The Modern Languages Team at the University of Lincoln, UK, was put at risk of redundancy on the 18th of January 2024.  The team received letters stating that University has proposed a strategic decision to close the area of modern languages teaching, and that the teaching of French, Spanish, German, Italian and Mandarin will cease on 30 June 2024. The letter says that the offering of languages does not align to the strategic direction of the University’s ambitions for 2022 – 2027 and the University is unable to continue with delivery within this specific area.

However, the top 40 universities in the Times Higher Education League Table, do offer Modern Languages. Additionally for this academic year, Modern Languages are now offered to students in 17 programmes (previously it was only 7), so there is clear evidence of opportunities to grow not retract. The Languages Team won the Highly Commended Teaching Award in 2021 and has received excellent feedback from students and external examiners through the years.

We ask you to sign this petition, to show your concern about this proposed closure, the petition will then be presented to Professor Neil Juster, Vice chancellor of the University of Lincoln and the Board of Governors.

************

Dear Professor Juster and Board of Governors,

We sign this petition to express concern regarding the proposed closure of the Modern Languages provision offered by the University of Lincoln which has come as a shock to us all. 

At a time when political decisions have made the UK more insular, our Modern Languages team is pivotal to the university's commitment to internationalise our education, to decolonise the curricula, and to enhance student employability. 

Closing Modern Languages would put the university at odds with the top 40 UK universities amongst which the university would like to be. We firmly believe that delivering our strategic priorities depends on offering a transdisciplinary curriculum that broadens the worldview of our students and encourages global citizenship. We believe home students benefit from the cultural awareness brought by experiencing other languages and cultures. 

Modern languages are critical to the student experience, the academic community, and the wider environment in Lincoln. It is our belief that expanding the modern languages offering across the university, rather than closing it down, will enhance our competitive advantage. 

We, the signatories of this letter, urge you to reconsider this decision and would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the future of the discipline and provide alternative solutions.