‘Please think again’: fury over Exeter University plan to scrap dozens of humanities posts

Leading writers, broadcasters, academics and theologians have thrown their weight behind a campaign to save 150 jobs at the University of Exeter , amid growing outrage at a sector-wide hollowing out of the humanities. In excess of 21,000 people – and counting – have signed a petition railing against the proposed redundancies at Exeter, which are expected to disproportionately fall on the humanities, arts and social sciences for which the highly ranked Russell Group university is famed. According to the University and College Union (UCU), courses including history, English, modern languages and politics will suffer “irreparable damage”, with proposed cuts on the university’s Falmouth campus also putting environmental sciences at risk. Multiple universities across the country are making severe cuts due to financial difficulties – including Goldsmiths, Nottingham and Sussex – but the UCU says there is no financial need to force through cuts of this scale at Exeter, where the annual report for 2024/5 describes “a year of continued financial stability”. A meeting on Wednesday of almost 700 Exeter UCU members voted unanimously in favour of a ballot for industrial action. The mood was described as “febrile and mutinous” but also “positive and hopeful”. …