Hundreds of University of Sussex staff could lose their job

The University of Sussex announced a voluntary redundancy scheme on December 3, which is open to all staff members.

The Argus understands that as many as 300 staff members could lose their jobs.

The university has blamed “sector-wide financial challenges” and the “sharp drop in international students” as reasons for opening the scheme.

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Professor Sasha Roseneil (Image: University of Sussex) Professor Sasha Roseneil, vice-chancellor at the university, said:  “Like many universities across the UK, the University of Sussex is having to make very difficult decisions to address the impact of sector-wide financial challenges.

“The long-term underfunding of higher education, ongoing inflationary pressures, and the sharp drop in international students this year, as a result of the previous government’s policies, mean that our income has fallen significantly.

“We have done everything we can to make savings over the past year. We have significantly reduced non-pay expenditure and made cuts to our planned programme of investment in our estate and infrastructure. 

“Unfortunately, it is now necessary to reduce our costs further in the interests of the long-term financial sustainability of the university.

“We are, therefore, opening a Voluntary Leavers Scheme, to give people the opportunity to leave to the university voluntarily with a good leavers package.   

“This difficult decision will not distract us from ensuring that Sussex’s ambitious, creative and forward-thinking students continue to receive an inspirational and high-quality education, or from supporting our world-leading researchers in their ground-breaking contributions to scientific, social, and cultural understanding.”