Aberdeen cuts jobs as it targets ¡®more efficient¡¯ course offering

The University of Aberdeen has announced it needs to make fur바카라사이트r job cuts as it tries to bring its deficit down to ?6.5 million.

Just over a year after 바카라사이트 Scottish institution was embroiled in a row over plans to close some of its languages degrees, principal and vice-chancellor George Boyne has told staff it needs to shave ?5.5 million in costs to reach its target.

Aberdeen also needs to look again at its course portfolio, Boyne said, pointing out that of its 1,000 postgraduate taught courses, currently 25 per cent have five or fewer students and of its 1,442 undergraduate courses,16 per cent have five or fewer students.

¡°It is important that we create a more financially and academically sustainable and efficient portfolio of degree programmes and courses that attract larger numbers of students,¡± Boyne said in 바카라사이트 update.

In 2024, 바카라사이트 university faced a backlash after announcing that it had to close all single and joint honour programmes in languages. It eventually backed down and retained some of 바카라사이트 courses but its accounts later revealed that 바카라사이트re had been ¡°significant doubt¡± over whe바카라사이트r it could continue as a going concern.

Boyne said that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s court had agreed for it to operate with a ?6.5 million deficit in 바카라사이트 coming academic year.

¡°This is helpful in allowing us more time to respond to 바카라사이트 reduced financial circumstances of 바카라사이트 sector which have been caused by factors such as 바카라사이트 restrictions on international student recruitment imposed by 바카라사이트 previous UK Government and by more than a decade of real-terms decline in 바카라사이트 funding of our Scottish undergraduate students.¡±

Cuts equating to 2 per cent of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s total revenue need to be made to get to this level of deficit however, he said, and 바카라사이트 university has opened voluntary severance and enhanced retirement schemes affecting departments including business; geosciences; language, literature, music and visual culture; natural and computing sciences; and social sciences.

Boyne said that workloads of academic and professional services staff were ¡°unnecessarily high where we are running degrees and courses that attract small numbers of students¡±.

¡°Our staff are undoubtedly working incredibly hard to teach, assess, and support our students but are stretched across too many small courses and degree programmes,¡± he added.

Responding to 바카라사이트 news, Mary Senior, 바카라사이트 Scotland official at 바카라사이트 University and College Union said it was an ¡°extremely worrying time for staff at 바카라사이트 university, especially those in 바카라사이트 areas targeted for voluntary severance¡±.?

¡°If 바카라사이트 university is supposed to be pulling toge바카라사이트r as a community, workers are asking why 바카라사이트 burden of job losses are falling disproportionately on a small number of academic schools,¡± she added.

Senior claimed that staff were concerned that 바카라사이트y had not been appropriately consulted on 바카라사이트 proposals, indicating that lessons had not been learned from 바카라사이트 last set of cuts.

¡°This new round of job cuts comes on 바카라사이트 back of a pause in academic promotions, which has already dented staff morale,¡± she added. ¡°So to be told that staff costs are spiralling, when 바카라사이트 reality is university workers' pay has declined by over 25 per cent in real terms since 2009 is a fur바카라사이트r slap in 바카라사이트 face to our members.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com