Adapting to stay relevant in the next decade(s) will be much trickier if we lose these disciplines' expertise. We can already track that loss over a decade across the 4 UK nations at undergraduate level. Next month, the BA releases cognate staff data. Perhaps it's time to have a strategic think. 2/2

NEW on Wonkhe: Contraction of modern languages provision is often painted as a response to falling demand. For Ana de Medeiros and Marcela Cazzoli, if you look across the whole education system then HE starts to look like part of the solution buff.ly/P73cQqH

Significant drop in post-PhD employment in research or lecturing 15 months after award of doctorate: figure was 49% for 2018-19 graduates but fell to 41% for 2022-23 graduates. For physical sciences, the figures dropped from 43% to 33%. 1/2 giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

DfE unveils £6 million centres in ‘deliberate shift’ on research www.timeshighereducation.com/news/dfe-unv...

King’s College London to merge with Cranfield University www.timeshighereducation.com/news/kings-c...

committees.parliament.uk/publications.... You know there is a big issue when a government report chooses this as a title: "Higher Education and Funding: Threat of Insolvency and International Students"

Until 2018 Tories always had 8,000+ councillors. Totally dominant in English local gov't. Reform's POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE act depends on not being seen as a far-right Tory imprint. Because same 8.000 seats just split between Tory and I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Tory is not an earthquake. It's a big fart.

One notable difference between the UK Physics community’s response to funding cuts and the UK humanities community’s response to closures and cuts is that the former engages directly with government (and gains responses, even if not always the desired ones). The latter much less so.

It’s remarkable in this day and age to hear a politician anywhere say the following: “Support for a diverse, rigorous and accessible body of historical scholarship should be a much greater priority for democratic governments even at a time of stretched budgets.“

NEW on Wonkhe: The latest Institute of Student Employers’ data suggests that artificial intelligence will reshape graduate employment rather than eliminate it. Stephen Isherwood walks us through it buff.ly/JmrdTlk

One aim of the Society on BlueSky is to highlight organisations and opportunities that support historians and the humanities. One to promote is @britishacademy.bsky.social's UK-wide Early Career Researcher Network bit.ly/4f2H3tF which offers training, funding, peer support and events #Skystorians

A full house tonight with @liambyrnemp.bsky.social, @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social, @samfr.bsky.social, Dr Roberto Foa & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social exploring why populist movements are making significant gains across many Western democracies. 📺 Watch live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP3h...

It's not a political party. It's an engine of enrichment for greedy millionaire white men. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Delighted to advertise this full-time permanent post - Lecturer in Latin Language Education - We have an excellent team and amazing students - please do share with potential candidates: www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/145126-...

For all of the whining about the triple lock the reality remains that British state pensions are both less generous and accordingly more ’affordable’ than most peer nations. Which is why the triple lock was brought in in the first place.

'The first step is to get some historical perspective.' Always a salutary first step! The next steps are wise too. 1/2

Only the #BBC does this. 📺 #CBeebies' Tiny Tunes launches on National #BSL Day The brand-new show is the first CBeebies programme to feature deaf children on screen, alongside deaf adults. Available now on #BBCiPlayer You can read more here 👇🏻

The University of Dundee is set to make further annual cuts of ~£20 million. #UKHE #AcademicSky

"She coined the term ‘intersectionality’ and helped to develop critical race theory, now her life’s work is under attack by Washington’s war on ‘woke’." www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

Here is a summary of my reflections on how structured student voice recordings could offer a practical way for language teachers to gather authentic evidence of understanding in the age of AI. www.linkedin.com/pulse/could-...

Lessons from the US. Et tu, UK?

Languages and culture go together so well!: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... The Green Party has won a Kent County Council by-election, which was called after the serving Reform councillor was jailed.

"The issue is the system, not the subject.” Professor Charles Forsdick FBA on higher education funding cuts hitting language courses hardest and the wider risks to skills, research and opportunity in Times Higher Education: bit.ly/4tFzJbD

UK job cuts hit English and modern languages staff hardest www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-job-...

"Long-form OA cannot rely on unfunded mandates or publication fees that many institutions cannot afford." Prof Lindsey Farmer FBA reflects on new British Academy commissioned research on green open access for THE: https://bit.ly/4t1EcWh

'The jump in refusal rates compared to previous quarters for applicants from Pakistan and Nigeria is particularly pronounced, and both Bangladesh and Ghana are concerningly high as well.' 1/2

'The UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences, the British Academy, has called for a joined-up strategy, a sustainable financial model and meaningful engagement with authors when it comes to developing long-form open access (OA).' Link to the report in next post. 1/2

'Essex is a cautionary tale of how a vision which began in the 1960s became turbocharged in the 2010s, only to burn out so disastrously in the 2020s. It’s a story that will feel uncomfortably familiar to anyone who knows the other universities wrestling with the same contradictions.' 1/2

'Almost 40% of people come to the classes through the workplace, where uptake is particularly strong in the NHS and the police. There has also been a huge increase in younger people learning Welsh, with the number of learners aged 16 to 24 up 56% in 2024-25 compared with the previous year.'

🗞️ Fresh from the press! The latest Circle U. Gazette highlights a wide range of offers across our alliance 🎓 Joint Master's now open!  🌿 Offers: Inclusivity, Sustainability & Innovation 🤝 Join a Community of Practice  💡 Insights: AI & Research tools 📩 Subscribe here 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/kfamdvyfus

Japan's association to #HorizonEurope is a tailwind for forming new research consortia. During a full-house seminar at the EU Delegation on 26 March, key stakeholders in 🇪🇺🇯🇵 research collaboration strongly encouraged entities on both sides to take action!

We’re deeply concerned by Essex’s plans to cut Italian, German, Portuguese, all Chinese Translation & Interpreting PGT programmes, and Languages for All. Read the open letter (docs.google.com/document/d/1...) and sign in solidarity: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

A Guerra Colonial levou “fantasmas” e a “morte concreta” à obra de Lobo Antunes www.publico.pt/2026/03/05/c...

There’s a lot to hate about AI. But what if there was a mindful way to use it?