Students on the brink of Huddersfield University exit over course cuts and job losses

Students at Huddersfield University are said to be considering leaving following the recent news of job cuts and courses being axed.

A group of second year students at Huddersfield University have shared their fears for the future in an open letter to the vice-chancellor Professor Bob Cryan following the announcement of 198 job losses.

The letter has been sent by a number of second year students of geography and environmental and analytical science. It has been reported that at least 12 courses are expected to be cut, among them geography, sociology, and maths.

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The open letter says: “We strongly oppose the planned closure of our courses and the compulsory redundancies, and treatment, of our lecturers. We also stand with other courses, staff and students that are affected by these changes. We are disappointed at the lack of communication and consultation with students regarding the changes being made to our courses.”

The students said that some people found out about proposals in the news, causing students a “great deal of anxiety and stress.”

They described the loss of lecturers from their degree course as ‘highly distressing’. “It is a great shame to lose out on the knowledge, guidance, and support of our lecturers, which we have been incredibly grateful for over the past two years,” the letter added.

“Some students were hoping to work on final year research projects that align with their specialized expertise, but will no longer have this opportunity, since they are being forced to take their skills elsewhere.

“Some of us are considering transferring to another University to complete the remainder of our studies, which is not a decision we take lightly, but is potentially a better option than staying on a course we feel is being treated as unimportant and disposable. This feeling is only compounded by the multi-million-pound investments we see in the new National Health Innovation Campus, and a range of other projects over the next decade, which has, until now, felt like something to be proud of as a part of the University.

“It is now difficult to feel this way when we are impacted by course closures and redundancies. We have also heard that first years will be unable to complete a placement year. This is incredibly unfair and highly disruptive to their studies. They too may feel forced to transfer to another University or simply miss out by not having the option in the first place.”

The students claimed that the decision to ‘end the course’ was ‘short-sighted’.

The letter added: “The School of Applied Sciences has also shown it is committed to Equality, Inclusion and Diversity by achieving the Athena Swan Silver award in 2023. We therefore believe these closures waste the University’s unique position to tackle issues of gender imbalance within geosciences .

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“For some of our students, particularly those from working class backgrounds, the first-generation in their families to attend University, and who financially could not move away to study, it is especially frustrating to see these courses closed down.

“We are certain other students from similarly disadvantaged backgrounds will suffer by not having the same opportunity to go to University, and study key courses like Geography and Environmental Sciences.

“We hope you will agree to meet with us to discuss our concerns further. We would like to talk to those responsible for the decisions currently being made. Decisions that directly impact us, our lecturers, and deprive future students of the opportunities we have had .

YorkshireLive has approached Huddersfield University to comment on the students’ open letter.

Last month a Huddersfield University spokesperson said the university sector had been affected by a financial crisis caused by rising staff costs and a decline in international student enrollments. The spokesman said the job cuts represented a reduction of 12 percent in the workforce and would ensure financial sustainability.