“Doing nothing is not an option,” according to the embattled vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham as the institution embarks on another major restructure which could see more than 600 people leave.
After cutting 350 professional services staff posts last year, Nottingham is now looking to make a further 608 full-time job cuts, one of the largest university restructures seen in the current wave of redundancies. This comes after it reported an £85 million deficit in its most recent financial accounts – up from £17 million the year before.
Staff at the institution have been told that the cuts will be made gradually until 2030, subject to consultation with unions. The university said it would run out of money by 2031 if a major intervention was not made now.
Speaking to Times Higher Education, Jane Norman, who has led the university on a permanent basis since January 2025, acknowledged the scale of the cuts and said that the impact on staff is “at the forefront” of her mind.
“I absolutely understand the scale of this change is never easy, and front and centre of my mind is the impact on staff around this. I know it’s a really difficult time for staff and [we’re] absolutely committed to being as transparent as we can with them, making sure staff have as much support as they possibly can.”
