Earlier today, the University of Nottingham released plans to suspend targeted music and language courses. On top of that, they’re now suggesting cutting nursing programs in half. This move is particularly striking given the fact that the school is facing growing enrollment, FEMM and a university level financial crisis. The council is expected to finalize these proposals later this month. This suspension of courses will begin on November 10.
In addition to the suspension of music courses, the university is exploring ways to retain parts of its language center, indicating a commitment to preserving some elements of its language offerings despite the broader cuts. The university spokesperson stated, “Ahead of these proposals being put forward to the university’s council later this month, we have taken the decision to suspend a small number of courses where demand is low or where they are not meeting the benchmark against a number of other criteria.”
Through all of these retrenchment measures, the University of Nottingham continues to show its commitment to educating the health workforce. The university reaffirmed its dedication to the training of physicians, nurses, midwives and other health professionals in support of the region’s health. The spokesperson emphasized, “We will do everything we can to minimise the impact on students to ensure they meet their learning outcome.”
Faculty and staff at the ivory tower have made their opposition known to the proposed reform. Andreas Bieler, vice president of the University and College Union (UCU) at Nottingham, said staff were “not shocked” by the announcement. He stressed that if new undergraduate programs were put on hold, it would lead to possible layoffs down the line. “If you [suspend] undergraduate programmes, then redundancies are on the cards very clearly,” he remarked.
Bieler opposed the decision to eliminate modern language courses, saying it pulls at the heart of what made the university global and attractive. “Our university prides itself as a global university, but by cutting all modern language programmes they’re turning it into the University of Little England,” he said.
The university has recently welcomed an anticipated rise in tuition fees for domestic students. It’s recently announced plans to introduce an international student levy in England too. The administration has pledged to help students in those impacted programs. They want to make sure that nobody misses out on finishing up their degree because of a lapse in support.
The UCU branch at the University of Nottingham has already shown its willingness to challenge the closures with industrial action. These debates over proposed course suspensions illustrate a larger trend within higher education today. Many institutions are under extreme financial pressure that is forcing these painful choices.
