The university’s School of Education will be discontinued alongside the schools of International Studies and Public Health, with the number of faculties downsized from 24 to 15.
The Faculties of Business and Law will also be combined in a new Faculty of Business and Law.
As a result, 134 full-time academic staff will lose their jobs, and 1100 subjects and 167 courses will be discontinued.
A further proposal to reduce the number of professional staff is expected in the coming months, with about 250 positions expected to be made redundant.
“With policy constraints limiting both domestic and international student revenue growth, our main source of operating revenue, we have been faced with difficult choices to reduce our costs,” Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt said in a statement.
“I do not underestimate or take lightly the anxiety and concern staff may be experiencing and I deeply regret the need for job losses. During this time of proposed change across UTS, we are keenly aware of the potential impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of our staff.”
The university said the measures would save around $80 million, whilst a further $20 million would be saved through other measures, including “limiting executive and senior staff remuneration”.
However, the cuts were actually delayed after Safework NSW intervened on behalf of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), with the ruling saying staff “would be subject to “serious and imminent risk of psychological harm”.
In a statement, the NTEU said the process lacked transparency and disregarded the feelings of staff.
“Why call for consultation if staff won’t be listened to? The lack of transparency, the decisions made without consulting staff and students, and the shutting down of valid criticism have all led to staff losing faith in the leadership at UTS,” NTEU UTS Branch President Dr Sarah Attfield said.
“Staff who have dedicated their working lives to this institution are being treated as expendable.”
The proposed changes will not take place until next year, and current students already enrolled in the impacted courses will not be affected, according to UTS.
They also claim to be offering extended support to staff during the process.
“Staff are being regularly updated and given opportunities to ask questions and offer suggestions or feedback,” the university said.
“Staff are being offered support and training relating to their health and well-being, financial circumstances and their career, as well as increased access to trained counsellors.”
“This is not financially or operationally sustainable as continued losses erode our cash position and have the potential to compromise our ongoing operations,” they said earlier this month.
“It’s important we address this to protect and invest in our teaching, research and our students.”
