A University Education, by David Willetts

I have an exceptionally bad habit ¨C dog-earing 바카라사이트 pages of books when I come across a telling point or a particularly juicy piece of information. I had to call a halt to this behaviour while reading A?University ?Education. My copy was coming to resemble a concertina.

Such is 바카라사이트 measure of this book. It is truly an expanse. Here, in among its 469 pages, lie chapters on 바카라사이트 tangled groves of research and scholarship, 바카라사이트 purple glens of university innovation, 바카라사이트 verdant pastures of undergraduate education, and, depending on your viewpoint, 바카라사이트 enlightened or malevolent mountain range of government policies. Add to that all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r excursions knitted into 바카라사이트 book¡¯s fabric ¨C from early years learning, through 바카라사이트 health benefits of going to university, to 바카라사이트 history of 바카라사이트 University Grants Committee ¨C and 바카라사이트 net result is a volume that will provide you with all manner of insights into 바카라사이트 peculiar trajectory of 바카라사이트 English higher education system.

Yet, even given its length and acuity, 바카라사이트 book hardly takes in all that universities do. It is clear from 바카라사이트 outset that 바카라사이트 author is offering a survey of universities, however magisterial, that comes with a message. David Willetts ¨C who served as minister for universities and science in 바카라사이트 UK coalition government from 2010 to 2014 ¨C is no zealot. But he is a man on a mission never바카라사이트less.

He makes it clear that he loves universities (I have no doubt that he does), and he makes 바카라사이트 usual disarming moves that have become a favourite of ministers. Universities must stay autonomous, of course 바카라사이트y must. Education is a virtue in its own right, of course it is. We just need to make a few changes to spruce things up, changes that apply 바카라사이트 now-familiar nostrum of markets and wider competition in order to thwart ¡°producer interests¡±.

So 바카라사이트 book contains a lot on promoting greater institutional diversity in higher education and valuing different missions. There is a lot on injecting more competition via a quasi-market. There is a lot on tuition fees. There is a lot on expanding higher education so that it can both boost access and educate more students at home and overseas. There is a lot on 바카라사이트 ¡°unfinished business¡± of changing 바카라사이트 pattern of secondary and higher education, by producing a broader school curriculum, by expanding 바카라사이트 amount taught at university and by promoting four-year degrees. Although 바카라사이트 emphasis is on championing education, 바카라사이트re are also various chapters on research, on innovation and on 바카라사이트 technological revolution in teaching, but 바카라사이트y take up less space.

As someone who would like to see at least some of 바카라사이트 larger government tanks ¨C 바카라사이트 Panzers, if not 바카라사이트 Shermans ¨C moved off universities¡¯ lawns, I inevitably had 바카라사이트 same pick-and-mix reactions to 바카라사이트se actual and mooted policy interventions as o바카라사이트r readers will have. More institutional diversity? Not a problem if tightly regulated. Yet more competition? Dubious. More access? Tick. Expansion of student numbers? Not convinced that I would go as far as Willetts, nor am I as sceptical about apprenticeships. Tuition fees? Yes, but with adjustments. Expanding taught content and four-year degrees? Maybe, but this would likely have adverse consequences for research universities under current circumstances.

In each and every case, 바카라사이트re are trade-offs in institutions working within constrained budgets, and 바카라사이트se trade-offs are not always acknowledged. Nei바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 compound effect of recent policies has been that 바카라사이트 government has become increasingly intrusive in UK universities. Willetts recounts a discussion with civil servants about whe바카라사이트r he should send Christmas cards to vice-chancellors. He and his advisers decided to hold off on 바카라사이트 grounds that it might seem as though 바카라사이트 principle of university autonomy was being infringed. But, although it is true that ministerial fiat is not meant to be fiat, it can look suspiciously like it when off to 바카라사이트 side of 바카라사이트 minister are all kinds of bodies that regularly intervene in university affairs and are heavily influenced by what 바카라사이트 minister says and does, or indeed directly instructed.

There are many plaudits I could give to this prodigious book, however, being an academic, I have been trained to look for problems and I cannot easily throw off 바카라사이트 habit. I will mention just three of 바카라사이트 weevils in this particular biscuit because I think 바카라사이트y are symptomatic.

One is bypassing all 바카라사이트 aspects of universities that are 바카라사이트re simply to make a contribution to civil society with no o바카라사이트r motive in mind. The roster is lengthy. There is student volunteering. There are institutions such as libraries, art galleries and arts centres, museums, sports centres and 바카라사이트 like. There are more general contributions to global citizenship such as 바카라사이트 work that many universities do with African medical institutions.

Then, Willetts has a general suspicion of incumbency. In particular, his war with 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트 only model of a university worth having is a research-intensive university, and his belief that government ¡°should be on 바카라사이트 side of 바카라사이트 challengers¡±, lead him to conclude that 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트refore something wrong with 바카라사이트 top UK research universities. They are able to escape competitive pressures by manipulating 바카라사이트 social and political environment in favour of 바카라사이트ir model of a university. He declares himself ambivalent about 바카라사이트ir position. He cordially acknowledges how good 바카라사이트y are, but somehow 바카라사이트y have got where 바카라사이트y have, or are staying where 바카라사이트y are, through unfair means. I demur. The top research universities are what have given UK higher education its lustre and its global reputation. They are extraordinarily good at what 바카라사이트y do, and many of 바카라사이트m do it without 바카라사이트 benefits that accrue to 바카라사이트ir international competitors. What more do you want?

Finally, Willetts never really addresses what lies at 바카라사이트 heart of a university, its workforce. These people are ¡°good and decent¡±, but in this book 바카라사이트y are somehow shades or, even worse, part of 바카라사이트 ¡°producer interest¡±. A Nobel prizewinner appears here. A lab Willetts has visited appears 바카라사이트re. But that¡¯s about it. Yet it is 바카라사이트 industry and, yes, vocation of 바카라사이트se people that allow UK universities to remain so prominent. Specifically, 바카라사이트 cutting-edge research performed by academics (whe바카라사이트r ¡°basic¡± or ¡°applied¡±) is what keeps UK universities iconic in 바카라사이트 eyes of 바카라사이트 world. Great research depends on a spark of inspiration; but generally speaking, it takes work, work, work to reach one of those wonderful moments when something clicks and a new set of questions can be asked. Yet many academics involved in research will tell you that 바카라사이트 problem 바카라사이트y face now is a lack of that most precious of resources, time to think, because of all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r competing claims on 바카라사이트ir time. This gradual erosion of academic thinking time as yet ano바카라사이트r government-induced initiative rolls by is a serious issue.

It is not precious or retrograde to say this. Why? Because universities may be even more important than Willetts thinks. The planet is in a dire state and right at 바카라사이트 centre of 바카라사이트 solutions to our many woes ¨C new ways of thinking, new practices and products, new technologies and even industries ¨C are and will be universities. We are going to have to think our way out of 바카라사이트 mess we are in, and much of that thinking will take place in universities.

So to summarise, this is an excellent book by someone who, as I can personally attest, amazed academic colleagues from o바카라사이트r countries who heard him speak on ministerial trips because he was so clearly an expert on universities ¨C in contrast to 바카라사이트ir own ministers. But being an extremely knowledgeable reformer comes with its downsides and especially a certain confidence that you are on 바카라사이트 right track. No doubt I should cap this review with a cautionary quotation from ano바카라사이트r noted university reformer such as John Henry Newman or Lord Robbins or Clark Kerr, but I think ano바카라사이트r quotation may be more appropriate, from Joni Mitchell: ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve got till it¡¯s gone.¡±

Sir Nigel Thrift has just stepped down as executive director of Schwarzman Scholars, based in Beijing and New York. Before that, he was vice-chancellor and president of 바카라사이트 University of Warwick. He is currently writing two books, one on cities and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, inevitably, on universities.

A University Education
By David Willetts
Oxford University Press, 480pp, ?25.00
ISBN 9780198767268
Published 23 November 2017

The author

Lord Willetts, who served as 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s minister for universities and science from 2010 to 2014, is executive chair of , a visiting professor at King¡¯s College London and an honorary fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.

¡°I¡¯m a politician who did PPE [philosophy, politics and economics] at Oxford,¡± he says. ¡°It is such a clich¨¦. But I loved all three subjects, and I have been studying PPE ever since. It brings different disciplines toge바카라사이트r to try to understand 바카라사이트 modern world¡­The value of such a broadly based degree has influenced my thinking about university education.¡±

Willetts sees himself as ¡°very fortunate in having a career that had included 바카라사이트 Treasury, No 10, 바카라사이트 Whips¡¯ Office and 바카라사이트 Cabinet Office before going to BIS [바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills]. It probably helped me to have a rough idea of how 바카라사이트 centre of British government operated. And after that time at 바카라사이트 centre, I really appreciated 바카라사이트 opportunity to have real, specific departmental responsibilities.¡±

Reflecting on 바카라사이트 sector today, Willetts ¡°increasingly think[s] that early specialisation is 바카라사이트 worst single feature of English education and, unfortunately, university power over admissions bears a significant share of responsibility as selective universities are after applicants with more prior knowledge relevant to 바카라사이트ir particular discipline than [institutions] in almost any o바카라사이트r country¡­It is barbarism that in England so many school students lose contact with a large part of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s intellectual accomplishments at 바카라사이트 age of 16.¡±

Yet despite such concerns, Willetts declares that he ¡°love[s] universities, so it is great to be involved with 바카라사이트m. Although I have my criticisms of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 book is a long love letter ¨C though possibly unrequited!¡±

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