19 July 2011

Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) has been a leading research area and teaching specialisation at Victoria for 72 years. Currently PSIR has 16 permanent full-time academic staff and teaches 1,670 Political Science and International Relations undergraduate majors. The establishment of a separate major in International Relations, recommended by the Programme’s review in 2005, has been a major stimulus to this growth.

PSIR has one of the largest Honours Programmes in the University, and supervises 10 PhD, 29 MA and 15 MIR students. In 2010 PSIR earned 713 EFTS. In the 2000-2005 PBRF round the subject area of Political Science, International Relations and Public Policy at Victoria was nationally ranked second-equal with Otago, with a quality score of 4.6.

In 2009 Victoria established the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre with a member of PSIR as its Director. On 1 July 2011 the Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS) was relocated from the School of Government to PSIR. The Programme has yet to work through the integration of the Centre and the Master of Strategic Studies (MSS) Programme with PSIR. Earlier this year PSIR staff were asked to reorganise their research clusters and establish longer-term research goals to accommodate these changes. This process involved a retreat day in April, followed up by workshops conducted by an external facilitator in May.

Then, without warning, at the beginning of July this year university management released a proposal to disestablish three of four lectureships in International Relations, redefine the remaining lectureship and advertise four senior positions – two Professor and two Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor positions.

Without consulting staff in the programme, or the university’s Academic Board, the proposal claims to respond to goals identified in the university’s strategic plan, including building interdisciplinary strength in “International Engagement and Understanding” and “Chinese Business, Language and Culture”. Four of the five new role descriptions include a focus on international relations in the Asia Pacific region and three focus on security and conflict issues in that region.

The Programme has benefited from a long and productive research interest in both the Asia Pacific region and in security and conflict issues. However, the extraordinarily narrow focus of the new role descriptions – and the sacking of younger staff who represent the University’s academic future – make this proposal repugnant to students and staff in the programme and the wider university.

• The proposal compromises the academic integrity and reputation of the International Relations unit and the viability of its undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes.
• The proposal completely disregards student demand for the full range of International Relations offerings.
• Re-paying the loyalty and developing the promise of staff at lecturer level is not only a much fairer strategy for staff but a much more appropriate one for students.
• In cutting existing staff and seeking four senior appointments simultaneously the proposal risks a major shortfall in teaching capacity as well as severely curtailing student choice.
• The proposal pre-empts the comprehensive evaluation of the Programme’s academic strengths and teaching commitments scheduled for early 2012. It also pre-empts the university’s Review of Undergraduate Education currently underway.
• The Tertiary Education Union has written to management making it clear that the proposal is in breach of the Education Act, the university’s Academic Board Statute and the university’s change management policy, all of which require that Faculty and Academic Board decision making processes must apply to academic change.

 What can I do?

• Please sign the online petition to the Vice-Chancellor asking him to withdraw the change proposal and comply with the university’s academic decision making processes.
• Make a statement to the decision panel (e-mail lillian.loftus@vuw.ac.nz by midday on 3 August) opposing the change on the grounds listed above or any other grounds.
• For further information please contact TEU Organiser, Michael Gilchrist, michael.gilchrist@teu.ac.nz

ph: 04 463 5058 or 021 770 846