Major university announces cuts to jobs and degrees
Macquarie University is set to axe more than 50 academic jobs in a proposed restructure that the Tertiary Education Union says will cut degrees in archaeology, music and ancient languages.
Staff were told via videoconference on Tuesday afternoon about the 'workforce realignment' proposal for the arts and science faculties, which the university says will save it $15 million a year. The plan is to cut course offerings with low enrolments so that the institution can focus on areas of demand.
The union says the arts faculty faces 42 job losses while the science and engineering faculty has 33 staff facing redundancies – a total of 75. University management quantified the figure as between 50 and 60.
Staff say the reduced academic offering poses a reputational risk to the university and follows years of belt-tightening, which led to larger class sizes.
Macquarie is the latest in a string of universities across NSW to retrench staff, with the University of Technology and Western Sydney University both planning to dump 400 employees. The University of Wollongong has plans to axe up to 270 positions.
The job cuts come as mid-tier universities brace for reduced income from the international student market after Education Minister Jason Clare instructed immigration bureaucrats to deliberately slow the processing of visa applications once an institution reaches 80 per cent of a designated enrolment cap.
The restructuring at Macquarie is part of a broader plan that its management says will bolster long-term sustainability.
'Universities in Western democracies are facing a range of external pressures and Australia is no exception. Accordingly, we are acting with a clear vision and a strong sense of responsibility to ensure our education and research remain relevant, impactful and sustainable,' vice chancellor Professor S. Bruce Dowton said.
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