Approximately 32 staff have been left in limbo and their positions declared vacant at the Australian National University’s School of Music as the university announces a major restructure of the school and the Bachelor of Music degree aimed at cutting costs.
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The school's 23 academic positions and nine general staff positions have all been spilled, and existing staff will now be forced to reapply for new positions under the structural changes. Ten of the academic staff will lose their jobs. It is not yet clear how the restructure will affect the nine full-time general staff, nor how it will affect the 40 part-time specialist staff and tutors.
The curriculum changes will also affect the school's 260 students. Current students have been guaranteed the ability to complete the course they started at the university. Students enrolling from next year will begin a new course under the revised curriculum.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young said in a statement that the changes had "been in the making for the past three years" but were "accelerated by financial circumstances".
"Change is essential if music is to survive at a tertiary level here and across the rest of the sector.
"A change management process will run alongside the new curriculum, to ensure that staff and student needs are met. A smaller group of staff will be required to run the new offerings. To achieve this reduction all academic and general staff positions in the School of Music will be declared vacant, and applications invited for the new positions.
"Existing staff have the option to apply before outside applications are invited. Those who do not secure a position in the new school will be paid their full entitlements.
"Importantly, ANU also guarantees that existing students will be able to finish the degree they started, with arrangements made to ensure they can complete."
The School of Music has struggled to attract students in recent years, and has been subject to reviews and restructures in 2004 and 2008. Less than 100 new students were enrolled this year.
As part of the restructure announced today, the enrolment in the school will no longer be confined to only high-performing students, which, the university hopes, will lead to a greater student intake.
Staff were briefed on the restructure at 9am, and students were told of changes at a meeting at 10am.
It comes just days after Vice-Chancellor Ian Young backed down from proposed $40 million in university-wide budget cuts by the end of the year, including up to 150 job losses.
Professor Young wrote to staff earlier this week saying efficiencies would instead be sought in administration and job losses would be sought through natural attrition, early retirement and voluntary redundancies.
He said he believed the university was in a position to make considerable savings, which could be reinvested in academic programs, and that he would be speaking with the College heads to explore savings and reinvestment strategies.
