University staff, students and graduates say the end of glassmaking courses there is “a farce”.
The University of Wolverhampton announced in May that it was suspending recruitment for 138 of its undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
The institution blamed rising costs and declining applications.
“I think it’s a farce, to be honest,” said mature part-time student Tracey O’Shea.
“The course has been running for over 170 years. Nowhere else in the country do you have the accumulated facilities that you have here.”
The glassmaking course is among the 138 with suspended recruitment and admission was closed with immediate effect and no new students were recruited to the course in September.
Existing students who started their studies in or before 2021 have been promised to complete their studies.
The Black Country has a long history of glassmaking dating back to the 17th century and a museum dedicated to the industry and heritage opened in April.
University teachers have spoken to the BBC unofficially, saying they are concerned about the future of their jobs and expect to be made redundant.
Ms O’Shea is halfway through her course and although she said she hopes to complete it in the next three years, she feared resources would be cut.
“It’s been around for a long time, and I know there’s a movement against the arts in education nationwide. I think that’s short-sighted,” she said.
Another university graduate, Allister Malcolm, runs a glass studio and said he was “gutted” at losing the course.
“The knock-on effect of completing this course will be catastrophic for the glass world in this country,” he said.
The university’s interim vice-chancellor, Prof Ian Campbell, said the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in large increases in costs for the university, while student numbers have fallen.
“We make sure our employees and unions are kept informed, and remain committed to providing our students with an excellent learning and teaching experience,” he said.
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