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17.2.11

University to press ahead with cuts despite protest

A LEADING Scottish university is to press ahead with a controversial consultation on a raft of course cuts as part of moves to save £20 million.

The decision by Glasgow University’s ruling court came as more than 2000 students took to the streets to protest over the proposed cuts.

Students and staff from threatened departments marched along streets close to the university, in Glasgow’s west end, before holding a rally in the main quadrangle.

There was a heavy police presence both inside and outside the university – including support from a Strathclyde Police helicopter – but the protest passed off peacefully.

Last week, The Herald revealed the university has drawn up a list of proposed cuts, including the axing of modern languages such as Czech, German, Italian, Russian and Polish.

    The university appears to be removing all links with the community and focusing on a very narrow business model

Other courses facing cuts include nursing, anthropology and social work and the university is seeking a review of its high-profile Centre for Drugs Misuse Research.

The university is also considering cutting back its provision of evening and weekend classes, which cater for up to 5000 adult learners a year.

The proposals from the university’s senior management group are part of a strategy to find £20m in savings by 2012-13.

Yesterday, student protesters expressed their anger at the cuts, which they said would damage the university’s international reputation and restrict choice.

Megan Young, 19, a second-year nursing student, said: “We are all very upset because this is one of the very best courses of its kind in Scotland and cutting it makes absolutely no sense.”

Tom Hargreaves, a 23-year-old student in the final year of a history and German degree, also expressed concern.

“What is galling is the fact that everywhere you look in the business world and across the political spectrum you hear of the need for graduates with language skills, but Glasgow University is doing the opposite. It makes no sense.”

And Stephen Ashe, 30, a Phd sociology student, attacked the threat to anthropology.

“It is absolutely vital the university continues to offer choice to students. They seem to want to shut down critical thought,” he said. The rally was also attended by the award-winning novelist AL Kennedy, who has been invited to stand for the post of university rector.

Attacking moves to cut courses for adult learners, Ms Kennedy said: “The university appears to be removing all links with the wider community and focusing on a very narrow business model that will not help students get jobs in the wider economy.”

However, a spokesman for Glasgow University said the institution was responding in a planned and strategic way to unprecedented financial pressures.

“Our approach is two-fold – to generate more income and to pursue cost-savings,” he said.

“After a senior management group review of all aspects of our work, the university court has agreed to a consultation being carried out into a number of academic areas.

“This is to allow the university to strategically prioritise its activity and to maximise the quality of our teaching and research, so we can continue to be one of the world’s great broad-based research intensive universities.”

Last year, Anton Muscatelli, the university principal, warned that the institution could run out of money by 2013 if they took no action to address cuts in public funding.

In addition to course cuts, the university is seeking to find significant savings through a voluntary severance scheme.

And all non-academic departments such as estates, libraries, student support, human resources, finance and corporate communications will have to find cuts of between 11% and 15%.

Following the consultation, the proposals will be brought back to another meeting of court in May.
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