Cancellation of the PAC Annual Conference 2022
Tuesday, June 14th, 2022
The following is a statement from Dr Karin Bottom, Chair of the JUC Public Administration Committee on the decision to cancel the PAC Annual Conference 2022.
You will be aware of proposed restructure at De Montfort University. Our understanding is that the restructure and anticipated job losses will, in addition to other important disciplines, affect the future of research and teaching in public administration and public policy, with an explicit focus on senior and research focused roles.
These proposals place the University’s Local Governance Research Centre (LGRC) and the Centre for Urban Research and Austerity (CURA) at great risk which is very disappointing and difficult to rationalise in view of their current activities and focus.
While we have every confidence in the organising team (Professor Steven Griggs and Drs Arianna Giovannini, Alistair Jones and Steven Parker) it is with regret, that the PAC Executive Committee feels it has no alterative other than to withdraw support for DMU hosting the event. The PAC Executive Committee therefore has decided to cancel the conference. This decision has been made because the restructure may impact the conference’s delivery and the clear vulnerability of the LGRC and CURA questions the extent to which the conference will take place in a public policy and public administration focused environment.
On behalf of the PAC Executive I wrote to De Montfort University’s Vice Chancellor (Professor Normington) and PVC/Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law (Professor McLaughlin) on the 8th of June. This letter expressed our disappointment and concern regarding the proposed restructure and also communicated our decision regarding the Annual Conference. The Vice Chancellor, Professor Normington, has acknowledged the PAC’s cancellation of the conference.
Many thanks to Professor Pete Murphy who will now be hosting the Doctoral Workshop at Nottingham Trent University. Details regarding this will follow soon. When circulated, please communicate details to your departments’ doctoral researchers and supervisors as soon as you receive them.
We hope to announce a venue for next year’s Annual Conference this summer.
If you have any queries or responses regarding the above please email me.
If you would like to sign the Change.Org petition that hopes to raise the profile of colleagues’ situation at DMU, and save the 58 jobs under threat, please see the link below.
https://www.change.org/p/save-58-jobs-and-support-dmu-s-teaching-and-research-staff
