News

£8.7 million investment plan for academic strengths at Durham

(18 June 2003)

The University of Durham is preparing to consider plans for an investment programme that would re-direct more than £8.7 million into its prime teaching and research operations over the next four years.

As well as building on subjects with internationally competitive research and its most successful teaching programmes, the University would also invest in the potential of other areas that are within reach of similar performance and sustainable success.

It is the largest strategic re-organisation that Durham has undertaken for 40 years. The proposed steps take account of changes in the overall higher education environment and in public funding and aim to provide for an even stronger academic, operational and financial performance by the year 2007 – the year the University celebrates its 175th anniversary.

It would mean:

• retaining and attracting more world-class academic staff
• more places for students on high-demand courses by transferring numbers from lower-demand subjects
• increasing the capacity for knowledge transfer and collaboration with business, professions and other organisations in the wider community

The re-investment would be in addition to the University’s already-approved capital programme in academic departments of £42 million (including awards for strategic research funding that it has secured by competitive bidding) and its residential colleges of £17.6 million over the period. It also provides for an ongoing programme of increased income generation and a £175 million fundraising campaign linked to the 2007 anniversary.

The re-investment measures form a Strategic Improvement Programme. Academic measures, if approved, fall into four groups (see Notes to Editors for details):

• Immediate investment in a number of key academic subjects that are internationally competitive in research and have strong student demand
• Restructuring five other areas over the next academic year to strengthen operations and realise potential for increased performance
• Medium to longer-term investment in remaining key areas
• Phasing out a small number of relatively low-demand subjects and transferring the student numbers to higher-demand courses.

Over a four-year period this would also enable the University to make up to 40 new appointments to academic posts in strategic areas. Other measures proposed:

• More postgraduate research studentships.
• Additional investment in the Wolfson Research Institute at the University’s Queen’s Campus, Stockton
• More investment in the University Library

Durham has prepared its proposals after a two-year period of strategic re-thinking, consultation and internal re-organisation. It is basing its plans on:

• national assessments of teaching and research quality
• current and projected student recruitment markets
• internal subject and operations reviews
• changes in the UK funding environment for higher education, including the proposals in the Government’s current White Paper

Durham employs 3,200 people and has 12,000 students at its two campuses in Durham and Stockton. Its annual budget of about £130 million per year puts it alongside the North East’s top 30 companies as an economic player. While it would lose some small-sized academic areas in the medium term under the improvement programme, its overall size would remain largely unchanged, and have real potential for further development.

---

Notes to editors

1. Timetable
   The proposals, from the University Executive Committee and Deans, go to the Senate (the academic ‘parliament’) on 24 June and to the University Council (overall governing body) on 15 July. If approved, the changes would begin to come into effect in the 2003-04 academic year and be phased up to 2007.
   
   
2. Staff
   Where the proposed changes would mean phasing out academic posts, there will be consultations and every step taken to avoid compulsory job losses. A voluntary severance scheme will be operated. It is envisaged that staff in clerical posts would transfer within the University. Plans for an additional voluntary severance scheme across the University would be expected to cover about 40 posts over the same planning period.
   
   
3. Students
   More places on some high-demand courses will be available when student numbers can be transferred as lower-demand subjects are phased out. Every possible step will be taken to enable those students on courses due to be phased out to complete their degrees.
   
   
4. Academic subjects
   Plans for the various academic subject areas in the Strategic Improvement Programme fall into four groups:
   
   
   • Immediate investment in a number of key academic subjects that are internationally competitive in research and have strong student demand:
     
     Chemistry, Geological Sciences (Earth Sciences), Mathematics, Psychology, Durham Business School, Medicine, Geography, Law, Archaeology, History, Theology, Philosophy and English
     
     [Note: The Business School restructuring took place in 2002 and included merger with the University’s Department of Economics & Finance.]
     
     
   • Restructuring to strengthen operations and realise potential in five areas:
     
     Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies – revised focus as a postgraduate institute; Arabic language teaching to be retained within the University
     
     Politics – build on undergraduate teaching strengths and improve research performance; take over Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies.
     
     Computer Science – reorganise with increased focus on e-science
     
     Sociology & Social Policy – restructure department to integrate activities in other related areas (Applied Social Studies, Community & Youth Work and the Sport in the Community degree)
     
     University Language Centre – to be reviewed and strengthened
     
     
   • Medium to longer-term investment in other key areas:
     
     Classics, Modern European Languages, Music, Education, Anthropology, Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, and Physics.
     
     
   • Phasing out relatively low-demand subjects:
     
     East Asian Studies, Linguistics, European Studies.
     
     [Note: The teaching of Japanese and Chinese will be retained within the University. The University also maintains extensive links with China and Japan through nearly 20 departments including several sciences, social sciences, Durham Business School and Education. These include research, exchange programmes, English teaching and enterprise development training. There are more than 200 students from East Asia in the University working on a wide range of subjects.]
   
   
   
5. Other measures
   - More postgraduate research studentships.
   These are vital and much sought-after scholarships that strengthen the research base and provide more study opportunities.
   
   - Additional investment in the Wolfson Research Institute.
   The Institute, located at the University’s Queen’s Campus, Stockton, currently has work that focuses on health, medicine, community and regional development.
   
   - More investment in the University Library

---

Media contacts:

Keith Seacroft, Head of Public Relations 0191 334 6074.

Jan Cawood, Public Relations Officer 0191 334 0018.