The University of Nottingham’s plans to close its languages courses would leave the East Midlands as a “cold spot” for provision, politicians fear.
Nottingham earlier this year announced wide-ranging plans to cut 600 academic jobs, a move that would also see it suspend courses including languages, music and nursing.
Politicians from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages have told the university’s executive “in the strongest possible terms to reconsider” the plans, in a letter seen by Times Higher Education.
“The University of Nottingham must show leadership as a leading Russell Group university with a strong international remit and Global Engagement strategy to preserve its own reputation,” the politicians, MPs Darren Paffey and Tonia Antoniazzi, as well as Jean Coussins and Stephen Sherbourne from the House of Lords, write.
They add that a counter proposal put forward by the local University and College Union (UCU) branch is “credible, academically robust, and a financially sustainable model that would allow Nottingham University to retain a meaningful modern languages presence while delivering the savings required by the university”.
