20 September 2023
We, the undersigned, write in our capacity as the collective leadership of the professional organization the Australian Society for Quantitative Political Science (ASQPS). ASQPS holds an annual conference in Australia, and brings together a network of over 250 social scientists based in Australia and abroad.
We are shocked and concerned regarding the announced cuts of 32 full-time equivalent academic staff at ACU, including in the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS). Our group’s most recent conference, in December 2022, was hosted by the Political Science discipline within IHSS. The conference was a big success, and we appreciated the hospitality and support of IHSS and ACU. ACU joined the ranks of other host-institutions in our network, including ANU, University of Melbourne, and University of Sydney. There was no hint of trouble or unsustainability at the time. Now the potential for a continuing partnership seems lost.
We have read the Draft Change Management Plan document explaining the decision by ACU leadership. We find it inadequate to justify such a radical and sudden change of direction.
We make three points that are not addressed, or inadequately addressed, in the document.
First, there is no escaping the reputational damage for ACU of this move. ACU will, in our view, have shown bad faith in its dealing with staff who have only recently been lured from other positions or from abroad with generous conditions. It would be unwise for any academic in the future to take the career risk of accepting a position at ACU, quite obviously.
Second, ACU does not explain how this abrupt and extreme option was chosen over other options that would involve less harm to the institution and the individuals involved. It cannot be that the only possible action was the combination of immediate large-scale academic staff cuts and a focus on humanities and social sciences. Were gradual cuts considered seriously? Were cuts to university managers and leadership considered?
Third, looking to the future, these cuts leave ACU unprepared to compete in the HASS areas. It is highly likely there will be too few staff for the teaching needed, which will mean unhappy students and little time for quality research. Anticipated benefits based on maintaining (never mind increasing) student enrolments are very unlikely to materialize.
We would also like to say a few words about our political science colleagues in IHSS. Although a small group, the political scientists in IHSS are among the most outstanding in Australia. They undoubtedly enhance ACU’s reputation nationally and internationally. They research such important issues as populism, the legal and economic roots of global deforestation, racism and trust in government. They are all highly skilled data scientists using cutting-edge, rigorous quantitative methods. With this action, ACU shows clearly it does not support quality social science. It is wholly contrary to rewarding merit, research quality, and productivity.
We urge the university leadership to abandon the planned cuts, and choose a different path that will actually be sustainable.
Sincerely,
Benjamin E. Goldsmith (ANU), President
Richard Frank (ANU), Treasurer
Shaun Ratcliff (University of Sydney), Public Officer
Shawn Treier (ANU), Secretary
Svitlana Chernykh (ANU)
Leonie Huddy (Stony Brook University, USA)
Aaron Martin (University of Melbourne)
Australian Society for Quantitative Political Science 