Prof Davies defends "undesirable" way staff learnt of proposed cuts

About 100 members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) attended an emergency meeting at the campus on Wednesday.

They condemned new vice-chancellor Professor Richard B Davies for the way the proposals were announced.

The students' union has also voted to oppose the changes and are likely to join lecturers in a demonstration on the main campus at 1400 GMT on Friday.

The AUT claimed the media was informed of the plan to phase out the sociology, anthropology, school of development studies, chemistry and philosophy departments before many of the lecturers.

The vice-chancellor acknowledges that it was undesirable for some members of the affected departments to learn about the proposals from the media Swansea University

Howard Moss, of the AUT, told BBC News Online that talks with Mr Davies prior to Wednesday's meeting had made "some progress" but his members decided to pass the motion calling for resignations.

The university said the proposed changes - would allow the remaining departments to focus on gaining a name for themselves in research, and would create 75 new posts and will have a full consultation process.

But Andrew Morgan, president of the university's 450-strong AUT branch, said the way the announcement was made - as the ruling council was discussing the issue - had left staff feeling stunned.

He said: "This wholly unnecessary and premature announcement will stop people applying for courses, it is also a threat to the standing of the courses.

"This approach suggests that Professor Davies wants to side-step all the formal committee structure."

Departments to go include chemistry, philosophy and sociology

The Lecturers' Association is also fighting the plans.

Chairman Mark Blagrove described the feeling at Wednesday's meeting as one of "extreme anger".

He said there was particular concern that local and mature students would lose out as sociology and philosophy were popular among those returning to study.

A spokeswoman for the university said there had been "extensive" consultation on the plans since October last year.

'Confidentiality'

In a statement the university said: "The vice-chancellor expected robust debate as this is a radical restructuring proposal.

"He also fully understands the robust reaction.

"Inevitably academics will always defend their academic discipline, but these are positive plans for the greater good of the whole university.

"The vice-chancellor acknowledges that it was undesirable for some members of the affected departments to learn about the outline restructuring proposals from the media.

"It would have been difficult to maintain confidentiality while such a dialogue took place and there is a management imperative to ensure balanced media treatment of the proposals."