The UCU has called for the suspension of Cardiff University’s two most senior academics.
The University and College Union (UCU) has called on the Learned Society of Wales (LSW) to suspend the fellowships awarded to vice-chancellor Professor Wendy Larner and deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Damian Walford Davies.
This comes as the university is set to cut 400 jobs and numerous courses as it faces a £30 million deficit.
In a statement addressed to the LSW, the UCU said: “Prof Larner and Prof Damian Walford Davies have put forward proposals to cut 400 academic staff across Cardiff University and completely close research and degree courses in five disciplines, including music, modern languages, nursing, ancient history and religion and theology.
“While Higher Education finances are under immense pressure, Cardiff UCU [is] clear that these cuts are unnecessarily brutal. The proposals are already having a catastrophic effect on the reputation of the institution and of wider Wales as a place of learning, while applications to study these subjects at Cardiff are evaporating.”
The spokesperson then added that the UCU branch calls on LSW to “immediately suspend the Fellowships of Profs Larner and Walford Davies”, further writing: “If the society genuinely upholds the pursuit of knowledge in Wales and is committed to addressing challenges both locally and globally, it cannot, in good conscience, include among its fellows those who have revealed themselves to be the foremost adversaries of learning in Wales.”
In response to this call by the UCU, the Learned Society of Wales responded by saying: “LSW believes the case and recommendations in the statement we put out in response to the Cardiff University announcement is, at this point in time, the best way of trying to ensure that Cardiff University maintains its strong role as an anchor institution for the city and within Wales’ social, economic and cultural life.”
A reply which the UCU has deemed “quite tepid” compared to other learned societies’ statements.
The union has recently led multiple protests against the proposed cuts at the university and outside of the Senedd. UCU members also “voted overwhelmingly” in favour of holding a vote of no confidence in the VC’s leadership in early February.
The Society also issued a statement of its own, which said: “As Wales’ National Academy, the Learned Society of Wales has been increasingly concerned that Welsh universities are operating within a difficult financial context. Economic strain, the impacts of immigration policy on international student numbers, and Brexit have all contributed to this UK-wide crisis.”
LSW asks Cardiff University, which is currently undergoing a 90 day consultation period in relation to its proposed cuts, “that the consultation is transparent and seeks to mitigate the worst of the possible impacts.”
It outlines that its first concern is with “individual staff at the university” who should know the “full basis for decisions that affect their livelihoods” for which the LSW expects Cardiff University to provide evidence and data.
The statement continues by detailing the impacts of the proposed closure of five schools at the university, including nursing, modern languages, music, ancient history and religion and theology, saying that “any reduction to these degree subjects would undermine economic potential and social cohesion for the whole of Wales.
“Wales’ higher education institutions play a vital role as anchor institutions in their communities…We call on Cardiff University’s management to join us in doing all we can to strengthen and sustain that role.”
Cardiff’s vice-chancellor, Wendy Larner said: “I want to stress that these are proposals and our final plans will be shaped by our community – both internal and external – through formal consultation. The scale of the challenge will remain, but the way that we address it will certainly be refined and developed over the next 90 days.”
