30 April 2010

Dear Vice-Chancellor,

I am writing to express my dismay at your decision to end the teaching of Philosophy and to close the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy at the University of Middlesex.

The philosophers attached to the Centre constitute one of the principal clusters of research excellence in this field, with a world-leading reputation. Even in the current context of threats to university funding, your decision to shut down the main source of Middlesex University’s standing in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is a perplexing one.

I would urge you to reconsider your decision, which appears to have been motivated by the need to make savings in the short term but which will severely damage the name, status and research output of Middlesex over the longer term.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Mark Hewitson
Chair of the Centre for European Studies
University College London.