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UCU Scotland celebrates funding to save Crichton Campus
20 August 2007
UCU Scotland today celebrated the Scottish Executive's announcement of additional funding to allow Glasgow University to remain at the Crichton Campus.
In February Glasgow University announced that it was halting admission of undergraduates to Crichton Campus. A decision that would have led to the university stopping all its provision at the campus and the removal of Arts and Humanities from the curriculum.
There has been cross-party support to keep Glasgow University at Crichton ever since the university announced its decision to pull out of the campus. However, concerns about institutional autonomy around the delivery of the relatively small amount of funding required looked like sealing Crichton's fate.
Today's announcement of targeted funding, including funding for overheads, for the campus means Glasgow University can now continue to operate at Crichton Campus, said UCU.
UCU Scotland President Terry Brotherstone said: 'This is wonderful news for students in the South West of Scotland as Glasgow University has been persuaded to stay in Crichton. We supported the campaign at Crichton and wrote to the cabinet secretary for education, Fiona Hyslop MSP, asking her to intervene. She has heeded our plea and acted quickly to save provision at Crichton.'
SNP must deliver in office what it promised in opposition.The Scottish Executive must intervene to stop the proposed closure of Glasgow University's Crichton Campus. Read more here:
UCU Scotland Letter to New First Minister
YOU can help by sending this letter to your MSP in support of two motions published by Elaine Murray MSP and Jim Hume MSP.
Search here for motions S3M-49 and S3M-39
Find your MSP here
Mayday Rally in Dumfries
On Saturday, April 28th, Dumfries UCU members will be joining Dumfries May Day march and rally. It begins at 12 noon by the Statue of Robert Burns in the town centre. A show of support by main campus colleagues on this day would be greatly appreciated.
Letter from Crichton Reps on these events
Flyer for MayDay Rally
STUC - Alastair Hunter spoke on behalf of UCU Scotland in support of Motion 21 at STUC last week and raised the issue of Crichton. Read the text of his speech here.
A General Meeting of UCUG unanimously passed these motions to support colleagues in Crichton and to urge the Principal, Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Executive (via your MSP) to work together to save the campus.
1. UCUG/Congress deplores the collective failure of the Scottish Funding Council, the University of Glasgow, and the Scottish Executive to support and fund effectively the ground-breaking initiative of Crichton Campus. To move to the premature closure of a widely admired, cutting edge widening access initiative across the FE/HE boundary in a clearly deprived area of Scotland is a reprehensible prioritising of short-term financial exigency at the expense of dedicated staff and students.
UCUG/Congress calls on the University of Glasgow, the Scottish Funding Council, and the Scottish Executive to work together to ensure the viable future of Crichton Campus, its staff and its students. UCUG/Congress further agrees to continue and step up the campaign of action to save Crichton and to protect the jobs of members and instructs the committee and officers to investigate all possible actions in support of these objectives.
2. UCUG/Congress reiterates its opposition to compulsory redundancy including, where necessary, a ballot for industrial action, and pledges to support any UCU members threatened by potential closures at Crichton. In view of the decision taken by Court on 14th February in response to the Principal’s advice, UCUG/Congresscalls on the University Court to declare publicly that no staff members at Crichton will be made compulsorily redundant.
Here's what YOU can do to help:
Send a letter to the Principal, SFC and your MSP. You can use the model letters below or write your own.
Distribute this flyer to colleagues, display on notice boards, etc.
Crichton Flyer (PDF - needs Acrobat)
Model letters in word format - don't forget to add your details. You can send by post or by email.
Letter to Principal - principal@gla.ac.uk
Letter to SFC - rmcclure@sfc.ac.uk
Letter to MSP - find your MSP's email using the site below
Previous Information
Letter from Principal January 2007
Letter to Principal from Staff January 2007
These are external links to articles on this issue in the media:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6272345.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6286347.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6292011.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6295661.stm
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/education/display.var.1149092.0.0.php
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