Change the Higher Education funding model. No other sector of such quality, economic heft & foundational national significance, would be left to rot the way Universities are.

"The Univ. of Hertfordshire has decided to close all eight Humanities undergraduate programmes in English Language and Linguistics, English Literature, Creative Writing, History and Philosophy.... PLEASE sign this petition to support staff and students in Humanities" www.change.org/p/save-the-h...

The Brexit tribes and disastrous referendum design: part two Probably the largest group among the general public were the nostalgists, who saw 1970s Britain in halcyon terms, a paradise on earth ruined by joining the EEC northeastbylines.co.uk/news/brexit/...

Unlike management's race to the bottom, this 69-page alternative proposal shows how a functioning, thriving & secure university is possible. This is what happens when principled, intelligent people, who genuinely care about HE put their amazing minds together. Well done @uonucu.bsky.social

I love this. Unmute.

The much anticipated inaugural issue of @globalsouthls.bsky.social has published! Here’s to many more. Read the opening editorial here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... @tandfresearch.bsky.social

This is surely bollocks. As someone who is quite used to uni finance systems, I don’t believe for the first minute that they don’t have a detail code for consultancy in their accounting systems.

I… er… never mind…

Three quarters of universities in deficit, tens of thousands of jobs being lost, & the government tells us there’s no money. They can, however, find close to the entire budget allocation for teaching from the Office for Students on a private theme park.

'“Only 57% of graduates are in full-time work 15 months after graduation. Readers are presumably expected to assume that the remaining 43 per cent are...on benefits...in reality a further 36 per cent were in further study and/or work, volunteering, travelling, caring for others or retired.' 3/3

'For the time being at least, we have notionally centre-left governments across England, Scotland and Wales. And I don’t think it would be especially unfair to argue that none of those governments appear to have a clue about what to do with their higher education systems.' 1/3

"Applications are open for a programme to support early-career scholars working in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria or Iraq to publish an academic article in an international journal in the discipline of translation studies. " www.monabaker.org/2026/05/13/c...

Last week on Wonkhe: Higher education institutions are still reluctant to discuss class, and how it plays out in academic careers. For Jamie Tully and Hazel Mycroft, it’s time to start talking

Assistant Professor in English Dublin City University Permanent Expertise in Children’s Literature is essential. Proven experience lecturing in 19th-century literature, Modernism, and Postmodernism. universityvacancies.com/dublin-city-...

Calling all PGRs and ECRs: three more weeks to submit to the BSLS/JLS essay prize! All entries receive feedback from the judging panel. www.bsls.ac.uk/2025/04/call...

Hey Bluesky folks. If you’re in education or just follow for my thirst traps, would you please sign this if you can, and share far and wide? c.org/dCKk9vjqxY It’s much appreciated. My university is cancelling all UG humanities degrees. We need support and love right now x

BREAKING: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property in cash shortly after receiving a £5m personal gift from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne, according to property records seen by Sky News.

Nottingham job cuts ‘pose systemic risks to research’, union warns. Research-intensive university told it risks “intellectual stagnation” as 2,700 staff put at risk of redundancy. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

NEW on Wonkhe: What the Education Committee said about higher education funding buff.ly/0iZwQwC

Early bird registration for the BAMS/ MSA conference closes in 3 days on May 15! This is also your last chance to register for a seminar/ workshop at the conference. See link below!

Book is finally out! Published with @umasspress.bsky.social 'The Image and the Fire" uses a #BlackStudies methodology to elucidate how Poundian Imagism, the Harlem Renaissance & the Black Arts Movements are in dialogue with each other. www.umasspress.com/978162534950...

We’re very pleased to share news of this research fellowship position, working with our wonderful CECS / English Literature colleague Prof Mary Fairclough @maryfairclough.bsky.social on the collected works of Mary Wollstonecraft: 🔗 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRL782/r...

There's little point in doing well at government metrics. You will get closed anyway. Only the surplus/ deficit line after your contribution to the university's core matters. Even large-scale external funding is only a marginal factor.

The way that the decisions have been communicated by senior management to colleagues has lacked transparency and care. Humanities colleagues have not seen any of the metrics used for the decision process, nor been asked for any input. There is no timeline set other than 'as soon as possible'

'A spokesperson said that the “difficult decision” had been made to suspend recruitment to undergraduate courses in history, philosophy, English literature, linguistics and creative writing due to sustained low student recruitment and declining demand'. 1/3

AI's most spectacular inaccuracy about one of my books remains this effort from Musk's Grokipedia. (I have indeed written a book called 'Like a Fiery Elephant', but it's a biography of the experimental novelist B S Johnson.)

France launches one-euro university meals for all students

Read this: epic waste on consultants by uni VCs, superbly critiqued by @gsoh31.bsky.social. We need a positive substitute to this "hawking". There's a gaping gulf between uni practice + real research on the "Big Con" by @rosiecollington.bsky.social[email protected] www.ft.com/content/5032...

Modernists, come to the BAMS/MSA conference at Loughborough in July! Sign up to a seminar on New Materialism, Editing, and Book History. moderniststudies.org//conference/...

Feeling this one very very personally.

We're a new network of and for people interested in Global South literatures. Follow us and stay tuned for future events and opportunities starting this summer!

'The number of English language and literature academics fell by 8 per cent to 4,680 – among the largest decrease of all disciplines. And the number employed in modern languages dropped 7 per cent to 4,890. This is 17 per cent below peak levels in 2015-16.' 1/3

Number of academics working in UK university English departments fell by 8% last year, with number of modern languages staff down 7% www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-job-... via @patrickjack.bsky.social

'The University of Leicester is to close its film studies and modern languages degree courses to new students.' 'The university has confirmed the courses would cease, but declined to comment on the number of prospective students affected, saying the figure was "commercially sensitive".' 1/2

NEW on Wonkhe: Universities serve purposes beyond market demands. Jim Dickinson asks if the pendulum between planning and markets is about to swing back - and what that should mean to protect student interests bit.ly/3XDc1z6

long shot: is anyone out there aware of writing on West African manuscript culture that is *not* in European languages? Or know any scholars working in this area who might be willing to help? #bookhistory

RIP Jurgen Habermas - one of the five major social theorists of the past 60 years. Much to learn from his work. Many gaps, some errors, but he was so rigorous that he inspired some of the best simultaneously dissenting and generative thought of any postwar academic.

Every hospital in England has been urged to disobey an NHS directive to use software operated by controversial US analytics software company Palantir www.bmj.com/content/392/...

He has been prepared for deposition. Rules are: Take time/waste time. Give as little as possible in replies. Concede nothing. Offer nothing; read slowly. Ie what looks dumb is letter of the law compliance that is typical for being deposed. He may also be dumb/ignorant. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The NY Times writes about DOGE and their assault on the NEH... USING CHATGPT TO DECIDE WHETHER A GRANT WAS DOING WOKE DEI. Just appalling. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/a...

Really excellent interview with tech journalist Graham Lovelace about the current situation regarding copyright law and generative AI’s illegal scraping of published books — posted by @alcs.co.uk www.alcs.co.uk/news/the-ai-...

In which people CHOOSE TO VOTE for a female plumber representing a party with broadly liberal values and an unelected life peer declares it to be the end of liberal democracy.

'The number of academics leaving their jobs...[rose] from just over 1,500 in 2023 to just over 2,800 in 2025. Across the three-year period, there were nearly 9,600 confirmed redundancies across the institutions, with more than 6,300 reported to be on academic contracts.' Fixed term excluded. 2/3

'Research Professional News made FOI requests to all 24 members of the Russell Group and 10 members of the ResearchPlus mission group of universities.' 24 institutions responded: their redundancies increased from just over 2,200 in the 2023 calendar year to nearly 4,400 in 2025. 1/3

We are looking for review essays! You can see some of our selected titles at the post below. Get in contact with our review editors @heyitsdenisew.bsky.social and @olihaslam.bsky.social to request some or for further info

This could be the greatest film review I've come across. Tremendous youtu.be/DTyUni8dbkE?... #melania