Northumbria University to close business and language courses

The university's executive director for academic services emailed impacted staff last week to announce that students accepted onto the programmes will now be unable to enrol and current students will be 'taught out'.

The announcement comes just a month after the university's vice-chancellor told all staff (in an email sent on Wednesday 9 October) 'there are no planned programme closures or redundancies', as part of the ongoing university wide restructure, and committed to maintaining Northumbria 'as a comprehensive university, offering a wide range of disciplines'.

UCU has written to the vice-chancellor and asked why staff in the Northumbria Language Centre were called to a meeting and informed that specific programmes were to be withdrawn with immediate effect and taught out.

UCU regional support official Jon Bryan said: 'The closure of these two key courses flies in the face of commitments the vice-chancellor made to all staff mere weeks ago and raises serious questions over whether we can rely on statements made by management. We are now concerned about what may come down the road. The university must begin consulting with UCU immediately and be open about any further plans.'

UCU branch secretary Andy Feeney said: 'We have written to the vice-chancellor asking to meet. These announcements are demoralising for staff and we are considering the next steps that the union might take.'