The university has been criticised amid proposals to cut nearly 200 job roles and 12 courses this summer following an unresolved financial crisis.
Vice-chancellor Professor Bob Cryan recently confirmed plans for the university to make 189 compulsory redundancies over the course of the summer- an estimated 12% of the workforce. This also includes the cut of 12 courses.
There has been a protest organised by students to take place on the 23rd of May on the Queensgate Campus.
Trade union UNISON, which represents staff, said these decisions as “completely unacceptable” and that such drastic cuts “will be highly damaging to the university, with a negative impact on both staff and students” while also affecting “the performance of the university significantly.”
UNISON believes that “the university needs to consider other options to address the pressures it faces without resorting to these drastic measures.”
This comes as the fifth round of redundancies in the previous four years with a consecutive three years of cuts to the arts and humanities department.
Initially, the university announced a budget deficit for the academic year 23/24 however this was further exacerbated by a decline in enrolments from international students, who pay higher fees.
Chelsea Stevenson, student of youth and community work at the university said “despite the fact I was in my final year of my degree, the uni’s cuts left me with no one to have regular tutorials with” and now questions her desire to pursue a masters if she will be provided with little to no support.
Transport & logistics student Adam Jakubowski was supported in taking a placement year yet returned to “almost no staff” and only one other coursemate with one member in the department making it “a lonely year” for them.
A final year linguistic student fears this will negatively affect the reputation of the university, adding that “there is so much anxiety, stress, and uncertainty” for students.
In response to this, students took to sharing their concerns with the vice-chancellor via an open letter describing the news to be “highly distressing” before explaining that “It is a great shame to lose out on the knowledge, guidance, and support of our lecturers, which we have been incredibly grateful for over the past two years.”
The students described the cuts and redundancies as “unfair” and “highly disruptive” to their studies leading them to “feel forced to transfer to another University or simply miss out by not having the option in the first place.”
In a statement the university said it is committed “to educational excellence remains unwavering as we adapt to these economic realities. Our strategies, while challenging, are essential to continue providing world-class education and research.”