Lloyd Pietersen writes

[This situation has come about because] the university found itself having to service loans of some 36 million [Pounds]. In addition, HEFCE capped student numbers this year so, although the university could have taken more students it was unable to.

Furthermore a number of spurious projects were entered into incurring costs but failing to generate the anticipated income. The net result is that our faculty alone (Education, Humanities and Social Sciences) needs to save £3 million, these savings have to be found immediately and, of course, the easiest way is through staff cuts.

We were informed in October that 20% of academic posts (30 staff) and 5 support staff posts would be made redundant. This round of cuts has targeted research posts particularly as, unless external funding is achieved (which, as you know, is extremely difficult in humanities), research is seen as not generating income.

Despite the fact that TRS contributed significantly to the university’s RAE, and our Inernational Centre for Biblical Interpretation (ICBI) was specifically mentioned for its 4* research environment, this is now seen as irrelevant to the current climate. I was specifically told by Paul Bowler that, although he acknowledged that I would make a significant contribution to the REF, that was too far away and I needed to bring in considerable external research funding this academic year.

So, for short term savings, the medium and long term research strategies are being sacrificed. This is particularly ironic in that our recently established Centre for the Bible and Spirituality has already been recognised as world class in the field and I have just been approached by one of the leading scholars in the field to facilitate a world experts meeting at the University of Gloucestershire!

My NT and OT colleagues fear that my departure signals the beginning of the end for research in Biblical Studies and Theology at the University of Gloucestershire. Furthermore, the decision to axe the post of my colleague, Will Large, who has only just been appointed, will be hugely detrimental to the development of philosophy within our own undergraduate Religion, Philosophy and Ethics degree. I hope this background information helps.

It does indeed. I hope, again, that scholars around the world will rise up in order to keep a Department of International Reputation alive and ungutted.