I might be mistaken, being relatively new to the area, but isn't this similar to how the School of History, Classics, and Archaeology at Edinburgh was born - with similar reductions/closing of the university's main archaeology unit? Is this the start of a new trend in the UK?
Edit: I was thinking of this appeal written by Harding in 2002: http://dwharding.com/index.php?option=co...30e279ca8d
Edit: I was thinking of this appeal written by Harding in 2002: http://dwharding.com/index.php?option=co...30e279ca8d