Schumacher College Gets Its Chance to go Independent
Open Statement of Schumacher College Faculty and Staff Regarding the Decision by Dartington Hall Trust to Close the College:
Staff and students are shocked by the sudden decision of Dartington Hall Trust to end higher education provision at Schumacher College with immediate effect. Staff were informed of this decision, and that they were also at risk of redundancy, only hours before Dartington Hall Trust announced the decision to the local press. This resulted in students, and also staff who were off sick, on compassionate leave, or away on holiday, being alerted of this unexpected decision before receiving any official communication from Dartington Hall Trust.
The timing of this decision, just before the beginning of a new academic year, and the carelessness of its communication, has unnecessarily amplified the emotional pain and anxiety felt by staff, but most of all, by the students, many of whom were in the midst of planning their return to campus. The Schumacher staff and academic faculty are doing all they can to support the students during this difficult time.
The story for Schumacher College, an internationally renowned green university, is not over. It is clear for staff, and for alumni, that this type of pioneering, holistic, values-led learning must continue. Our worldwide community of students, alumni, benefactors, and supporters of all kinds, are committed to ensuring the continued existence of the College, whatever form that may take. We continue to make preparations for our independence and seek to make the next chapter of our story an inspiring example of regeneration, resilience and transformation. We want to demonstrate that viable yet visionary pathways for higher education exist, and to show that a vibrant future for education in a time of global social and environmental crisis is not only desperately needed, but also eminently possible.
This latest decision by Dartington Hall Trust (DHT), and the way in which it was delivered, is unfortunate. DHT has incorrectly claimed that levels of international applicants, particularly postgraduates, have been lower following changes in regulations relating to entry to the UK for students’ families. The majority of Schumacher College’s students are international and have had no visa issues, for themselves or their families.
We have continued to receive substantial interest in all of our postgraduate and undergraduate programmes. A pioneering new unaccredited long program, the Schumacher Foundation Course, had already recruited significant numbers of new students, who were due to begin their studies at the end of September.
Since October of last year, Schumacher College staff, along with co-founder, Satish Kumar, have continuously pressed DHT to work collaboratively and cooperatively to secure independence for the College to no avail. Schumacher College staff have been obstructed from independently raising funds and making necessary staffing changes, including recruiting for a marketing position for which funds from an outside foundation had already been ring fenced.
Despite these challenging circumstances, Schumacher College remains committed to delivering pioneering education that can meet the complex social and ecological challenges that the world currently faces. The College has been a trailblazer in the field of higher education, and in non-formal learning, for over 30 years, in ecology, social justice and the arts. It has enriched the lives of over 20,000 alumni through courses with luminaries in the fields of ecology, philosophy, climate science, economics, design, art, and sustainability, continuing to realise the Elmhirsts’ original vision for Dartington to this day. Alumni continue to go on to take significant roles in making a positive difference to the world, such as advising the US president Barack Obama on environmental matters, and leading climate negotiations at the UN. We believe these skills are urgently needed in the world and the worldwide community which animates the College is determined for it to continue.
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I am deeply saddened to hear this news. I was the director of Schumacher College from 2008-2012. My sense at that time was that the then chief executive Vaughan Lindsey and trustees of Dartington Hall Trust were at best agnostic about the college.
The culture at the trust was highly commercial, centralising and corporate. Indeed it was suggested to me by the CEO that the Schumacher name be dropped. DHT in my view was overextended running too many ‘enterprises’ from shops, to the arts, the social justice research team, the farm and the college. The radical education ethos, so central to the early Dartington experiment had been replaced by the financial bottom line.
Following the decision to close the College of Arts at Dartington, the CEO and trustees were keen for me to move Schumacher College to the asbestos ridden buildings at Higher Close. The Schumacher faculty, students and alumni were opposed, as was I. It took two stressful years to convince the trustees to reverse that decision and allow us to stay at the Old Postern campus.
My business plan was to grow student numbers at the Old Postern campus and thus our income streams. In those days the college had only one post grad course, together with an excellent short course programme. We set up teams, in partnership with others such as the Centre for Alternative Technology, who began designing new post grad and certificate courses around new economics, rural community development, sustainable food production and eco design. This required additional buildings which we secured and improved, together with raising hundreds of thousands of pounds from alumni supporters to restore the Old Postern building.
It was clear to me that simply remaining a programme of DHT was becoming increasingly costly for the college. By then we were not only breaking even financially but also being required to cross subsidise the shops at the cider press which were making a loss for DHT. Our rent was doubled by DHT along with other highly expensive central service charge costs. These were not easy years for the college. morale was low in light of the likely move to Higher Close. But more significantly the coalition government’s policies with regards to reducing the number of visas for international students was impacting upon the college’s budget.
The college faculty rose to the challenge superbly, despite some opposing my expansion strategy. I explored moving part of the college to Sharpham, with a warm reception from its board and with the support of the then chair of the DHT trustees, and frankly I wish we had done that. The college management team and international advisory board also discussed going independent from DHT.
In 2011 I became ill and then took early retirement. Had I been able to stay, I would have negotiated agreement with DHT that the college become independent and I am surprised that this decision was not taken years ago. Schumacher college has much to thank DHT for. Its vision supporting Satish’s proposal for a college in Schumacher’s name, together with not inconsiderable financial investment. But there is a time when philanthropic foundations need to let such start up initiatives float free. The college has a huge international reputation and I have no doubt that those now seeking independence from Dartington will be able to find an alternative location, together with new opportunities, for example expanding the on-line open learning programmes which we first introduced in 2010. Where there is a will, there is a way. Don’t agonise, organise. There has never been more need.
One must applaud the sentiments and aspirations of Schumacher College to continue its aims of providing study, at both foundation and higher level accreditation, in the field of environmental, ecological and sustainable education, as an independent entity. What is missing from the statement are the fine details of how Schumacher can achieve this now that DHT will apparently no longer provide financial subsidies.
What are Schumachers plans re course costs, student numbers, staff costings, day to day running costs, etc. To build and maintain public support Schumacher needs to provide hard facts about the current financial situation and about future plans and prospects in order to get those of us who want Schumacher to continue to as a world leading provider of environmental education fully behind the cause and who want to help make the case for Schumacher’s survival.
Dear Satish Kumar, I want our College to continue. I am an Alumnus of Gaia and the Evolution of Consciousness. How lovely to meet you. Grandfather RR Diwakarji, you knew and met, was a Freedom fighter, political prisoner with the Mahatma. I support your work and want to join you. I am now in DETENTION, by a missing/ hiding brother, and have a 3rd party attacking me for being a woman with her own home. And Power syndrome of backward Thinkers. I am solitaire which irks them. I am denied employment, even Honorary work, cleaning persons or workmen. A LAW suit has no meaning here. May not give Justice in my lifetime. I can work for you from here.
Bangalore. India
+91 9742002959
Diwakardeepti0@gmail.com
233a 18th cross SADASHIVNAGAR Bangalore 560080
All my love to you and our College.
Ms. Deepti A Diwakar