[Geo4All] Fwd: Closure of Geography Programme at University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus

[Suchith Anand]

Dear colleagues,

I would like to thank you all for the huge support and solidarity for defending Humanities and Social Science. Over 30,000 have signed the petition to stop redundancies at the University of Exeter. Details at https://exeterucu.wordpress.com/sign-the-petition/

The University of Exeter’s finances are strong. We have large cash reserves and we have never had a budget deficit. This ‘crisis’ is manufactured, based on unjustified and unexplained projections. When we ask for the data underpinning the university’s negative modelling for the future, we don’t get a proper answer.

The University of Exeter largely owes its membership of the Russell Group because of its excellent Humanities and Social Science faculty. The cuts proposed by the university management disproportionately affect the Humanities and Social Sciences, where 85% of those placed at risk of compulsory redundancy are based.


I would like to share this information published by the Exeter UCU Branch Committee

“Our finances are strong. We have large cash reserves (£211m at last count) and we have never had a budget deficit. This ‘crisis’ is manufactured, based on unjustified and unexplained projections. When we ask for the data underpinning the university’s negative modelling for the future, we don’t get a proper answer. That’s why we raised a complaint with the Central Arbritration Committee (CAC) back in April – but university management are still stalling.

If the sixteen highest-paid executives had their pay capped at a mere £120,000, the university would save more money than from all the planned cuts to a department like Archaeology & History (14 fte positions: a teaching-related reduction of 28% and representative of the planned reductions right across the faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences).

In fact, there’s plenty of money at this university. It’s just that a lot of it seems to end up in the wrong places – when looked at from the perspective of students and front-line teaching and professional services staff. Those sixteen highest paid executives are part of a group of people on top-tier salaries (over £120,000) that ballooned from 157 in 2021/22 to a frankly extraordinary 404 in 2024/25 (the most recently available accounting year). The Vice-Chancellor’s full remuneration of nearly £400,000 also looks rather questionable.

If one of the concerns being raised by management is that staff costs are now at 58% of income, we need to know how much of that money goes on productive, efficient front-line workers, and how much is being spent on a bloated, failing management structure. We’ve been asking, but we’ve had no answer yet.”


Exeter is a fantastic University, with world class research, creative and inspiring teaching, and a caring, thoughtful and imaginative community of staff and students. Let us keep it that way.

Thanks again to all colleagues from across the world for signing the open letter and petition for defending Humanities and Social Science.

Best wishes

Suchith


> 
> 
> 
>> On 7 Jul 2026, at 23:13, Suchith Anand  wrote:
>> 
>> Dear colleagues
>> 
>> These course closures in Geography and in other departments in humanities and social sciences are being proposed at a time when those areas of study are more urgently needed than ever. They are vital for democratic life, tackling social inequalities, the biodiversity and climate crisis, and understanding the impact of AI on society. 
>> 
>> I am deeply concerned by the proposed redundancies affecting the Humanities and Social Sciences in the University of Exeter. Under these proposals, multiple Humanities and Social Science disciplines, including History, English, Modern Languages and Politics, will be subject to an approximately 25% reduction in staffing. These cuts represent an existential threat to humanities and social science disciplines at Exeter: if they go ahead, student experience will suffer enormously, and both teaching programmes and research culture will be damaged beyond repair. 
>> 
>> These proposals put at risk the livelihoods of colleagues who have made substantial contributions to the University’s research culture, teaching excellence, and international standing. I want to express my solidarity with all colleagues affected by this risk of redundancy.
>> 
>> Please sign the open letter below to defend Humanities and Social Science.
>> 
>> https://exeterucu.wordpress.com/sign-the-petition/
>> 
>> Best wishes
>> 
>> Suchith
>> 
>> Professor Suchith Anand
>> Professor of Practice in Science Policy | Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist | Global Citizen | Science Diplomacy |  SDG Volunteer and Advocate
>> https://spspa.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?username=sa1131
>> https://ethicaldatainitiative.org <https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/>
>> 
>> 
>>> On 7 Jul 2026, at 16:21, Michael Leyshon <0000a31ece10d7ee-dmarc-request at JISCMAIL.AC.UK> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hello Everyone
>>> 
>>> Two weeks ago the University of Exeter notified 500 academics that they are at risk of redundancy. This included all of the staff in the Centre for Geography and Environmental Science based at the Cornwall Campus. The University has decided to close our innovative and interdisciplinary BA/BSc Geography programme with immediate effect. CGES staff are collectively challenging the assumptions upon which this decision was made. As part of this process we have produced an Open Letter which can be accessed here:
>>> 
>>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XlMhMsocEM26gVj8OTCM9Mp46WvJgNqWnBZw0qPemi0/edit?tab=t.0
>>> 
>>> If you feel you could add your name to the letter please follow the link at the top of the document. Your support would be very much appreciated. 
>>> 
>>> With good wishes
>>> Michael
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Head of the Centre for Geography and Environmental Science
>>> University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
>>> 
>>> ########################################################################
>>> 
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> 

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