Royal Holloway College, London

Statement just released by the head of department, Professor Anne Sheppard:

Proposals for cuts affecting the Department of Classics and Philosophy at Royal Holloway

The College Council are setting up a formal consultation process over proposals for the following cuts affecting the Department of Classics and Philosophy:

1. From September 2012 student numbers will be reduced to 40 per year, for BAs in Classical Studies and Ancient History as well as Joint Honours. The Classics degree will be discontinued.

2. The Philosophy staff, including one Ancient Philosophy post, will move to the Department of Politics and International Relations.

3. A Research Professor, currently shared with English, will move into the English Department.

4. Of the remaining 11 posts, 6 will disappear by 2014, leaving 5 staff who will then move, as a unit, to the History Department.

The consultation, which has not yet started, will run for 90 days. The Department will be responding fully to the planning documents that are to be circulated.

Letters of support will be very welcome. These should be addressed to the Principal, Prof. Paul Layzell, but send them c/o Department of Classics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX so that we can collect them to use as we see fit.