City, University of London, is to rename its business school after the 18th century statistician, philosopher and Presbyterian minister Thomas Bayes, ending a 20-year association with slavery-tainted Sir John Cass.

 

The new title, Bayes Business School, was decided through consultations with staff, students and alumni, launched after City dropped its Cass association last July in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the US and the Black Lives Matter protests. The school has in the interim been The Business School (Formerly Cass).

 

In addition to being an MP and philanthropist, Cass was in the early 18th century a prominent member of the Royal African Company, which traded enslaved people on the west coast of the continent.

 

Bayes, whose theorem provided a simple way of calculating how likely a certain hypothesis is given some observed evidence, is buried in Bunhill Fields graveyard, close to the City campus.

 

However, his alma mater was the University of Edinburgh. It used the name for a research centre connected to its informatics department, which opened in 2018, but the Scottish university said there was no objection to a second Bayes branding.

 

Professor Paolo Volpin, Dean of the Business School (formerly Cass), said: “In Bayes Business School, we believe we now have a name that reflects who we are and the values we hold.  Even though Bayes lived a long time ago, his ideas and his name are very much connected to the future rather than the past.

 

“More than 8,000 staff, Business School students and alumni contributed to the consultation process to help us find our new name. We are very grateful for their passionate contribution. We have listened to all of our stakeholders carefully and taken their concerns seriously.

 

“I am proud of the new name and the steps we are taking to build a truly inclusive environment for all of our students, staff and alumni.”

 

Julia Palca, Chair of City’s Council said: “The Bayes theorem matters for our Business School – we are located in the heart of a financial centre, a tech centre and one of the great cosmopolitan cities of the world.

 

“His ideas remind us that we want our Bayes Business School students to become business leaders who can think clearly about the uncertain future we face.

 

“Continued use of Sir John Cass’s name would have honoured someone whose wealth was augmented from the exploitation of slavery, which is wholly incompatible with our values of diversity and inclusion.” 

 

Professor Sir Paul Curran, President, City, University of London, said: “The renaming of the Business School marks the start of a new chapter in City’s history, but certainly not the end of our work to address racial inequality.

 

“Last summer, City embarked on a review of historic sources of funding to learn lessons from the past. We have been listening to our community and are pursuing actions to ensure that City is a diverse and inclusive place to work and study.

 

“These actions go beyond simply changing a name and are intended to improve our curriculum and the lives of our University community.”

 

The University has committed to addressing issues surrounding inequality and opportunity, particularly around race and ethnicity. 

City has committed to funding five PhD scholarships for Black British students each year (one for each of City’s five Schools, including the Business School) and further details will be announced shortly. 

 

Other important work at City has included applying for Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter status, continuing to address the Degree Awarding Gap, and working in partnership with students and our Students’ Union to address issues of underrepresentation.

 

The Business School will also launch a significant scholarship programme for Black UK-domiciled undergraduate students to improve underrepresentation within the School. This programme will run for ten years from 2022/23 and offer ten scholarships per year, covering all tuition fees and an annual stipend.

 

The Business School has established a Diversity and Inclusion Council to cover all aspects of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work. It has also formed a Racial Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group, comprising students, faculty, professional staff and alumni from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME*) backgrounds, who are working to improve student and staff progression and experience.  

 

Significant work is also underway at the Business School to further embed ethical and socially responsible values into the curriculum. The School’s aim is to develop responsible business leaders who will build a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future.-- Tradearabia News Service