Sheffield 'Bibs' Department Under Threat

As reported by Jim West, the Sheffield University Biblical Studies Department is under threat.
Here is the letter I have sent to the Vice Chancellor.
You can email him too at vc@sheffield.ac.uk

Prof. Keith Burnett
Vice-Chancellor
The University of Sheffield

Dear Prof. Burnett,

I am writing to express my dismay at the news that the Sheffield Biblical Studies Department is facing the threat of closure, either total or partial. I owe many things to the 'Bibs' department, ranging from meeting my wife there, to the superb education which I received at the hands of the first class teaching staff.

My three years in the department as an undergraduate fixed the trajectory for my professional career, and I am deeply troubled that young adults may now be denied the unique opportunities that a dedicated Biblical Studies department such as yours offers.

Sheffield University is to be congratulated on its historic innovation in founding and fostering such a department, a decision which has been vindicated innumerable times. The reputation of the department has been consistently high, both in terms of undergraduate teaching and postgraduate research. The field of Biblical Studies, and the wider discipline of theology, owes a debt of gratitude to Sheffield University for this.

With this in mind, I would strongly urge you not to lose this vital and unique department, which continues to offer so much to the worldwide academic community.

Yours sincerely,