‘Please think again’: fury over Exeter University plan to scrap dozens of humanities posts

More than 21,000 people have signed a petition against proposed redundancies at the University of Exeter. Photograph: geogphotos/Alamy View image in fullscreen More than 21,000 people have signed a petition against proposed redundancies at the University of Exeter. Photograph: geogphotos/Alamy ‘Please think again’: fury over Exeter University plan to scrap dozens of humanities posts Rowan Williams and Mark Kermode join campaign against proposed cuts for arts and social sciences Leading writers, broadcasters, academics and theologians have thrown their weight behind a campaign to save 150 jobs at the University of Exeter , amid growing outrage at a sector-wide hollowing out of the humanities. In excess of 21,000 people – and counting – have signed a petition railing against the proposed redundancies at Exeter, which are expected to disproportionately fall on the humanities, arts and social sciences for which the highly ranked Russell Group university is famed. According to the University and College Union (UCU), courses including history, English, modern languages and politics will suffer “irreparable damage”, with proposed cuts on the university’s Falmouth campus also putting environmental sciences at risk. Multiple universities across the country are making severe cuts due to financial difficulties – including Goldsmiths, Nottingham and Sussex – but the UCU says there is no financial need to force through cuts of this scale at Exeter, where the annual report for 2024/5 describes “a year of continued financial stability”. A meeting on Wednesday of almost 700 Exeter UCU members voted unanimously in favour of a ballot for industrial action. The mood was described as “febrile and mutinous” but also “positive and hopeful”. Well-known names who have publicly expressed their concern include former Tory MP and host of The Rest is Politics podcast Rory Stewart, film critic Mark Kermode, literary biographer Hermione Lee and former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Williams, who received his first honorary degree from Exeter 25 years ago, told the Guardian: “Everyone knows that the funding of higher education in this country leaves university management with deeply unpalatable choices. “But it is very worrying that arts and humanities, including religious studies, seem so often to be automatically identified as the first and softest targets. “Is the sector really committed to sustaining anything like a full humanistic and cultural education? Because this is not a luxury in a climate of polarised and historically myopic conflict.” View image in fullscreen Former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said humanities, including religious studies, are often ‘identified as the first and softest targets’. Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA Business leaders in the south-west have also warned of the economic impact of cuts on Exeter and the wider region. “Fewer students, and a diminished offer, means real consequences for the trade we all depend on,” they wrote i