A program of drastic job cuts at one of the nation's most prestigious universities has been canned after backlash from staff and students, but its chancellor is still under pressure to resign.
Officials at the Australian National University have been reviewing plans to slash dozens of academic positions after the Canberra institution's vice-chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell quit her post following a months-long public relations saga.
Staff attending a town hall on Thursday were told the university would no longer pursue forced redundancies as part of a cost-cutting program called "Renew ANU".
The overhaul aims to improve the university's bottom line by saving about $250 million dollars.
Voluntary redundancies will still be offered to staff.
The National Tertiary Education Union's Lachlan Clohesy said the changes were "good news."
"Renew ANU has... broken the university. While there is work to do, we can now start to pick up the pieces," Dr Clohesy said.
"Today demonstrates that much of the pain and psychological damage of recent times was not necessary."
The union is still calling for the resignation of Chancellor Julie Bishop, arguing the former Liberal minister must bear responsibility for getting the university into dire financial straits.
It also said the saga should serve as an example for other universities considering job cuts.
The school of music, which had been slated to be absorbed into another department, has also been saved.
The now-dumped changes to the school prompted anger from across the nation's music sector, with rock legend Jimmy Barnes among 35 artists to sign an open letter warning the overhaul would have a "devastating" impact on students.
An anonymous donor has also stepped in to stop the Australian National Dictionary Centre being shut down.
