iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

'Security chiefs will set up a new national centre to tackle disinformation and deepfakes from hostile states such as Russia, Andy Burnham has announced, saying the government had a duty to “stem the poisonous tide” from damaging British interests.' While shrinking provision in Russian language?

theguardian.com

New UK agency will tackle ‘information warfare’ from likes of Russia, Burnham says

PM aims to ‘stem poisonous tide’ of disinformation and deepfakes with National Centre for Information Defence

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Marianna Dudley @dudleymarianna.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Huge. Huge testament to the power of organising. Huge relief for Exeter friends and colleagues. Huge waste of time and resources. Huge reputational damage done. Huge warning to universities who want to treat their staff like they don’t matter.

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Britain has skills shortages across the board. Yet the decision about what to preserve as part of post-18 tuition is being left to isolated groups of university managers whose legal duty is to preserve solvency. That's completely mad. www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/08/12/w...

hepi.ac.uk

What the situation at Nottingham tells us about the national picture for Modern Languages and why the sector should pay attention - HEPI

This blog was kindly written by Professor Pierre-Alexis Mével, Professor of Media Accessibility and Audiovisual Translation at the University of Nottingham. At the time of writing, the University of N...

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

For example, if the East Midlands lose all their Modern Languages provision (as is possible this year), does the student who want to study languages but needs to commute change course, commute much further, work far more hours or decline their place? Ditto for example Geography in Cornwall. 2/2

thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Cold spots: Mapping inequality in SHAPE provision in UK higher education

This British Academy report reveals that many parts of the UK are becoming subject cold spots – areas with no provision in a subject within a commutable distance. These are often in rural, coastal or ...

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

'At the time of writing, the University of Nottingham has delayed its decision on the future of Modern Languages, and indeed all alternative proposals submitted as part of Future Nottingham 2. The review of alternative proposals is ongoing, with outcomes now expected… sine die'. 1/2

hepi.ac.uk

What the situation at Nottingham tells us about the national picture for Modern Languages and why the sector should pay attention - HEPI

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Meanwhile, if the staffing and programmatic cuts being protested go ahead, tens of thousands of students in the East Midlands in the next decade who need to commute to a local university may be unable to study a subject of their choice in a region increasingly marked by disciplinary cold spots. 1/2

thetimes.com

Academics’ strike means students will only get ‘estimated’ grades

Thousands of University of Nottingham students face receiving degrees based partly on previous performance after staff began a protest over job cuts

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Britain risks losing language skills to understand its enemies www.thetimes.com/article/5df4...

Hetan Shah, its chief executive, said:
"Recent economic, geopolitical and societal shifts mean that linguistic skills are now firmly in the nation's strategic interest. The UK is on the brink of a language skills crisis, including in languages that are strategically vital for diplomacy, defence and national security as we need to know what our potential adversaries are thinking.
"Our research shows that both student and staff numbers in languages and area studies are contracting at an alarming rate, which should be a serious concern to the government. Once the expertise in a particular language has gone, it's not easy to rebuild. Decisions being taken by individual universities rather than overseen in a strategic way puts the nation at risk of accidentally losing vital language skills to make our way in an increasingly volatile world."

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Great to see the Guardian champion the SHAPE (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) subjects, but this piece gives impression that they are expensive, whereas many are 'cheap to teach' subjects subsidising more expensive subjects, mainly in STEM and medicine. The crisis demands better understanding.

theguardian.com

The Guardian view on humanities cuts in universities: academic departments are more than cost centres | Editorial

Editorial: Literature, the arts and social sciences must not be sacrificed as higher education funding is squeezed

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

This phase of the British Academy's SHAPE Observatory project focuses on academic staff, analysing trends since 2012/13 to explore how staffing levels vary by subject, region and employment characteristics. The data lag: the 2025-26 redundancies you've been reading about are not yet captured. 1/3

thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Loss of academic staff and "cold spots" for humanities and social science degrees threaten strategically important skills for UK, says British Academy

A new data map released today shows a sharp and widespread decline in opportunities for university staff in the humanities, social sciences and arts subjects in 2024-25. The data shows a precarious la...

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

‘We should be collectively concerned about a reduction in the pipeline of humanities graduates and the cold spots in knowledge it creates. In an age of AI, we’ll value the understanding of how humans think and act more, not less’ @viviennestern.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/education/20...

theguardian.com

Humanities among degrees being ‘extinguished’ by hard-up universities

Exclusive: Experts fear rise in education ‘cold spots’ and social immobility as 4,000 academic posts lost in one year

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LopaLeach @lopa.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

🙏. @julietterowsell.bsky.social for reporting on this hugely important issue. @ucu.org.uk ‘Cold spot’ fears over Nottingham language cuts www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cold-sp...

timeshighereducation.com

‘Cold spot’ fears over Nottingham language cuts

Plans to close courses would have national impact, politicians write in letter urging university to reconsider

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

'Politicians from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages have told the university’s executive “in the strongest possible terms to reconsider” the plans, in a letter seen by Times Higher Education.' 1/3

timeshighereducation.com

‘Cold spot’ fears over Nottingham language cuts

Plans to close courses would have national impact, politicians write in letter urging university to reconsider

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

A country and a governing class letting **individual institutions** decide on language provision - contracting out one of the key sinews of any state. A country that is burning itself down from the inside. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

theguardian.com

Cutting language courses puts social mobility at risk, say UK experts

Exclusive: University moves and falling exam entries fuel concerns about opportunities for working-class pupils

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Lewis Wade 🗃️ @wadehistory.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

🚨 PLEASE SHARE WIDELY 🚨 If you are an Exeter alumnus, and wish to express your horror at the proposed cuts to the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, please sign the Google Doc petition below. Not an alumnus? You can still help by signing the Exeter UCU petition at c.org/msXfsb2g5b 🗃️

docs.google.com

Alumni petition against the cuts to the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Any Exeter alumni who wish for their names to be added to the petition below should please complete the form at this link: https://forms.gle/SpdYvmmsCaJbmZft6. If you are not an alumnus, but still wis...

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Polly McMichael @pollymcmichael.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

“uncoordinated decision-taking across a fragmented sector” means some disciplines are “disappearing” altogether

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University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

TFW your MP gets it and your management does not. Thank you for your support, @nadiawhittomemp.bsky.social! Solidarity!

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Coverage for a new report from @hepi-news.bsky.social looking at languages provision in schools www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/07/01/n...

That is probably the fact that a huge majority of secondary schools in England have pretty minimal language provision. At most schools, there is less than one modern language GCSE entry for every two pupils.
"The decline in language learning explains the difficulties universities now face in filling their language courses, as well as the spate of modern language course closures in higher education," Hepi says.
The report has caught the eye of Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy. He said it highlights "a concerning picture".
"As the British Academy has long noted, provision of language subjects in secondary schools has been in decline and there are signs that the recent policy changes are making a bad situation worse," he said.
"Access is unequal, with learners in disadvantaged areas often having little to no access to language learning. This has broken the pipeline, leading to cold spots emerging in higher education and devastating our linguistic capability in research."

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University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

While it may look like the only thing our branch is doing is striking or boycotting, we are also tirelessly working behind the scenes to address the financial problems our university faces.

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University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

More clear evidence that the community has our back: city council and members of parliament have joined our president to craft this important joint appeal condemning the horrific financial strategy that our administration continues force on the university.

Joint Statement from Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of
Nottingham City Council, Nottingham MPs and the
University and College Union
The University of Nottingham is one of Nottingham’s most important institutions.
It is a globally recognised centre of teaching and research, one of the city’s
largest employers, and a major contributor to Nottingham’s economy,
innovation ecosystem and international reputation.
We recognise that universities across the country are facing significant financial
challenges and that difficult decisions are being made throughout the higher
education sector. Ensuring the long-term sustainability of our universities is
important not only for students and staff, but also for the communities and
economies that depend on them.
However, we share concerns about the potential economic impact that
significant reductions in staffing and academic capacity could have on
Nottingham.
The University is a major driver of economic activity across the city. Thousands
of local jo

We believe every effort should be made to explore options that can secure the
University’s financial future while minimising the impact on employment,
research excellence, teaching provision and the broader contribution the
University makes to Nottingham’s economy.
The proposals and alternatives currently being discussed demonstrate the
importance of continued dialogue and engagement. Especially the finance
counterproposal by UCU indicates that the required savings are possible
without the need for large-scale job cuts and the closure of whole Departments.
We encourage University management to work constructively together with
UCU to identify solutions that protect the long-term sustainability of the
institution while preserving the skills, expertise and economic activity that are so
important to our city.
The success of the University of Nottingham and the success of Nottingham as
a city are closely linked. Our shared objective must be to ensure that the
University remains financially

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UCFL - University Council For Languages @ucflangs.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Colleagues at the University of Exeter need your support! ✍️ Sign the petition: c.org/yKcx6Zr29H The University of Exeter is to cut about 150 staff. The proposed reduction is almost exclusively focused on roles in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, among them Modern Languages and English.

c.org

This campaign needs you now

Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter

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Katherine McDonald @katherinemcdon.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Colleagues at Exeter have asked me to circulate this petition as widely as possible: www.change.org/p/stop-redun...

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Liesbeth Corens @onslies.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Exeter, Hertfordshire, & Northumbria: all after marks in & before the end of the financial year. We NEED someone to give a shit about #UKHE, @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social. All VCs care about are covenants; their shorttermist fragmented cuts accumulate to the UK losing a sector it can't afford losing.

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Alan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

With hardly any media coverage one of Britain’s few world-leading sectors is, right now, being decimated. The university funding model does not work and anti-immigrant hysteria has deprived the country of the means by which we met the shortfall: international students.

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

A grim day in a grim week in a grim month for UK higher education, with Dundee, Exeter and Hertfordshire all making major announcements of planned redundancies. Shrinkage of the research & teaching base by the invisible hand's visible fist is not an 'us' or 'them', SHAPE or STEM phenomenon. 1/2

Photo of an open hand, with part of 4 fingers showing.

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Ben Phillips @benphillips1989.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

A statement from Exeter UCU branch @ucu.org.uk - please share far and wide.

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

What's it actually feel like to live through the decline and fall of mass Higher Education in Britain? Today I've written about this from the inside here... Hope you like it, and hope you find it useful. isrf.org/blog/what-do...

isrf.org

What Does It Feel Like to Live Under the Threat of Redundancy?

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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 27/05/2026

‘Decisions to close or to gut particular departments have little to do with intellectual quality: they are invariably managerial choices about the quickest way to reduce an actual or predicted budget deficit.’ Stefan Collini on UK higher education, in the next issue. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

lrb.co.uk

Stefan Collini · Squadrons of Pigs: Bonfire of the Universities

The problems with Britain’s universities are systemic and deep-rooted, not just local or contingent. Yet political and...

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Mark Pendleton @markpendleton.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

East Asian Studies is being gutted at Sheffield - all staff at risk with 8.6 FTE proposed to go (a third of us). Biggest cuts in Chinese and Japanese Studies. We’ll be taking a few days to process. Solidarity to Materials and Chemistry colleagues who are also dealing with similarly bad news.

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Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn @lizgloyn.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Thrilled I've got 150 responses to my survey on personal tutoring! I'm aiming for 200 responses, so if you're an academic in UK HE who's had pastoral responsibility for students in the last five years, whatever that's called, with ten minutes spare, I'd love to hear from you. Do share if you can.

surveymonkey.com

The Role Of Interpersonal Relationships And Care In Personal Tutoring Within UK HEIS

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

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University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Today at 7 pm in the Trent LG Corridor, there will be a student-led exhibition responding to the closure of courses at the University of Nottingham, particularly Modern Languages and Music.

Endangered Species in Passing

7PM 18th May

Free entry
LG Corridor, Trent Building
University Park Campus
Nottingham

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Jonathan Kasstan @jrkasstan.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

“We are concerned about the growing risk of geographic and subjectbased “cold-spots”, affecting areas and disciplines such as music and modern languages.” #Nottingham is a regional behemoth for the study of #languages - this is so stupid and short sighted publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...

publications.parliament.uk

Higher Education and Funding: Threat of Insolvency and International Students

Report of the Education Committee

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Liudmila Lyagushkina @llyag.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Russian authorities have declared the NGO Memorial an “extremist organisation.” It now joins others already on the list, including “international LGBT+ movement” and Navalny’s ACF. Now, even reposting their materials or displaying their logo can result in a conviction. 1/4

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QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

At QMUL: - 99 language modules cut - 50 language modules marked as 'to be confirmed' - single honours language degrees in questions - 'possible futures' includes the closure of languages at QMUL altogether The harm done to language studies is immense, and ramifications are not going to be pretty.

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

'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

bbc.co.uk

University of Leicester to cut film and modern languages courses

A union claims up to 300 students will see offers withdrawn as a result of the decision.

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Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn @lizgloyn.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Have you had personal tutoring responsibilities in a UK HEI in the last five years? I'd love to hear from you! I'm running a short survey on interpersonal relationships & care within personal tutoring, which takes ~10 minutes to complete. Please do share: I'm keen to get a wide range of responses!

surveymonkey.com

The Role Of Interpersonal Relationships And Care In Personal Tutoring Within UK HEIS

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

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Jonathan Kasstan @jrkasstan.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

We are fast moving from cold spots to blackout. This is not trivial and the impact in terms of access to languages education will be inter generational. How do you “level up” or promote “growth” without a multilingual workforce and the know-how to deploy? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

‘Cold spots’ in language degree provision in England

People have been raising the alarm about a language education crisis in the UK, particularly in England, for twenty years. Yet the crisis continues: the number of young people studying languages at...

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Prof Becky Muradás-Taylor @drbeckymt.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Few lower tariff unis offer languages, excluding people from under-represented backgrounds who can't travel far to uni. The Uni of Essex is a shining star, offering French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish. This is under threat! Read and sign 👇 docs.google.com/document/d/1...

docs.google.com

Save Languages and Linguistics at Essex

To add your signature to this letter, please complete this form: Save Languages and Linguistics at Essex (Google Form) Dear Prof Bowen and members of the Executive Committee, We, the undersigned, ...

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UCFL - University Council For Languages @ucflangs.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

The University of Essex has proposed to discontinue most of their undergraduate language provisions as well as the Languages for All programme as part of large-scale restructuring. Sign their petition to urge the Executive Committee to reconsider the proposal: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

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Nina Markl 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @ninamarkl.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

biggest solidarity to the Department ot Languages and Intercultural Studies (LINCS) at Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh): heriotwatt.web.ucu.org.uk/2026/02/04/d... please sign their petition and send them any support they need, this is part of a UK-wide attack on languages education!

heriotwatt.web.ucu.org.uk

Department of LINCS at Heriot-Watt under threat of cuts and closure

We have launched a Save LINCS petition because the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies (LINCS) at Heriot-Watt University finds itself under threat of: Losing 11FTE jobs, one third of ...

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 25/02/2026

I will never not share the excellent digital preservation sweaters. #DHmakes 🧶💾🦖

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Leicester UCU @leicesterucu.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

All members are invited to our General Meeting next Wednesday, followed by a protest outside Senate at 1pm; on Wednesday, Senior Management will ask Senate to recommend the closure of Modern Languages and Film Studies.

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Dr Andrew McInnes @drbeard79.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

I urge you to fill in this consultation if you can - with this very helpful support from Amnesty International - although AND because ! it is heart-breaking that this country has sunk so low that Amnesty suggest in a number of cases to provide no answer as the terms of the question are so evil

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UCFL - University Council For Languages @ucflangs.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

YOU SIGNATURE MATTERS! Help us save Modern Languages at Leicester. Sign the petition: www.change.org/p/save-moder...

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Dr Sarah J Young @sarahjyoung.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

This is a permanent research snd teaching post. Please share widely and forward to suitable candidates.

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

'In a House of Lords debate on 8 January, Smith said she recognised “concern…about the reduction in the number of students going into higher education to study modern foreign languages and the threats to some of those modern foreign language courses”.' 1/2

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