Vice Chancellor criticised over use of language in new cuts threat

Martin Shipton

Cardiff University’s vice-chancellor has been criticised for the language she used to describe possible further cuts.

Speaking at a conference organised by Times Higher Education at the University of Bath, Professor Wendy Larner argued that universities needed to rethink how they operate because most could no longer afford to teach using a “scaled-up Oxbridge model”.

She said the British higher education sector still “hadn’t really grappled with” the fact that not every provider needs to follow the example of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

“For me, this is the nub of the issue. We’re still trying to deliver, in this country, a scaled-up Oxbridge model, and we can’t afford it any more. We cannot do it any more.

“This is about the entire operating model needing a rethink, not just our funding mechanisms needing a rethink.”

She said this was behind much of the restructuring at Cardiff University, which has seen significant cuts since the beginning of 2025.

Prof Larner said: “It’s partly why we’ve been doing the controversial work we’ve been doing at Cardiff because I think the challenge is really profound.”

She added that she had asked a team of university college leaders last week to “run their fingers down the list of every programme [and] every single module” to assess where cuts could be made.

“I fully expect us to be doing some house cleaning,” she added.

An academic who contacted Nation.Cymru and asked to remain anonymous said: “The comments about university leaders ‘running fingers down the list of every programme’ to make cuts and then ‘house cleaning’ are an extraordinary way to speak about staff.”

In October, staff at Cardiff University told us they feared that the near-halving of allocated research time for academics would compromise the university’s status as an elite higher education institution.

Cardiff joined the Russell Group in 1998. It is one of 24 UK universities in the group, which also includes Oxford and Cambridge.

Staff told us that changes to Cardiff University’s business model following the widely criticised cuts programme were affecting the university’s research capacity, which they regard as central to its Russell Group status.

Following redundancies and retirements, remaining lecturers are expected to increase their teaching hours, leaving them with less time for research.

Under the changes, the baseline allocation of university-funded research time is being reduced from 600 to 315 hours per academic per year. The traditional workload split was 40% research, 40% teaching and 20% administration. The university says externally funded research time is additional and that further allocations may be available.

Research

The Russell Group’s website highlights the importance of research undertaken by its members, stating: “We are defined by excellence, impact, opportunity and scale. By combining world-class research, innovation and education, our universities are generating prosperity, strengthening national resilience and improving lives across the UK and beyond.

“Through collaboration and advocacy, the Russell Group works to advance and champion the positive economic, societal and cultural contributions of our universities. We seek to create the best conditions for our world-leading universities to maximise their public benefit and impact for the country and the world.

“Our universities share the ambition to change the world for the better. They do this by harnessing academic excellence at scale, through major civic and global partnerships, and with purpose across their research, innovation and education activities.

“They use groundbreaking research to make a difference: turning ideas into jobs, investment and innovative solutions to address the shared challenges we face – from cancer breakthroughs to the UK’s energy security and the cost of living. Located in every region and all 4 nations, they provide high-quality education, training and experience to nurture talent and develop the high-level skills the economy needs, transforming individual lives and creating opportunities for our regions to thrive.

“Globally, Russell Group universities have a reputation for high-quality research and education which generates significant export earnings and attracts inward investment for the UK. As international institutions, they leverage their extensive industry and academic reach to support investment, jobs and vibrant local ecosystems right across the country.”