Gordon Marshall

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Gordon Marshall CBE, FBA is a sociologist and the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Reading in England. He was formerly the Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council and an Official Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. Before joining Nuffield College, he was Professor of Sociology at the University of Bath, and previously taught at the University of Essex and the London School of Economics. He has held a British Academy Senior Research Fellowship and has also been a visiting Professor at several European universities.

Marshall has written extensively in the areas of social class, distributive justice and the culture of economic enterprise. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2000 and awarded a CBE in 2003 for his services to economic and social science.

[edit] Criticism

Gordon Marshall was ultimately responsible for the closure of the University of Reading Music Department in 2004 and Wells Hall in 2006. In both cases reasons of 'economic viability' were cited.^{[citation needed]} Professor Marshall has been criticised amongst his fellow academics and administrators within the University of Reading for treating students as "Sources of Income" and not individuals.^{[citation needed]} Under his direction the University has been dubbed "University of Reading PLC".^{[citation needed]} In October 2006, he was primarily responsible for the closure of the department of Physics again citing "economic viability".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Closures at Reading University

Music – closed 2004
Mechanical engineering – closed 2006
Wells Hall – closed 2006
Geology – closed 2007
Sociology – closed 2008
Physics – closed 2010