Cardiff University “has no God-given right to exist”, has been kept afloat by higher paying international students and had no choice but to propose widespread cuts, the chair of its council body has told Senedd Members.
In a spirited defence of the university’s much-criticised savings plan Patrick Younge told a Senedd committee that costs were rising and income dropping and the institution must “live within its means”.
Mr Younge and the university’s vice chancellor Professor Wendy Larner were being grilled by MSs a week before the final proposal goes before the council on June 17.
The university is now looking to shed 69 full-time academic posts with hundreds already gone through voluntary severance since the cuts were announced in January.
The ancient history, religion and theology departments remain earmarked for closure but nursing, modern languages and music will now stay, although they will be smaller, the university had already announced.
“We have managed to keep going through the additional surplus income from international students. The system is at tipping point.
“If you don’t address the fundamentals all Welsh universities will go through this year after year. “Income is not rising, expenses are,” Mr Younge told the children, young people and education committee.
Reminded by MSs that the controversial savings proposal had affected the university’s reputation in and beyond Wales, Mr Younge and Prof Larner said they had no regrets about how they ran and communicated the savings consultation, which has gained attention from high profile stars including Sir Elton John and Harry Styles.
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But they said they did regret that “senior staff” had leaked information to the media. In future any such announcements will be made to the whole university at once, Prof Larner suggested.
On timings the university bosses also told MSs they were advised they could not alert other universities or the Welsh Government that they planned to cut the school of nursing earlier. This was owing to legal reasons for commercial confidentiality.
However the offices of the further education minister Vikki Howells and health minister Jeremy Miles were contacted on January 17, a “conversation” was held with the health minister on January 22.
On January 27 the board of funding body Medr and the Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) also had sight of the plans prior to their public release on January 30, Prof Larner said.
The vice chancellor warned the committee that “financial headwinds” meant the university could not continue in the way it had.
As well as cuts proposed she repeated that the university will now hold offers to applicants “to tariff” and not accept students with lower grades than required.
The new campus in Kazakhstan had already had 186 applications and this would be a new revenue stream, she added.
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They said they were making the cuts and looking at new income to sageguard the university’s future.
They denied a report from the UCU this week that the university had not been supported staff affected by the cuts programme.
The UCU Cardiff branch said its survey showed some staff were left suicidal.
It has reported the institution to the Health and Safety Executive on grounds claiming that staff were not given the help they needed given the scope of ongoing job uncertainty.
In written evidence to the committee Wales’ seven other universites also outlined cuts they have announced, made or are making.
This included 200 job losses announced by Aberystwyth University last year, 200 job losses at Bangor University and 90 at the University of South Wales.
Since the committee asked for this information Cardiff Metropiltan University has also announced job cuts. Swansea University is revising its curriculum.
Only Wrexham and the University of Wales Trinity St David did not post deficits last year. Combined deficits for all eight universities are expected to exceed £70m this year it has already been reported.
All eight universities wrote to the committee outlining rising costs and falling income. Some also criticised the Welsh Government programme Seren which encourages high achievers to apply to Russell Group and elite insitutions at home and abroad.
Cardiff University is the only Russell Group institution in Wales. Some university bosses argue that Wales is, in effect, funding a scheme which takes potential applicants away.
After the committee hearing Cardiff UCU released a statement saying: “In the four months since cuts were announced we have lost 160 expert academics across the university, 400 academics still remain in scope for redundancy, and the plans that they have produced will further devastate the university and
fundamentally risk its future sustainability.
“Under huge pressure from staff, students, and the wider community the university has been forced to U-turn on some of its most damaging proposals.
“But we remain deeply concerned that the ongoing proposed cuts and restructure risks Cardiff University’s future reputation and financial security, as well as its ability to contribute world-leading teaching, research, and professional training to Wales.
“The vice chancellor’s answers to Senedd members today did nothing to alleviate those fears, and in some ways made them worse.”