My name is Ray, I'm a neurodivergent graduate in Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Chichester, and have recently been informed by my academic advisor, Dr. Dion Georgiou, that the University is axing the BA in Modern History and making him redundant at the end of August 2023, with Professor Hakim Adi's MRes in History of Africa and the African Diaspora also being axed.

Dion was transformative to my university experience as a neurodivergent academic who has taught me that disability is not a barrier to an academic career, and a Masters or even PhD is not impossible. He has supported me through two near-death experiences in hospital and the death of my grandfather as well, in addition to assisting countless other students with learning challenges, economic hardship and money struggles, and other familial pressures. To put it simply, without Dion, I would not be graduating.

To scrap Modern History at the University is an insult to the History & Politics department who have worked tirelessly and achieved significant student satisfaction with the course, some of the highest in the country - no small feat for one of the smallest universities in the country. The university claims to be incredibly proud of its contributions to British and European history in the form of its involvement in the D-Day Landings in WW2, but to eliminate these subjects would see this history be sidelined and forgotten. Additionally, it should be noted that Dion's modules have always had high uptake and are of exceptional quality of teaching, reflected in the grades which come from student assignments at the end of the modules. The modules that Dion teaches often approach a global history rather than exclusively a British or European one - enabling students to think about history in all of its colours, not just white. History is an exceptionally valuable course to teach at degree level, opening up pathways in many different industries due to the fundamental skills it teaches students to develop including independent and critical analysis and research, considering the origin of sources and information, and the ability to effectively structure arguments and communicate both verbally and on paper. 

It is simply unacceptable for the University to be scrapping these options for students and giving its staff less than 3 months notice that they will lose their jobs when they have families and themselves to provide for in a cost of living crisis which has been unprecedented. Students who will lose academics such as Dion and Hakim will suffer not just academically with the decrease in teaching quality but also in a pastoral and emotional sense not having support from experienced advisors who know the university environment well and have supported students from a range of backgrounds for many years at Chichester.