LANGUAGE campaigners have said they are disappointed that Aberystwyth University has appointed a new vice-chancellor who doesn’t speak Welsh.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith called for the new vice-chancellor to be a fluent Welsh speaker, after the previous incumbent, Prof April McMahon came to the job with no Welsh-language skills.

Prof McMahon, who stood down in July 2016 after overseeing five years of declining student numbers and sliding league table performances, pledged to learn Welsh when she took up the post in 2011.

The new vice-chancellor, Prof Elizabeth Treasure, who will take up the role next year, does not speak Welsh but, like Prof McMahon before her, has promised to learn the language.

“As the next vice-chancellor, it is my firm intention to learn the language as a matter of priority to the standard specified in the job description so that I can embrace all aspects of Aber life,” she said upon her appointment last Thursday.

The Cymdeithas yr Iaith Pantycelyn group said: “It is unfortunate that Prof Elizabeth Treasure does not speak Welsh.

“In a university like Aberystwyth, the language will be at the core of her work on a day-to-day level within the university and the community.

“We are, however, glad that she intends to learn Welsh."

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