Arts ‘in firing line’ as crisis-hit UEA axes more than 100 jobs

The University of East Anglia has confirmed plans to axe more than 100 jobs as it attempts to navigate its way out of financial crisis, with the arts and humanities thought to be bearing the brunt of academic cuts.

In January, UEA announced plans to make staff redundant and to cut departmental budgets after reporting a £13.9 million deficit, which was projected to triple over three years.

The university has now confirmed where the cuts will be targeted, saying that in order to “secure UEA’s future financial stability”, the institution needs to make £30 million in savings by September.

In addition to those leaving via voluntary severance, the university is proposing to cut 113 jobs – 77 in professional services and 36 in academic posts.

“Teams from across our faculties have been briefed on the specific cost-saving proposals for their areas, including any proposed staff reductions. At this time, it is important that we work with those colleagues and teams directly impacted first,” a spokeswoman said.

“The aim is to achieve proposed staff reductions through a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme and redeployment opportunities. The university has been very clear that compulsory redundancies remain a last resort. We are committed to supporting the impacted members of staff during this challenging time.”

UEA academics writing on social media reported that 31 of the 36 academic redundancies would be in the arts and humanities.

Will Rossiter, associate professor in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, was critical of the proposed cuts.

“It’s a good job UEA is not primarily renowned and internationally celebrated for its work in arts and humanities, otherwise this would look like one of the most profound acts of institutional self-harm on record,” he tweeted.

Responding to this, the university spokeswoman said that all subject areas in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities “will be maintained” and that scholars “will continue to be supported to produce internationally excellent, creative and innovative research both within and across disciplines”.

UEA has blamed its woes on falling student numbers, the tuition fee freeze, a higher-than-average dropout rate and the rise in energy costs.

But staff have complained of funds being wasted on failed projects and questioned why UEA seems to be suffering so much more than other similar institutions.

David Richardson resigned as vice-chancellor with immediate effect in February, being replaced the following month by former University of Greenwich vice-chancellor David Maguire.

The institution has postponed staff pay rises for 11 months in a bid to save money.

Writing on Twitter, the University and College Union branch at UEA said it was a “tragic day”.

Anne-Marie Angelo, a lecturer at the University of Sussex, posted on Twitter that university managers such as those at UEA were “ruining the future for students and the wider British public”.

“It’s devastating on an individual and collective level, and it’s also a complete mismanagement of government funds and student fees that leads to this,” she said.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com