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Asunto: Petition to save Geometry & Topology in the VU University Amsterdam

De: "Gary Gruenhage" <gary@topology.auburn.edu>
Fecha: Mar, 26 de Abril de 2011, 6:48 pm
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Dear Colleague,

Today I received the following very disturbing news from Jan van Mill.
There is a plan to eliminate geometry and topology at VU University
Amsterdam! See Jan's email below for details. If this happens, it will
be a serious blow to our field. Please, please, help put a stop to this
by clicking on the following link and signing the petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-pure-mathematics-at-the-vu-university-
amsterdam.html

Thank you, and best regards,

Gary Gruenhage

>>> "Mill, J. van" <j.van.mill@vu.nl> 4/26/2011 10:43 AM >>>

Dear Gary,

The university (VU University Amsterdam) has put forward a plan to close
the Geometry Section of the department of mathematics. This means that 4
mathematicians, among them Jan Dijkstra, will lose their jobs. For me
personally there is no problem since I will take early retirement by
January 1, 2012. This I decided already more than one year ago since I
want to spend my remaining good years on mathematics and nothing but
mathematics and traveling around the globe. But for my colleagues, this is
a terrible disaster. You can help them by signing the petition below by
clicking on the link and follow the necessary steps. Jan Dijkstra told me
that you have a list of topologists, probably because of topology
proceeding? Please forward this message to all topologists on that list.
We need your help now. Only if many mathematicians will protest, this may
have an effect.
Best wishes,
Jan
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-pure-mathematics-at-the-vu-university-
amsterdam.html

As with most universities in the Netherlands, the VU University Amsterdam

suffers from financial underfunding. All faculties and all departments at
the VU are asked to take measures to deal with this problem. For the
Department of Mathematics a committee of applied mathematicians has put
forward a proposal to close the Geometry Section, which consists of six
tenured positions and focuses on algebraic K-theory, algebraic topology,
and general/geometric topology. At the same time, some of the funds freed
up by the abolition of the Geometry Section are to be used for the
creation of two additional positions in the Analysis Section. This
proposal has received the endorsement of the Dean of the Faculty of
Sciences and of the Executive Board of the university. Two members of the
Geometry Section will retire in the next two years and closure of the
section will allow for termination of the other four tenured positions.
Thus, the proposal's drastic measures will merely cut the total number of
positions by two.

Of the four positions slated for termination, one is in general/geometric

topology and has been held since 2001 by Jan Dijkstra. The other three
people were appointed less than four years ago: Dietrich Notbohm, Rob de
Jeu, and Tilman Bauer. This introduced algebraic K-theory and algebraic
topology as new research subjects at the VU. In 2010, a research
evaluation of all Dutch mathematics departments by an international
committee took place. The committee welcomed these changes very much,
stating that strong young people provided new impetus to the group in
mainstream mathematics and offered promise for the future.

What are the consequences of the closure of the Geometry Section for the
university? Algebra, algebraic topology, and general/geometric topology
will vanish. Algebraic K-theory and general/geometric topology will cease
to exist in the Netherlands, and only Utrecht will be left with research
in algebraic topology. No pure mathematicians will be on the staff
anymore. The university will give up central areas of mathematics and
adopt a narrow research profile. The education of students offered at the
VU will also become much narrower, which may lead to a drop in the yearly
intake of students, and will certainly compromise the academic chances for
VU graduates.

This petition asks for a reconsideration of this plan. By signing it you

will help to save the Geometry Section at the Department of Mathematics at
the VU!

Petition:

I appeal to the Department of Mathematics, the Faculty of Sciences, and

the Executive Board of the VU University Amsterdam to repeal the plan to
close the Geometry Section. Proceeding with the proposal as it stands
would severely damage the quality of research and teaching in mathematics
at the VU. Laying off capable tenured faculty and hiring new faculty at
the same time is intolerable.