BRUNEL UNIVERSITY - SELLING OUT ACADEMIA

BRUNEL UNIVERSITY & RUNNYMEDE CAMPUS



THE DEATH OF DESIGN 1 - SCHWARTZ

THE DEATH OF DESIGN 2 - DONKEYS

THE DEATH OF DESIGN 3 - SOLD FOR PIECES OF SILVER

THE DEATH OF DESIGN 4 - SLAUGHTER OF THE DONKEYS

THE DEATH OF DESIGN 5 - SMUG GNOMES

THE DEATH OF ACADEMIA - POST SCRIPT (TO FOLLOW SHORTLY)
THE DEATH OF DESIGN 1 - SCHWARTZ

In 2002, Steven Schwartz was appointed Vice Chancellor of Brunel University. He promised the academic and technical staff of the 'internationally renowned' Department of Design, which was based on the Runnymede Campus, a grand new 'gateway' building if they would leave the Runnymede Campus and move to Uxbridge. The grand plan never happened: the department was closed, emaciated first by staff departures and finally by forced redundancies. The remnants of Design were subsumed in the School of Engineering and Design. The 'philosophy' which previously provided the defining impetus was discarded in the process.

The 'Academic Staff' list of 2003 from the Department of Design at the Runnymede Campus, Brunel University, listed over 29 members. Of these only 5 remained (2008-9) in the remnant, subsumed in the School of Engineering and Design. Of the 5 remaining 2 were rewarded for their contribution to the 'rearrangement' with Professorships. Department CLOSED !

"In America you are awarded the title of 'Professor' for your academic ability and in Europe, the title comes by virtue of the respect held for your educational skills and experience. In the UK, the title of 'Professor' is a job title for managers." Dr Killane.

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THE DEATH OF DESIGN 2 - DONKEYS

Current Brunel University, Vice-Chancellor, Chris Jenks once called all his teaching staff "donkeys", who, he said, 'should be replaced by active researchers who are by definition 'better teachers''. He was pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the time but offered no evidence of the claim. No chance of that - gross and utter tosh.




(Apologies to Leunig)







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  THE DEATH OF DESIGN 3 - SOLD FOR A FEW PIECES OF SILVER

The Runnymede Campus was finally SOLD by Brunel University to Oracle Homes for £46 million, thereby ending more than 100 years of education on the site. It had been home to the Indian Engineering College, Shoreditch Technical College, Shoreditch College of Education and finally, Brunel University Design Department. In all of that was an extraordinary history of education and of its place in the community of Runnymede.

Planning Permission will be required by the purchaser. The property is now more or less in ruin with the only benefit being to the surrounding parklands which have 'returned to the wild'.





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  THE DEATH OF DESIGN 4 - SLAUGHTER OF THE DONKEYS

The final crippling blow to the prestigious Department came with the sacking, termed 'redundancy', of fifty academics - from across the university - who it was alleged were not research active. 'Donkeys', according to an 'Ass' - see below. Among these were two from the already dissipated remnants of the original Design Department.

While not at any time verifying the research credentials of the two, the quality of which would have been found to be thoroughly satisfactory, and using tactics that would have made any South American dictator proud, management dispatched the two. And with no reference to the 'prestigious' past as research money was now top of the shopping list.

While certainly decent people and unquestionably very able researchers were employed to replace the discarded 'donkeys', it must be noted that it was immaterial to the University that a significant number of these new appointees could not speak english to a standard necessary for undergraduates to understand their lectures nor their verbal communications. So much for Jenks' postulation ! Arsehole !



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  5 - PIS GNOMES, ASSES, ARSES, PIGS and SKUNKS

Brunel's Professors of Market Place Education are represented here for their contribution to nothing :

Images courtesy of the elvis-picasso foundation © 2008.

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