If you are reading this right now, it's probably because of Chemistry at the University of Hull.

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) were a huge advancement in technology, that kicked off the flat screen revolution. The first working and commercialised LCD was created at the University of Hull a little over 50 years ago. So if you're on a laptop, a phone, or any screen that doesn't weigh as much as a sofa, it's likely a descendent of the LCDs first made in this little University in the North of England.

Since then, Chemistry at Hull has been involved in solving issues from plastic pollution to advanced cancer diagnostics, and provided countless graduates to the local, national and international chemistry sector.

The University now wishes to throw away this legacy and any abandon future research and teaching in the subject.

This is not an unexpected decision. The universities sector faces huge problems as relentless marketisation consolidates and condenses higher education into fewer and fewer departments and, eventually, fewer universities. Hull is not the first to propose closing a core science department, we don't expect it to be the last. We need universities to begin to see value beyond the short-term financial goals, and reconsider the alarming pace and severity of their cuts.

As staff and students at the University of Hull, we are directly affected by the impending closure of the chemistry department. The move threatens the livelihood of our staff, compromises the education of our students, and sends an unnerving signal to local employers -- as one of the largest chemical sectors in the United Kingdom -- and our alumni.

The department has long been a cornerstone of Hull's educational and research heritage. Hull is home to award winning teaching staff and world-class education scholars. The research has historically had huge impacts, with highly rated research papers published by small teams in challenging circumstances, and creating impacts well above their station in health, sustainability and smart materials.

 

 

The teaching quality has been recognised by students, particularly by the National Student Survey results showing dramatic improvements while the rest of the sector declined at the height of the pandemic. This was all thanks to a dedicated and friendly staff who have put their students first at every turn. Just as this was beginning to show nationally, and attract more students to the region and the discipline, the University took the decision to abandon the programme entirely.

The closure of this department would not merely erase a great history. It would result in the loss of staff and would leave a number of students unable to graduate with an accredited degree -- a basic right for any student. The pace of the closure has been designed to match abstract financial years, and the adverse affects on students appear to not be considered. Many would be forced to leave at a difficult point in the academic cycle, stay behind as the staff are whittled below the numbers capable of properly teaching the subject to the required level of specialism, and perhaps forced to repeat years in other institutions because of the lack of proper notice and information given in a timely manner. This threatens to undermine Hull's reputation and leaves a void in our scientific community.

More than merely maintaining its status, we require a permanent, stable, and equitable solution for the staff and students who have dedicated their time and efforts to advancing the legacy of our department. 

If financial constraints cannot save the department as it is, we petition the University to seriously reconsider its process and timescales, the details of which have shocked the Chemistry sector:

• We need a full and proper "teach out" of the subject, on an academic timescale that does not disadvantage students a difficult time,
• Proper transparency with the financial figures used to come to this decision,
• And we want a commitment to retaining as many staff as possible, to provide their chemical expertise in related areas -- as implied in the University's press release.

We urge the University of Hull and its decision-makers to listen to the voices of those directly impacted, to alumni who cherish their connection to the institution and to the local employers who see the value in maintaining an accredited chemistry department for the region's workforce and beyond.