Amid the noise about the state of university finances across the UK, it is easy to overlook the human cost of failed international strategies by higher education institutions.

Towards the end of last year, it was reported that the University of South Wales was facing a staggering £20m deficit due to the collapse of the international student market and had begun consulting on plans to cut up to 160 jobs in professional services.

This follows reports of approximately 100 voluntary redundancies earlier in the year, showing the mess that the institution had created for itself through its flawed approach to international recruitment following its failure to attract enough UK students.

The scale of these cuts is significant and according to Unison, the largest support staff union, such measures will not only harm student support, wellbeing, and achievement but also disproportionately impact those on lower wages.

Many of the staff at risk live in the South Wales Valleys, an area that continues to have its economic challenges and for many of these individuals, finding comparable employment in the current economic climate will be exceptionally difficult.

Some are also questioning whether focusing on job cuts is the correct decision for a university whose last accounts showed it had total net assets of £274m, including £59m of cash. It has also committed £40m to constructing a new teaching block at a time when its student population is falling, and other higher education institutions are reducing their........

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