UK
Legal action considered after university sack popular history professor

PROFESSOR HAKIM Adi, the first person of African descent to become a professor of history in the UK, described Chichester University’s decision to make him redundant as horrifying and has vowed to keep fighting

Students are now involved in an ongoing dispute with the University and are crowdfunding ahead of a potential legal challenge, represented by leading Windrush lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie. Black Equity Organisation are also said to have a legal interest in the dispute.

In recent weeks a campaign to save the Mres History of Africa and the African Diaspora course, taught by Adi attracted tens of thousands of supporters from all over the world as well as the UK, indicative of both the need and demand for the course.

The Mres course had engaged students from all over the world and produced several PHD candidates.

Those fighting Adi’s corner suggest the University’s justification for terminating student recruitment on financial grounds, and with it Adi’s post, doesn’t add up.

They claim the course was not sufficiently advertised, and that the university failed in its duty and responsibility to shore up interest.

Adi described the University’s suggestion that he ‘crowdfund’ his own post as insulting. Speaking to The Voice he said:  “Trying to present everything in terms of money shows no regard for the history I teach and the students I’m trying to reach.

“It shows no regard for what’s going on nationally, in terms of students of African and Caribbean heritage being excluded and alienated from the study of history.  The way they’ve treated Mres and the history of Africa and the African diaspora generally, shows contempt for this history.  It’s absolutely horrifying and makes me angry”

According to Adi, the University’s conduct, treatment of his students, and course, paints a contradictory picture of an institution claiming to value diversity.

“What they are doing is breaching every principle of equality and inclusivity” he said.  

“It reflects a University which in some ways is representative of higher education in general, paying lip service to the idea of equality, widening participation, and encouraging a diverse workforce.  It’s just meaningless empty words.”

Despite the University’s decision to axe the course, Adi has vowed to keep fighting for his post, and   students, many of whom signed up precisely because they specifically wanted to benefit, from the teaching and direct supervision of Adi himself. 

The avalanche of support the campaign is receiving continues to be a motivating force in keeping up momentum and efforts to safeguard the future of Adi, the Mres course and ultimately, precious African histories neglected by mainstream academia.

“When you’re fighting, you see the best of people as well as the worst. You really see who is prepared to stand up and be counted and who is not” said Adi.

“The tremendous support that my students have given, the loyalty and they’ve organised and worked hard to organise the campaign is a wonderful thing to see”.

He went on to add: “All the people who have donated, or sent messages, who’ve offered their services legal or otherwise shows how people value the course. 

“One realises that whatever the problems are of Chichester University, and the way it views the world, that everybody outside views things in a different way and value the history.  We’ve had a lot of support from students that are not my students and post graduate students, and it’s very inspiring.  I can’t say thank you enough for the support from all over the world.”

A spokesperson for the University of Chichester said: “The University of Chichester routinely reviews its portfolio of degree programmes. Recently the University suspended eight postgraduate programmes, including the online MRes programme which the University has supported since its launch six years ago. During this six-year period, despite extensive marketing of the programme, the MRes course consistently recruited very small student numbers. Only one student has graduated from the programme in the past three years.  

Since the programme launched in 2017, the University has invested over £700k into the costs of the delivery of this programme, including staff salary cost. During the same period the University has only received c. £150k of tuition fees. This gap between income and expenditure means other areas would have to subsidise this programme’s costs, to the detriment of those other programmes and their students. This would not be sustainable, and the University has had to come to the difficult decision to suspend a number of programmes in this category, of which the MRes is one.

We will continue to support all students affected to complete and achieve their qualifications, including a small number of related doctoral students. Consultation with students is being offered on both a 1-2-1 and a group basis, ensuring that they can be updated on their studies in the forthcoming academic year now that the confidential discussions with the member(s) of staff affected have concluded.

Through our normal consultation process we always offer the opportunity for staff to propose alternative solutions to ensure the viability of a course that has been suspended. Throughout the consultation, there was regular engagement with staff affected, but no viable counterproposals or solutions were found.”