Blessing Nkama
In an insightful interview with Dr Robin Vandome, an American Intellectual History lecturer, we learn how the university’s rash decision to suspend 48 courses has affected his course, American and Canadian studies, and its broad implications on fellow students and staff.
THE DEPARTMENT REQUESTED MORE DETAILS; HOWEVER, THEY WERE KEPT IN THE DARK.
How did you feel when you first learned that American Studies was being suspended?
Robin recalls how the department first learned that all of its courses were being suspended in October 2024, a drastic move that shocked and angered them. Upon hearing this news, the department requested more details; however, they were kept in the dark. Low undergraduate recruitment was cited as the reason, which he argued was true across many degrees. He accepted it would “take some work to keep American Studies teaching and research sustainable”; however, it did not explain why American Studies was being singled out. “They just tell us you’re going”
This year-long uncertainty has left lecturers fearing redundancy and students confused: ”We feel for our students as well, because they have only got little bits of information about what’s happening, and so, we’ve been angry, stressed and finding it really difficult for over a year now.”
With further course losses announced, he worries the university is “deliberately cutting back a lot of its provision in the arts and humanities”, a move that will negatively impact the institution. Despite submitting proposals, the university has failed to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Did you and your colleagues see this coming? Has American Studies been at risk before?
“Yeah, I think we’ve known that American Studies as a degree subject is declining in popularity”, Robin admitted, acknowledging the long-term threat to the department. “We actually made plans to rebrand our degree over a year ago” However, these were put to a halt when suspensions were announced.
He explained that the department had already devised a plan to integrate American Studies into other courses, such as Politics, History, and English, highlighting the importance of maintaining American topics, such as culture, history, and politics, for students to access.
“WE DON’T BELIEVE THE UNIVERSITY IS GOING TO INVEST IN US ANYMORE.”
How has this affected you personally as a lecturer?
Here, Robin went into incredible detail about how the distressing suspension and uncertainty have impacted his morale as a lecturer. “It’s hard to focus, you know, we’re still busy with our teaching loads, our research, and we’ve had to put a lot of extra time into trying to get answers to the questions that we have about these closures and cuts.”
As the union representative for his department, Robin explained how the university has made them feel undervalued and the irony of the university praising American and Canadian Studies for its outstanding research, “the best in the country”, weeks before the suspension was announced. “We were on the university’s website as being a leading department.”
The uncertainty has taken a toll. “I love teaching, I love research. I love working for a university which cares and delivers good courses to students. I love the time I spend in the classroom with students”. He explained, “I will be personally just very sad if I don’t have a job that allows me to do that anymore.”
He argued that American Studies could remain sustainable if the university thought creatively about restructuring, but worries that management is focused only on cost-cutting. He contrasted the cuts to his small department with the tens of millions spent on a new campus project, now being sold at a loss, “We don’t believe the university is going to invest in us anymore.”
What do you worry students might lose if this course disappears?
Robin expressed his fear of students missing out on the “diversity of education and provision,” as they will have fewer module choices to pick from across departments and the loss of American-focused content. He argued that the university has failed to recognise the value of the courses it is suspending, such as modern languages, food sciences and that the value of these degrees is more than “just the students who apply for and take those degrees, because modules can be offered on other degrees as well.”
“IF YOU ONLY CONSULT WITH THEM AFTER YOU MAKE THE DECISION IT’S NOT A REAL CONSULTATION; IT’S NOT A REAL ENGAGEMENT.”
Do you think the university has been transparent about it, that their reason for removal was good enough, and could they have approached this in another way?
Robin stated that the university failed to follow set protocols, which have made these suspensions controversial. “You’ve got to do an equality impact assessment, you should consult with the school, and there should be a clear methodology…and that just hasn’t happened”. These protocols are set in place to allow for engagement between staff and student however, the university has failed to do this, as Robin stated, “if you only consult with them after you make the decision, it’s not a real consultation; it’s not a real engagement.” The university’s reasoning to suspend American studies has been insufficient.
What outcome would you most like to see moving forward?
“I’d like to see the preservation of American studies, research and teaching, a commitment of the university that we’re going to keep our jobs for our department and our subject, that’s number one”, he said.
He stressed that the restructuring should happen “without any compulsory redundancies for any academic or university staff, because I think it’s not necessary. There are, he argued, other ways to put the university on a sustainable financial footing that don’t involve job losses.
Looking beyond the immediate crisis, he expressed a broader hope: “…an even bigger hope would be that university governance… becomes a little bit more transparent and democratic.” He added that staff and students should be brought into discussions earlier, to help shape decisions rather than being informed only after they are made.
Do you think further input from MPs and the creation of student solidarity groups such as ‘protectuontheology’, would really make the change?
“I think there’s already evidence that student pressure, external pressure from MPs, external pressure from other academics and just the wider international community… is giving the university management reason to pause and reflect,” he said. He pointed to objections from figures such as the Spanish ambassador, who warned of the risks of cutting language provision.
“Students are rightly angered… The Vice Chancellor has been dismissive of so-called low tariff degrees,” he added, calling that attitude shocking. Despite this, he emphasised how “we are hugely appreciative. We are really amazed by the support of students… they’ve been amazing.” Petitions, rallies, and speeches have created what he described as “a big sense of community that… has become stronger in the face of these cuts, and that’s been heartening.”
“We’ve had a petition for American Studies, but there are some student-led groups about saving American Studies provision, and they’ve been amazing.”
He noted that recent council decisions not to push closures may have been influenced by this pressure, and that the student union has become more proactive after seeing management’s lack of engagement. “This isn’t the end of something, it’s really more the beginning of something,” he reflected, expressing hope that if staff, students, and unions work together, they might hold back cuts or at least reassure staff about job security.
If you could say one thing to the vice chancellor, what would you say?
“You should have listened to staff and engaged with staff before you made these cuts, not after. I think that would be my one thing,” he said.
He explained that staff had repeatedly tried to initiate conversations with the previous vice chancellor but felt excluded from the process. “…we feel like we’re cut out of the decisions,” he added, stressing that those on the ground understand the value of these degrees in ways senior managers may not.
Robin’s closing words underline a wider frustration: decisions made without those most affected. As staff and students wait for clarity, the question remains whether the university will finally listen to the voices on the ground.
Blessing Nkama
Feature Image courtesy of Impact’s Head of Entertainment, Caitlin Morrell. No changes were made to this image.
