BRUNEL UNIVERSITY - SELLING OUT ACADEMIA |
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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) |
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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. - top - |
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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) - top - |
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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.
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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.
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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 :
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