NTEU questions QUT's reasons for proposing to close Humanities and Social Science and make staff red
NTEU Queensland Secretary Margaret Lee says that the data used by QUT to justify its proposal to close down Humanities and Social Science with up to 28 redundancies is very sparse and seems very inaccurate. QUT management has provided its justification in four graphs on four power point slides. According to information from staff of the School, management could not get even four slides right. For example, one slide is labelled as showing the Humanities and Human Services. Profit/Loss is but the data is actually for the entire QUT Carseldine faculty. The staff of the School have shown that the Vice-Chancellor's reasons cannot be justified by the facts.
Are tertiary entrance scores for the School too low?
NO!
The Vice-Chancellor relies on what he says are the low tertiary
entrance scores (OP scores). Yet a detailed
examination shows that entry scores for the Bachelor of Arts and
the Bachelor of Social Science are higher than those for
similar degrees at UQ-Ipswich, Australian Catholic University,
University of Sunshine Coast and Griffith-Logan. They are
now also higher than the cut-off scores for Griffith-Nathan and
Griffith-Gold Coast.
Are graduate employment outcomes poor? NO!
The Vice-Chancellor says graduate outcomes for the School's
graduates are poor. But QUT’s own data submitted to
the federal Department of Education, Science and Technology show
that the percentage of QUT graduates in the ‘society and
culture’ field of education in full-time employment is
higher than in ‘management and commerce’,
information technology and creative arts.
Is the School in an unviable financial position? NO!
The Vice-Chancellor says the School is unviable. But the
estimated budget deficit for the School in 2007 budget is
$0. Furthermore, the closure of the School is likely to do
serous harm to other parts of QUT:
1. QUT will lose the extremely popular and flexible double
degrees in Art/Law, Arts/Business Arts/Science which are taken by
40% of undergraduates in the School.
2. 13% (one in eight) higher degree research students are in
the School of Humanities and Human Services. This would be a
dramatic loss for a university still trying to build its
reputation for research.
AND the future of the whole Carseldine campus seems in
doubt!
QUT must answer two questions:
1. Will the Carseldine campus be closed if humanities and
social science are closed?
2. If the campus is kept open, what undergraduate programmes
will be moved there?
The NTEU is concerned about the decision making process at
QUT. QUT staff and students and the whole community deserve
a thorough examination of the VC's justifications,
especially the relevant data, the issue of double degrees, the
impact on higher degree research and the future of the Carseldine
campus.
For further information ring Margaret Lee on 38462355 or
0407646419