To ask you to sign these petitions to try and save Cardiff Uni departments?

[Pantheon]

Nursing

https://www.change.org/p/save-cardiff-university-school-of-nursing

Modern Languages https://www.change.org/p/save-mlang-at-cardiff-university

Music

https://www.change.org/p/save-cardiff-university-school-of-music

Ancient History

https://www.change.org/p/save-cardiff-university-ancient-history-degree

I can't believe the school of nursing is closing in Cardiff, it just always seem like a great big well funded department. Just shows how things can change.

It's a shame that departments are closing but many universities will have to follow the same path. Some departments are simply not financially viable under current funding models.

I'm not sure what else universities can realistically do?

Is there any rationale?

Sorry, not meaning to be harsh, just thinking if you can perhaps summarise the reasoning people might be more likely to engage rather than if they have to research it.

On the face of it I assume they are closing because of lack of funding, but maybe someone could articulate why that is not the case.

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves they are often financially viable and making a profit, but the university wants an even higher profit to be made...

Surprised at the music one as it has always had a good reputation, though don’t know how far the overlap goes with the Royal.

@Seagullsandclouds They're closing them due to a funding crisis - however Cardiff Uni has reserves. They're looking at making 400 people redundant, with more potentially to follow in the spring. There was no prior warning.

Yes YABU.

There's a petitions topic to stop people posting all over the boards.

Well, I haven't seen the accounts. Given the financial difficulties faced by the sector, I can't really see why any university would close a department that was genuinely generating a surplus - it would be utterly counterproductive. I'd be interested to see the numbers.

Signed and shared on my FB page.

@mrsbennetspoornerves I can tell you for certain that it is the case for one of the depts. I don't have insider knowledge on the others.

So why is there a funding crisis if the departments in question are self-funding or even profit-making? If the loss is coming from other departments, then it makes no sense to close the ones that are contributing a surplus.

Or are you saying that they make a surplus before their contribution towards central services is factored in? Chances are, those central services have probably already been cut to the bone, so if the departments at risk can't contribute to a fair share of central costs, then they aren't financially viable.

The university might have substantial reserves but it isn't viable for them to use those reserves to cover their operational costs for any extended period.

Like I say, I would be interested to see the numbers.

Any course that makes even a small surplus after running costs and contributions to central services have been accounted for would be a net contributor to reserves. It literally makes no sense to axe net contributors at a time of financial crisis. I'm not saying this cannot be the case, simply that it seems rather unlikely.

The real problem is that tuition fees for home students haven't kept pace with inflation. Universities have relied too heavily on international students to subsidise the underfunded home students, and now that model is no longer working. Something needs to change at a national level...otherwise, the universities will have no choice but to make cuts.

The sector is in crisis having been perpetually underfunded by the government. Rather than attacking the institutions themselves start petitioning the government to fund higher education properly so that they are not relying on overseas students to subsidise UK students.

I agree!

Eh? some of the closures may well be wrong but I don’t think you should be touting for randomers with no connection to or knowledge of the situation to sign petitions for you.

@theduchessofspork I don't see why not? No one is obliged to sign it. I've signed petitions on all sorts of matters in the past, if I've felt the issue was important.

You sound nice.

I think the world is changing so fast with new technological possibilities and the skills that we need as a society will change as a result. I can see it happening so fast in the sector I work in, AI models are replacing human-run tasks and this creates new job possibilities as well as phases out old ones.

So although sad, it is inevitable that the courses universities offer will need to change although this may be more fast changing than some would like.

I don’t understand why nursing would be shut down for example as that will always require humans, and there is a massive shortage of nurses. Ancient history, although interesting, is maybe more understandable because it is more replaceable by AI.

I also agree! But I think we can also question an institution's decision making.

I mean I get that you're being sarcastic, but what's the problem?

Do you want a Mumsnet where every topic is spammed full of petitions or personal ads etc?

Because that's what happens to every internet forum who doesn't have rules.

In the end they just become totally unusable.

Yea

I also agree! But I think we can also question an institution's decision making.

Nothing at all wrong with wanting transparency. Petitions that any ransomed can sign are not the way to do it though. Go through one of the several recognised unions. Go to any town hall meetings. Questioned SLT. Read the accounts. And understand that reserves means buildings, not cash at bank.

*randomer not ransoms....

Sympathies though - we went through it last year and are still running a deficit.

My DD graduated from Cardiff 3 years ago with a degree in OT. There was talking about the closing the School of Health Care sciences while she was there. They felt it was too vocational