The University of Swansea is threatening to close its chemistry department. The news has shocked Swansea staff, who had no idea of the fate awaiting them and who had been celebrating the opening of a new teaching lab on the day that the announcement was made.

On 26 January, Swansea's new vice chancellor, Richard Davies, called a 'special council meeting' and disclosed his plans for restructuring, which include 'redirecting resources from subjects with declining student demand to those with buoyant demand'. Chemistry is one of four departments earmarked for closure; the departments are currently in a consultation period and their fate will be decided at the end of March.

In a statement, Davies said: 'Areas to be phased out will be allowed to shrink naturally; there will be no compulsory redundancies in these areas and students currently on these courses will not be affected. It is emphasised that these decisions are not a reflection on the staff. All universities have from time to time to adjust their courses to changing patterns of student demand'.

Keith Smith, head of the chemistry department at Swansea, described the news as 'very sad'. He had known nothing of the department's possible closure until he was called in to the vice chancellor's office on 26 January. When Chemistry World spoke to him, he was still feeling 'shell-shocked'. Everything had been looking 'very positive', he said: student recruitment was 'buoyant', the department had raised its research assessment exercise rating from 3a to 4, and it was in the process of appointing two new members of staff. 

Smith said that he had been told that he can continue to recruit undergraduate students, but voiced his concerns that, given the threatened closure, 'a lot of students will not feel like coming here'. He is currently compiling departmental statistics in an attempt to fight the department's case. 

Tony Ashmore, RSC registrar, said that he was 'dismayed that despite buoyant student numbers, recruitment of new staff and improved research ratings, the Swansea department is threatened with closure'. He praised the department for its 'history of making an enormous extra-curricular contribution to chemistry', including activities with the RSC's education division. 

Swansea also plans to 'phase out' the departments of sociology, anthropology and philosophy and the Centre for Development Studies. 

Emma Davies