Exeter’s Executive Board Proposes Massive Cuts; Petition Launched

The Executive Board of the University of Exeter has proposed cutting around 150 staff roles, reports the BBC, with with 115 of them in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, according to Times Higher Education. The Exeter University and College Union (EUCU) states that the situation actually puts “500 staff—14% of all academic staff—at risk of compulsory redundancy” and have launched a petition objecting to the plan, which they say represents an “existential threat to humanities and social science disciplines at Exeter.” According to one source, there is a risk that 5 out of 19 philosophy staff will eventually be laid off. The university issued a statement about the cuts, the BBC reports, which says: “We hope to achieve these changes through voluntary measures and will continue working closely with our community and trade unions to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.” It added that while Exeter “remains in a strong position”, rising costs, decline in tuition…