Latest news with #WendyLarner
ITV News
27-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Cardiff University set to scale down music and languages degrees but scrap two others
Cardiff University has announced it plans to close its ancient history and religion and theology degrees, and scale down its music and modern languages courses. The university announced plans to make 400 staff – around 7% of the workforce – redundant and reduce a number of degree courses, initially including nursing, in January, with that number then reduced to a proposed 286 in April, after a number of staff had already opted for voluntary redundancy. In an update sent to staff on Tuesday, Cardiff University's vice-chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner, said it now proposes to retain its offerings of modern languages and music research and education but with revised structures and a smaller staff base, within a new School of Global Humanities. That new school would continue to offer undergraduate and postgraduate music degree programmes, but with revised entry targets and content, while also continuing its offering of modern languages programmes, but to smaller cohorts and primarily in French, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese. But degrees in ancient history, and religion and theology, would come to an end after students enrolling this September for 2025-26 complete their courses. Professor Larner said: "Having considered the case very carefully, we have decided not to revisit the proposal to cease named single and joint honours degrees in ancient history, and religion and theology. I do understand that this will be very disappointing news for all academics who are deeply committed to these disciplines. "We will of course continue to offer our current set of degree programmes for 2025-26 and are committed to teaching all students entering next September until the completion of their degree in these subjects." Addressing staff, the vice-chancellor acknowledged the "anxiety that the Academic Future project has created for many of you, and I hope that today's announcement brings some reassurance. There is much work yet to be done to realise the ambitions of this new School, and I hope you will feel able to play a part in this." Professor Larner added that the new School of Global Humanities would seek to expand the university's translation degree provision, continue to offer Languages for All "with the languages offered there shaped by student demand", and develop a "new suite of degree programmes to fulfil the ambitions of the new School – challenge-oriented, inclusive, co-created and committed to advancing the Public Humanities agenda". The new proposal will now be put to University Council on 17 June for its approval. In April, the university announced that an 'alternative proposal' had been put forward which would see the university retain adult, child and mental health nursing, with a smaller number of undergraduates being recruited.
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
More Cardiff University staff told jobs are no longer at risk but 650 remain under threat
More Cardiff University staff told jobs are no longer at risk but 650 remain under threat Cardiff University Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said she realised many staff would still be worried. A total of 133 staff have taken redundancy, voluntary severance or left since widescale cuts were announced in January Professor Wendy Larner is vice-chancellor of Cardiff University (Image: Jared Gray ) Cardiff University has issued an update on redundancies with 650 staff still under threat of losing their jobs. Since widescale cuts were announced in January a total of 133 staff have taken redundancy, voluntary severance or left, Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said in a message to staff this morning. The initial plan to cut 400 full time equivalent posts now stands at 138 as a result of people leaving, taking redundancy and changes in departments being agreed. Staff in the schools of healthcare sciences, medicine, biosciences, English, communications and philosophy, whose jobs were at risk, have been told this morning that their jobs are now safe and their departments are no longer threatened with redundancies. The university had already agreed earlier this month not to make any compulsory redundancies before the end of the 2025 calendar year as part of a deal which saw the threat of strike action and a marking boycott by University and College Union (UCU) members lifted. The threat of shutting the school of nursing was also lifted. In her message to staff today, Professor Larner acknowledged the last three months had been a "really difficult time for many colleagues". She said she did not "underestimate the distress and worry that continues to be experienced by our community as we address our academic and financial sustainability." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . The university has said it faces a deficit of £31m+. Like other institutions it said it had been hit by pressures including rising costs and a drop in numbers of higher paying international students. Article continues below Professor Larner said the university had now been able to remove the schools of healthcare sciences, medicine, biosciences, and English, communications and philosophy out of the scope of the cuts consultation. This was thanks to a combination of the number of staff in those schools taking voluntary redundancy or leaving and the university's acceptance of alternative proposals submitted by staff. "Removing these schools from scope means that the number of staff in the 'at risk' pool has now reduced to 650. We have also made significant progress in reducing the academic FTE (full-time equivalent) target we had set," she said. "We had initially proposed a target of 400 FTE. I am able to confirm we are now seeking to reduce FTE by 138. That reduction will take place over a number of years." Professor Larner explained that the number of jobs being shed had changed during the cuts consultation for a number of reasons. The university accepted alternative proposals which would see schools teaching higher numbers of students than in the original proposals – for example, chemistry will retain the BSc medicinal chemistry degree, mathematics will create a new programme, and the university will continue to offer nursing - that means the need to keep more staff in those departments. The alternative proposal to keep the school of nursing open meant lowering the number of job cuts by 40, for example. However, staff and unions have pointed out that many staff had already left the school of nursing when it was initially earmarked for closure. The university's controversial plan to open a campus in Kazakhstan in September has meant staff will be needed there which has also reduced the target of FTE job cuts by 34. The Vice Chancellor said she appreciated that many people were still in scope of potential redundancy and worried about the threat of losing their jobs: "I know that this offers little comfort for those of you whose roles remain at risk. We have, of course, now committed to no compulsory redundancies in 2025, and reconfirmed that compulsory redundancies will only ever be an action of last resort in future years. "We are continuing to review the schools that remain in the 'in scope' pool with a view to removing as many staff as possible from this pool. " The UCU has been approached for comment. Article continues below
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Investigation shows Welsh universities sharing information with police
Universities in Wales have been sharing information with police about protests, talks, and prayer vigils on campus, including sharing images and videos of protesters, an investigation has found. Staff from Cardiff University contacted police to confirm the names of any staff or students who had been arrested saying the university wanted to "support [any] bail conditions," and "consider any potential implications for [visa] sponsorship" for a foreign member of staff. The information, obtained via an investigation by Sky News and Liberty Investigates, details of which have been shared with WalesOnline, show what one union claims is a "worsening crackdown on free speech". Reporters submitted a series of FOI requests to all UK universities, including eight in Wales, showing police and universities sharing information about protests, talks, and prayer vigils on campus and including sharing images and videos of protesters and fliers advertising events. Ten students and staff at Cardiff University have been subjected to disciplinary investigations in connection with activism. The investigations into seven students and three staff is one of the highest numbers in the UK, the Liberty and Sky News investigation says. Since the freedom of information request totalling 10, two more students are also understood to have been investigated. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. The investigation found Cardiff University asked officers for details of staff and students who had been arrested at off-campus protests. Staff then sent police an Instagram post that it believed showed individuals breaching their bail conditions, asking if information was "hopefully useful" and then whether police intended to take "further action" if the post showed students in breach of bail conditions imposed after their arrest at an off-campus protest last June. The police officer responded: "Thanks for this, I'll do a comparison to some custody mugshots." Cardiff vice-chancellor Wendy Larner told staff last October the university was 'developing a new procedure relating to the right for peaceful and lawful process [sic],' according to internal documents seen by reporters. The university, in its response, denied there was any crackdown on free speech. "We reject the allegation that there is a 'worsening crackdown' on free speech and students' right to lawful protest. We respect our students' right to lawful and peaceful protest whilst remaining conscious of the need to minimise the impact and disruption to others. We are committed to engaging in open and constructive dialogue with our students, and their student representatives, on a variety of issues including Gaza." Asked if sharing the Instagram post with police was appropriate, as it could have led to the re-arrest of its students, the response from the university was: "The post was a public post made on a public-facing Instagram account. We do occasionally share publicly-available information with the police, and other authorities, to help protect the safety of everyone in our university community. Bail conditions are a matter for an individual to consider and observe." It also said it was "finalising guidance" about protests "so that legal and peaceful protest can continue to be supported at the university and provides clarity on behaviours which are unacceptable". The investigation found: In February campus security shared with officers details of two planned protests posted about on student Instagram accounts In April, a few weeks after Israel's killing of Iran's military commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi, officers asked for the number of Iranian students at Cardiff to assess the number '[they] may need to support/be vulnerable or [if] conflict escalates' In May, after students set up a protest encampment, staff were apparently anxious about how to respond to pro-Palestinian activism On May 9 one Cardiff staff member emailed another, saying: 'Lots of issues coming up of non-students/staff speakers turning up and talking in ways which are not within university policies and causing a range of problems" Staff also sought officers' advice on the use of the contested phrases: "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free" and the word "intifada". Critics say the former phrase calls for the destruction of Israel while proponents say it is simply a call for Palestinians to have equal rights. The word intifada, meaning to 'shake off' in Arabic, has been used to describe two sustained periods of Palestinian uprisings in the late 1980s and early 2000s. The investigation also discovered police and security kept tabs on individual protesters via Instagram, noting that a main organiser posted in May that he was "heading to Egypt". Nizar 'Neezo' Dahan, a prominent non-student campaigner from Swansea who at the time was distributing aid to displaced Gazans in Cairo, believes this refers to him. The following month, on June 3, he was arrested at an off-campus demonstration in Cardiff prompting a group of protesters – including students – to rally at Cardiff Bay Police Station for his release. Eighteen people, including Neezo, have since been charged in connection with the protests for a range of alleged offences including public order and obstructing the highway. Email disclosures show how on June 5, two days after the protest, Cardiff University asked the police to confirm the identities of any students among the arrestees as they wished to "support [any] bail conditions" as well as a foreign staff member so that they could "consider any potential implications for [visa] sponsorship". Officers did so and provided bail conditions. One of those was to not associate with co-accused and "not to be in a group numbering more than five persons in any public place". Three weeks later university staff then emailed the force with suspicions students were breaching their bail conditions, which could lead to them being rearrested. The University of South Wales received an email from officers containing a photo of two canvassers, asking: "Are you familiar with them or could assist with information/intelligence that could lead us to identifying them?" However it is not clear how the university replied based on the heavily redacted email exchanges The University of South Wales disclosed two email exchanges while Cardiff released 144 pages of correspondence, offering a glimpse into what the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) has described as a 'cosy' relationship between police and campus security at several institutes. On January 28 South Wales Police emailed four Welsh universities seeking to "improve channels of intelligence-sharing', saying it had already 'set up a channel of dialogue [...] at the University of South Wales, which is proving successful in sharing information and tackling threat, risk, and harm on the university campus". It is, however, unclear how the universities included in the email – Cardiff, Cardiff Met, Swansea, and Trinity St David – replied as none have disclosed their responses to the police's proposition. Bangor University admitted to holding two meetings with officers – one in May and another in August – to discuss pro-Palestine protest activity on its campus but gave no details about what was discussed. Aberystwyth, Cardiff Met, Trinity St David, and Wrexham – said they held no emails with police. Two – Swansea and Bangor – refused to provide some or all of the requested information citing law enforcement concerns. The University College Union (UCU) said: "Universities should stand up for free speech and academic freedom yet instead we are now seeing evidence of a worsening crackdown on free speech as universities discipline staff and students for peacefully protesting against genocide. Rather than trying to clamp down on legitimate protest Universities UK, the AUCSO, and university vice-chancellors should be working with staff and students and ensuring institutions divest from weapons manufacturers and others profiteering off the misery Israel is inflicting upon Gaza." A statement from South Wales Police said: "South Wales Police supports the right for people to make their voices heard through protest providing it is done lawfully. Decisions about how to police protests requires consideration of complex and often competing rights and issues. "We strive to strike a balance in our policing approach and take measures to ensure that the rights of all parties are respected and upheld. However we will act against anyone who breaks the law whether this is at the time of the offence or retrospectively. South Wales Police is open to dialogue and collaboration with advocacy groups to address any concerns about the policing of protest activity and ensure that policing practices reflect the values of fairness, equality, and justice."
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Cardiff University job losses deeply concerning, says Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens
Potential job losses at Cardiff University are 'deeply concerning', Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens told the Commons. The university has blamed a funding shortfall for its proposals to cut 400 full-time roles and close a number of degree programmes, including nursing and music. Professor Wendy Larner, vice-chancellor of the university, said it was 'no longer an option' to continue as it was without taking difficult decisions. The potential job losses at Cardiff University are deeply concerning and I know they will come as a significant blow to university staff and their families Jo Stevens During Wales questions, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts described the situation as an 'education disaster' and called on the Government to scrap its plan to increase national insurance for employers. Cardiff University is currently reporting a £31.2 million operational deficit, with proposed changes expected to reduce the total workforce by 7%. The MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd said: 'This week, of course, it is growth for Heathrow but decline for Welsh universities. 'Cardiff University in the Secretary of State's home city is axing 400 full-time jobs due to a funding crisis. ' Nursing, music and modern language degrees are on the chopping block. 'This is an education disaster playing out in real time. 'Will the Government scrap national insurance hikes to ease the strain on universities?' Ms Stevens replied: 'The potential job losses at Cardiff University are deeply concerning and I know they will come as a significant blow to university staff and their families. 'I hope sufficient volunteers through a voluntary redundancy programme will come forward and be achieved in order to avoid any compulsory redundancies, and that support will be provided to those impacted. 'What she will know is for the last 14 years the Conservative policies have seen our universities sector across the United Kingdom decimated.' Subjects and programmes in ancient history, modern languages and translation, music, nursing, and religion and theology could be closed as a result of the job cuts. The university said it would use compulsory redundancy only if absolutely necessary. Our new strategy, co-created with our community, lays out an ambitious future for our university where it is collaborative, innovative, and delivering value for Cardiff, Wales and the wider world Professor Wendy Larner, Cardiff University Prof Larner said: 'We know here at Cardiff University that it is no longer an option for us to continue as we are. 'Our new strategy, co-created with our community, lays out an ambitious future for our university where it is collaborative, innovative, and delivering value for Cardiff, Wales and the wider world. 'Securing that future, in the context of tightening finances, means we need to take difficult decisions to realise our ambitions to enhance our education and research, and improve the staff and student experience.' The Russell Group university is launching a formal consultation on the proposed changes, which will run for three months, with final plans expected to be considered by the University Council in June. Chair of the Welsh affairs committee Ruth Jones MP said: 'This news is very concerning. For Wales to thrive, its universities need to survive and every job cut impedes that mission. It is not only academics and students who will suffer from these cuts, but the wider community in south Wales. 'But Cardiff is just one of the universities facing severe financial pressures. Without certainty for the future, including on long-term funding and the number of international and UK students, there is a risk that this problem could spread further. Is today's news a canary in the coal mine? 'I encourage the UK Government to investigate how it can work with the university sector to provide much-needed long-term security and will ask the Welsh First Minister when she next appears before our committee how her Government can take its own action.' Elsewhere in Wales questions, shadow Welsh secretary Mims Davies said 'two vital and much-needed Wales-wide inquiries' should be established by the Welsh Government – one on grooming gangs and another on Betsi Cadwaladr health board. 'The party opposite have a woman problem and a justice problem,' she added. Ms Stevens replied: 'It's a bit rich coming from (Ms Davies) when her government, former Conservative governments, decimated the Ministry of Justice budget, crown court delays, victims waiting years for crown court trials, all under her watch. 'We are protecting women and girls in Wales, where the Tories failed to do so.'
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Cardiff University 400 job cuts 'threaten supply of nurses'
Job cuts at Cardiff University "threaten the supply of nursing" in Welsh health boards, a union leader has university has confirmed plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid a funding shortfall, with proposals involving course closures, and department mergers, with nursing, music and modern languages among the subjects facing Whyley, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the proposals were "worrying." Lecturers have begun receiving letters advising them their post is at risk and offering links to support - although the university has said it would only make compulsory redundancies "if absolutely necessary". Ms Whyley said the university has a "significant pipeline" in delivering nurses to health boards in south Wales. "The Welsh government through Health Education Improvement Wales commissions nursing education and funds the universities to do that, and it's one of our largest providers," she said. "It has a school of well over 1,000 students so that's a significant number that come out every year. "At a time where we have a significant number of nursing vacancies, it doesn't take a mathematician to work out the students that come through Cardiff University are a very important contribution into that pipeline," she said. Ms Whyley said the cuts would also have an impact on the future of nursing added that hospitals in Wales were short of 2,000 nurses and while the number was starting to decrease "hospitals are still in a very difficult position". Following Tuesday's announcement, Cardiff lecturers began receiving letters from the university informing them of the planned read in part: "Please see attached a copy of your notification of consultation letter advising that your post is at risk of redundancy and providing links to support available for you during this time of change. Also attached are the proposals for change in your school."On Tuesday Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said the university would have become "untenable" without drastic said the job role cuts were only a proposal, but insisted the university had to "take difficult decisions" amid declining international student applications and increasing cost pressures, and most UK universities were grappling with a "broken" funding system. Elsewhere, Swansea University said it will have to make £30m of cuts by the 2026/27 financial year despite more than 300 staff members leaving since September 2023. The university's annual report, published this week, said it had made £8.5m in savings through voluntary redundancies in this financial they stated they will extend their current financial savings programme for a further year and increased the level of expenditure savings by £30 University told Newyddion S4C: "Even taking the additional savings required into account, we are confident that we will meet our academic pay savings targets this year through vacancy management and our Voluntary Exit Scheme (VES) and can avoid compulsory redundancies relating to our financial position."Plaid Cymru education spokesperson Cefin Campbell said the news of Cardiff job cuts was met with "deafening silence" by the Welsh government. He challenged the Welsh government to explain "what they knew and when" about Cardiff's plans and called on the university to urgently rethink its proposals.A Welsh government spokesperson said it was "very disappointed that nursing courses form part of these proposals" and that it was "working urgently" to ensure the same number of nurses were trained in Wales.A statement shared by Cardiff University Student Union president Madison Hutchinson said: "We want to express our unwavering support with all students, and solidarity to staff who may be impacted."
