UCU to fight closure of Hastings university campus

The future of the campus has been under review since the university called in management consultants to examine its future viability, claiming there were problems recruiting students in Hastings and that the courses there had lower levels of student satisfaction than those at its main campus in Brighton.

UCU has argued student recruitment targets were missed because the university has consistently treated the Hastings campus as a low priority, failing to invest in social facilities and student accommodation, despite being offered concrete opportunities with local partners to do so.

The union has highlighted that the development of the Hastings campus was a cornerstone of the regeneration of the town, and was supported by the council. The campus offers a wide range of courses including digital and broadcast media, education, design and illustration, journalism, literature, health, biology, business, computing, mathematics and social sciences.

UCU regional official, Michael Moran, said: 'The closure of the campus would be a real blow for Hastings. The university campus was a substantial investment and a cornerstone of the town's regeneration.

'The vice-chancellor's statement is vague and confusing for staff. We are not at all clear what the future holds for the various courses run in Hastings or for the staff who teach them. We suspect that  there will be attempts at course closures and redundancies but UCU and the Hastings community will resist them. What does seem clear amongst all the uncertainty is that this statement does not spell out a solid and secure future for university education in Hastings.'