Supporting English Departments and Programmes in a Period of Change
University English departments and programmes are in a period of considerable turbulence and change, as universities tackle longstanding financial issues. The reasons for change in English departments and programmes vary. They differ across kinds of institutions and geographic regions, and they are frequently recurrent (in that one change initiative does not preclude another). The cumulative impact on English Studies as a discipline, however, is already dramatic.
The English Association, the Institute of English Studies and University English are here to help.
We work with any departments, programmes or individuals who contact us. We work in confidence and offer support, resources, experience and expertise. We write letters of support, when these are appropriate, and we will put you in touch with others who have experienced or are experiencing change to share practice.
How we can help, including planning ahead:
Any department which needs support – for example, advice on a business plan or a counterproposal defending colleagues from the threat of job cuts – can get in touch confidentially. Our volunteers comment on drafts of business plans and counter proposals and share facts and figures to support cases. Many of us are, or have been, heads of department, directors of institutes, and university deans. If you have expertise that our colleagues can benefit from, and you’d be willing to share it, please get in touch with us.
We have prepared a toolkit for heads of department and their teams which offers advice on how to make a case for English with senior management and to defend the subject when cuts are threatened. It includes links to useful reports and resources from the EA, the British Academy and other organisations with ideas, data and quotations about the value of English degrees, employability, earnings, etc.
We are available to be contacted at any time:
- Katherine Baxter(Chair of the English Association’s HE Committee)
- Kate Walchester (Chair of University English)
- Clare Lees(Director of the Institute for English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London)
