In an extraordinary all-staff meeting today, a vote of no confidence in the University of Exeter Vice Chancellor was passed following announcements of compulsory redundancies.

Staff and students at the University of Exeter received communications from Vice Chancellor Lisa Roberts yesterday outlining the reasoning for the redundancies. The message cited the ‘erosion of the real-terms value’ of tuition fees, declining international student intake, and a reduction in government teaching grants as reasons for the cuts. This follows two rounds of voluntary redundancies in 2024 and 2025, in which over 300 staff were lost.

Union responds.

In a public statement, the Exeter branch of the University and Colleges Union (EUCU) stated that ‘the cuts will put over 500 staff – 14% of all teaching staff – at risk of redundancy.’ They also stated that according to the University’s own modelling, the financial deficit will close through other means by 2029, without the need for compulsory redundancies. The job cuts will affect many departments across both the Devon and Cornwall campuses, with the majority of the cuts (85%) targeted at Humanities and Social Sciences teaching staff.  They said:

“A university could run without Senior Management. However, it could not function without the lecturers, postgraduate researchers, admin staff, cleaners, IT an all the other staff members who work in this community.

“Taking huge bonuses whilst gutting the university is finacially irresponsible and morally wrong.”

Roberts is the 12th highest-paid VC in the UK, receiving an annual remuneration package of £392,000 (2024-25). The number of staff members paid a base salary in excess of £100k has doubled since 2019.

Specialisation

The Vice Chancellor stated that alongside financial pressures, “there is a growing drive to push the sector towards greater specialisation. It is also clear the Government wishes universities to focus their research and teaching on areas where they can demonstrate genuine academic strength, as well as on those that align with its industrial and skills strategies.”

Earlier this month, the University of Exeter announced that it had secured £6.4m of Government funding to develop ‘defence-related skills’ opportunities, in line with the skills and workforce plans in the Strategic Defence Review.

The Union Fights back.

A timeline shared with staff details several rounds of consultations in which colleagues will be assessed according to a set of criteria, with notice of compulsory redundancy to be confirmed in the week commencing 28th September.

A petition is being circulated by the EUCU calling on current and former staff, students, members of the community and beyond to support in resisting the redundancies.

Image via: UCU website.