Five academics left jobless by a bitter departmental restructure, as their university cut costs while amassing a gigantic surplus, are working again after the neighbouring institution pegged them as an ¡°extraordinary¡± recruitment opportunity.

Curtin University enlisted the former University of Western Australia (UWA) social scientists ¨C a sociologist, a geographer and specialists in Africa, Japan and Korea ¨C to bolster its ¡°One Curtin global dream¡± of transforming four offshore campuses from facilities for teaching foreigners to hubs for research, partnerships and multi-directional mobility.

In an internal email announcing the recruitment, Richard Blythe, Curtin¡¯s pro vice-chancellor of the Faculty of Humanities, said UWA¡¯s decision to ¡°downscale¡± its activities in global studies had put Curtin in ¡°an extraordinary position to step up and become a leader in global engagement in the region¡±.

Two of the five academics, reportedly including UWA¡¯s most highly cited social scientist, were made redundant during an?acrimonious restructure?of their school. Two more took voluntary redundancy after their roles were changed to ¡°teaching focused¡± positions, while a fifth resigned in June.

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

Times Higher Education?unsuccessfully sought comment from the five academics. UWA said it had ¡°no comment to make about a reported internal communication from another organisation¡±.

Professor Blythe said the recruits would complement the ¡°deep knowledge¡± Curtin had cultivated in Asia and the Indian Ocean through its presence in Dubai, Malaysia, Mauritius and Singapore. The additional expertise would help the university ¡°brainstorm¡± ways of engaging ¡°that none of us have thought of before¡±.

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

He said universities had a key role in helping to navigate new ¡°energy futures¡± amid intensifying ideological and geopolitical conflicts. ¡°It¡¯s very important for at least one large university in the west of the country to be on to this and actively engaging with it.¡±

UWA last year said its social science restructure had been necessitated by ¡°unsustainably low¡± enrolments in some areas and an institution-wide ¡°structural deficit¡± of A$40 million (?23 million).

Critics said the university had withheld evidence of the university¡¯s financial problems and overstated the decline in anthropology and sociology enrolments.

A legal challenge by one of the ousted academics was dismissed in November, with the Fair Work Commission??that the university had no obligation to provide data underpinning its decision-making.

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

Months later,??revealed that UWA had more than quadrupled its 2020 surplus to over A$200 million in 2021, mainly thanks to an investment windfall and extra federal funding. In an accompanying report, vice-chancellor Amit Chakma did not mention the financial result but said the university had been forced to prove its ¡°adaptability and flexibility under acute pressures¡±.

Observers have claimed that some Australian universities have discarded more staff than necessary during the pandemic, using Covid as cover to jettison disfavoured disciplines.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com