threat to russian at otago university (fwd)

[K. Dziwirek]

I am posting this at the request of a colleague.

FYI. Please disseminate further. Another colleague, who teaches at the
University of Auckland, tells me the Russian Department at Otago "has an
excellent reputation for scholarship and teaching," and that the problem
seems to be their new Vice Chancellor (the highest post there) who is
"from the commerce or management side of things and who can see things
only in dollar terms." (Does not sound familiar, does it?). GD

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 12:16:06 GMT+1200
From: ABARRATT at gandalf.otago.ac.nz



Our department here is under threat of closure, and we are trying to
mount a campaign to save it.  Part of that campaign is to gather support
internationally for our cause.

The situation is that the University wants to close down Russian
altogether from the end of this year on the grounds of low enrolments.
There are three staff involved: myself, Sandra Bennett (a specialist on
18th century and Russian women's studies, and Alex Krouglov (Russian and
Ukrainian language and linguistics).

Letters of support should be addressed to Dr Graeme Fogelberg,
Vice-Chancellor, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
His e-mail address is Vice-Chancellor at otago.ac.nz

Thank you for any help you are able to give.

With best wishes,

Andy Barratt