Alumni of Bangor University’s Welsh department have sent an open letter to the University urging them not to go ahead with plans that would ‘undermine and destroy’ the long-established reputation of Bangor University’s Welsh department.

The University released a summary of the proposed cuts in October.

The alumni claim that the latest round of cuts at Bangor University, which would see the University lose of 2 members of teaching staff at the Welsh department, would weaken a department that is ‘nationally acclaimed.’

The letter, which was signed by over 100 alumni of Bangor University states that: “The proposals not only undermine the reputation of the Welsh department at Bangor University, but weakens the department’s ability to provide the comprehensive and unique education that it is renowned for.

“The School of Welsh at Bangor University is one of our national institutions, comparable to the National Library in Aberystwyth, and the University has a moral duty to protect it.

“The University intends to remove full-time posts in Modern and Contemporary Literature, as well as in Medieval Literature.

“The removal of these posts dilutes one of the specialist provisions of the School of Welsh, and damages the towering national status that belongs to the School.”

The signatories include Cefin Roberts, Musical Director of Ysgol Glanaethwy in Bangor, Aled ap Dafydd, the ex BBC journalist, and Meinir Gwilym, the well-known Welsh singer.

One alumnus accused the University of ‘failing to successfully promote the wider bustling Welsh life of the University.’

According to the letter Bangor University’s Marketing Department has ‘a duty to address these failures’ in order to ensure a prosperous future for the School, as well as to promote the University’s Welsh language life as an economic asset.

‘The University needs a comprehensive long-term strategy that establishes Bangor as the de facto Welsh University in Wales. At present, it is failing to do so, according to the alumni claim.

“This is the third round of redundancies in three years, and having a Welsh-speaking Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the Council who fail to protect the interests of the Welsh language in the face of those cuts is a huge disappointment. A severe a lack of a long-term vision lies at the heart of this decision” the letter concludes.

Bangor University have been approached for a comment.