There are savings proposals in the School of Social Sciences, the library and marketing and student recruitment

The cuts, Vice Chancellor Amit Chakma says are part of his plan to reduce the university’s “structural deficit” from $70m to $40m (CMM September 28, October 19 2020).

“I thank you for staying the course as we work towards our aim of investment in our future,” says Professor Chakma, presumably not referring to those who will be sacked before it is complete.

The new round of reductions include;

School of Social Sciences: the proposal document focuses on suggested under-performance in research and enrolments. Management wants to reconfigure what is taught, and by who (“a combination of leading researchers and teaching-focused academics”) with the staff to student ratio to double to 35.

Overall, 16 continuing academic positions go, with 12 continuing positions changing from teaching and research to teaching-focused. There will be seven new jobs.

Anthropology and Sociology would take an especially hard hit, losing 8 positions of the existing nine and picking up no new ones.

“Flagships” for research will be Australian archaeology and human geography.

Brand, marketing and recruitment: The proposal makes the case for change, by stating what the opposition is doing; “competitors have become increasingly sophisticated using data-driven approaches, targeted activity, marketing automation and tighter task prioritisation to ensure focus on activity that drives performance.”

Some 34 positions are proposed to go, (five now vacant) with 13 new ones created.

Library: The change proposal makes a case for not changing. “The university library has a strong reputation for excellence in the development and delivery of high quality and core services that are well utilised.” So why change? In part it is to, “better service the new college of schools organisational structure.”

Eight jobs are set to go – and four new ones created, it is not clear whether people in any of the four HEW nine positions, will slot into the two HEW nines, one HEW eight and one HEW three being created. And library-watchers wonder the “minor variation to position descriptions” for 24 staff may disguise devilry in the Dewey (sorry).