[INDOLOGY] ANU Asian languages staff restored to their appointments

[Dominik Wujastyk]

Good news for Indology at Canberra:

Canberra Times, April 19 2016:

The Australian National University has backed down on its plans to
downgrade its Asian language academics to fixed contracts following
widespread community consultation and national condemnation.

The university issued its final proposal for changes to the School of
Culture, History and Languages on Monday afternoon after a fraught
consultation process which received 97 submissions as well as the National
Tertiary Education Union notifying a formal dispute over parts of the
proposal.

While the university has retained a plan to axe up to 15 academic
positions, it has stepped back from its plan to downgrade six language
positions to three-year contracts.

In its 34-page document, the university has agreed to treat the old
language subsidy as a strategic investment. This means that academics
teaching Sanskrit, Hindi, Thai and Vietnamese who were to be placed onto
three-year contracts will now be restored to continuing status and the two
fixed-term positions in Burmese and Classical Chinese will be made
continuing.

...

Meanwhile, award-winning international Sanskrit expert McComas Taylor
welcomed the changes.

"My colleagues and I are delighted that ANU has publicly committed to
supporting Asian languages in the long term. We are looking forward to
working with ANU management to really develop our role as the national
Asian language provider for Australia and beyond, and we want to strengthen
the university's excellent reputation. Of course our relief is tempered by
concern about potential cuts to other areas."

Professor Taylor was considering his future at the ANU under the previous
plan to place him and others on fixed-term contracts, saying it would
irreparably damage the university's ability to carry out its national
functions of engaging in the region.

--

Full text at:


   -
      http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/anu-asian-languages-staff-restored-to-their-appointments-20160418-go9j4e.html





--
Professor Dominik Wujastyk* <http://ualberta.Academia.edu/DominikWujastyk>
Singhmar Chair in Classical Indian Society and Polity
Department of History and Classics <http://historyandclassics.ualberta.ca/>
University of Alberta, Canada


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