Too hard, too fast? One in three campuses now making redundancies

The current model clearly is unsustainable. There is the fact that universities lose money on every UK undergraduate -- which is supposed to be the core function of a local university. In addition, Brexit has run a bulldozer through research funding -- another core function. If you take a university where 60% or more of their students are imposing a loss on the institution and a core part of the remainder is under further pressure it is a prescription for disaster. Add to that the fact that universities have loaded up on non-revenue generating bureaucracy and you have the business model and management from hell. It also turns the few parts of the university that can make enough to cover the losses into revenue generating low quality hamster wheels.

The paradox is that most of the cuts are focussed on the areas where universities lose least because delivery costs are relatively low. If a university is seriously looking to save, it would be focussing on medicine, chemistry, engineering and the like. Many STEM areas also struggle with UK recruitment but have been cross-subsidised from SSH student fees.

We need to slash excess bureaucracy in UK Universities - senior management teams breed like rabbits and generate no revenue. The senior management are often incompetent and detached from teaching and research. Indeed many are either failed academics or just in it for an easy time and getting high pay for doing very little. The bureaucracy in UK universities is out of control and most academics are fed up paying for it with real term pay cuts and ever increasing workloads.

Not all universities make changes due to financial constraints. Queen Mary University of London is in a strong financial position and we continue to strategically invest in our world-leading research (14th in the world for quality according to the latest THE World University Rankings) and education, with the overall number of staff across our University continuing to increase. As with all organisations, over time we flex our resource to align with the demands of future students and to deliver leading research to address the ever-changing challenges facing society. We have a strong record in supporting the creative, cultural and communications industries and we will continue to adapt to ensure our education and research continues to support these vital and growing sectors, both nationally and internationally.

Robert (above) spot on. Other factors are involved but after reading your contribution, felt you had identified a major parasitic drain in resource. Sadly, I don't see situation changing anytime soon. This pattern of paying for gangs of deadbeat wetwipes to squander resource appears to be very well established not just in UKHE but throughout the whole Western liberalish enterprise. I could weep and often do.

A major issue is that actually this is about the future is now! We need to consider not solely STEM, but STEAM with an hyperconnected, integrated & algorithmic dependent world - it about thinking holistically & as a polymath... It is about contributing both to the socio-economic activity strategy at local, regional, national and international levels - it is shortsighted solely viewing from purely a pounds & pence perspective. This is an investment in where we are & where we go next? It is about looking at HE & research holistically, not having it separated across more than 1 government department. This is about not just the ability to survive, but the ABILITY TO THRIVE!