A petition has been launched after staff at Birmingham City University (BCU) said they were left 'blindsided' over plans to axe the Black Studies masters programme, just months after it was first launched.
Five Black members of staff are at risk of redundancy, according to the online petition, including Professor Kehinde Andrews. The professor wrote to the Board of Governors that in April 2026, five Black colleagues at BCU were summoned to a meeting with less than 24 hours' notice and 'no indication of what the subject matter could be' other than the 'future direction of the course provision.'
He claimed the members of staff were told the decision had been taken to close the MA Black Studies and Global Justice after less than one year of the course's commencement, alleging that a proposal had been made to reduce the staff team, 'putting all of those involved at the potential risk of compulsory redundancy.'
Writing in the letter, Professor Andrews said: 'We were obviously blindsided and deeply upset by both the news and the way it was delivered with a callous disregard for our wellbeing, expertise and the impact on students. We were given no indication that the MA was in jeopardy, even though this decision had been made on the 17th February, 2026.'
He added: 'Matters were compounded by an email being sent out to staff and students on the course announcing the closure of the course within a couple of hours of our being notified. I have been here for more than 10 years and have never received such an email about any other course closure. It was professionally embarrassing to be inundated with concern from colleagues and students after we had only just learnt the news.'
'The students were also worried about their future, but because of the timeline for potential redundancies we were unable to advise them on the support they would receive for the remainder of their degrees. This news is coming mid-way through their studies.' Eight students are currently on the MA course.
Further into the letter, Professor Andrews cited the case of Professor Hakim Adi, who was made redundant by the University of Chichester in 2023. He described the 'high profile closures' of courses such as the MRes in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora as 'indicative of a worrying trend.'
The professor added: 'In the US there is an attack on Black intellectual thought, in the UK there is so little of it on offer in higher education that the bigger problem is neglect. When we do manage to offer such courses they should be nurtured, not stamped out at the earliest opportunity.'
A university spokesperson told The Guardian that after a review of BCU's postgraduate portfolio, a small number of courses, including the Black Studies MA, would be withdrawn from September due to low demand; however, current students would be able to finish their studies. The comment read: 'The university is exploring opportunities for alternative provision in each case. A consultation process is under way with affected staff to discuss the impact of the course closures and explore reasonable options to minimise roles at risk.'
