Resolves:

1. To mandate Cardiff University Students’ Union sabbatical officer team to publicly declare a vote of no confidence in Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner’s leadership and decision-making.

2. To demand that the Vice Chancellor reverses the cuts to nursing in particular by 15th April.  

3. To demand meaningful consultation with students, staff, and independent financial experts to develop alternative solutions that protect jobs and academic programs.

4. To actively campaign against these cuts by mobilizing students, organizing demonstrations, working alongside UCU, and pressuring university leadership to reverse these damaging decisions.

5. To stand in absolute solidarity with affected staff and academic departments, recognizing their invaluable contributions to Cardiff University’s excellence and reputation.

6. The Vote of No Confidence will be conditional on if the cuts to nursing are reversed by 15th April.  

Notes:

1. In January 2025, Cardiff University announced plans to cut 400 full-time academic positions—approximately 7% of its total staff—citing a £31.2 million operating deficit for the 2023–24 academic year.

2. The proposed cuts include the discontinuation of vital programs such as ancient history, modern languages and translation, music, nursing, and religion and theology, with the arts and humanities disproportionately affected.

3. Despite holding approximately £500 million in unrestricted reserves, the university has chosen to prioritize staff redundancies and program closures rather than seeking alternative financial solutions.

4. Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner has defended these cuts, claiming that without such drastic measures, the university would become “untenable.”

5. The Cardiff University and College Union (UCU) has condemned the plans as “cruel and unnecessary,” warning of severe consequences for staff, students, and the wider community. 

Believes:

6. The proposed cuts will severely damage the quality, accessibility, and diversity of education at Cardiff University, particularly in the arts and humanities.

7. The decision to eliminate essential programs, such as nursing, poses a direct threat to student opportunities, academic integrity, and crucial public services like healthcare. Cardiff Universities nursing course provides a significant amount  

8. The university’s financial management, including its reliance on staff redundancies despite substantial reserves, demonstrates a fundamental failure of leadership and a disregard for Cardiff University’s long-term mission.

9. The Vice-Chancellor’s approach lacks transparency, democratic accountability, and adequate consultation with students and staff, failing to consider viable alternatives to job losses and program closures.