These are uncertain times for universities. Today’s announcement by the Higher Education Funding Council for England of its recurrent funding allocations for universities for 2010-11 show that more than a quarter will have a real terms cut and over half face a cash cut.
This funding pain follows a decade in which higher education institutions enjoyed year-on-year increases as student numbers grew rapidly. Public spending per student has roughly been held in line with inflation. Now funding reductions are the order of the day.
The unit of spending has been allowed to fall in real terms. A further £600m is due to be cut from higher education, research and science by 2012-13. At the moment, it is not clear where the axe will fall. There are real concerns in the sector that further cuts may be on the way, particularly if there is a second budget after the election this year.
The worst affected institution, the London School of Business (admittedly well-off because of the whacking post-graduate fees it charges), will get a cash cut of 12%. Larger institutions losing out in a big way include the University of Reading (-7.7%), the London School of Economics (-6.3%) and the University of the Arts, London (-4.7%). The reasons include poor performance in research assessment, fewer students and government prioritisation of science and technology subjects.
Some institutions have shown what seems an indecent haste in cutting staff – their biggest asset and biggest expense. University and College Union has to date tallied around 5,000 jobs already axed or under threat, and a further 10,000 which could be lost through spending cuts over the next three years.
Leeds, King’s College, Sussex, Reading, University of the Arts, Birmingham, Bristol, Imperial College, London Metropolitan, Queen’s Belfast and Strathclyde are among those higher education institutions getting rid of staff. But not without opposition.
Students and staff have put employers under strong pressure to rethink and not harm the quality of provision. There have been protests, lobbies and strike ballots - and today at Sussex, a strike and student occupations. With more financial pain on the way, these are sadly turbulent times in the groves of academe.
