Northumbria University the latest to draw back on language provision

As you say, this is a scandal. Ranked no 1 for student satisfaction, and equipping students for employment in local industries begging for graduates with excellent language skills, this department enjoyed the support of past and present students as well as local schools, with whom they carried out valuable outreach activities. The staff cared deeply about their subjects and their students, and have now been scattered to various different departments to see out their days. Very sad and quite wrong-headed in the light of Britain's need for graduates with language skills, not to mention Northumbria's supposed commitment to internationalisation. I speak as a fellow languages academic from a different institution who recognises the value of what we have lost.

The Vice Chancellor, Andrew Wathey, has coedited a book on Medieval French: that he has escaped a mention in this article speaks volumes about the intellectual and moral poverty of UK Vice-Chancellors, too eager to slavishly cut in order to receive their knighthoods, and incapable of defending their staff. He has, however, regularly raised his own salary.