, Survey Wise Limited
Dr Iowerth Thomas, University of Exeter
Dr. Johnny Walker, Northumbria University
Dr. Daniel Ward, University of Sunderland
Dr. Neil Washbourne, Leeds Beckett University
Daniel Weissman, Bournemouth University
Dr. Elke Weissmann, Edge Hill University
Hannah Willis, University of Exeter
* See previous Salford Star article – click here
** To sign the petition – click here
Photo shows Prof Newell handing out protest leaflets at last week's Salford University graduation ceremony at The Lowry
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