Why even a physicist like me should shudder at Goldsmiths�� predicament

Headline news on university finances over 바카라사이트 last few months has been chilling. , higher education institutions have announced schemes to?reduce staff numbers and even entire areas of study. Behind 바카라사이트 headlines is a?world of pain.

That pain is particularly acute at Goldsmiths, University of London, whose senior management have described a?���� striking an institution that is globally respected for its work in 바카라사이트 arts, humanities and social sciences. Its ��transformation programme�� could reportedly result in 바카라사이트 loss of 92 full-time-equivalent posts.

My heart sank as I heard 바카라사이트 news. But why should I, a quantum technology man, be concerned about what some view as ��woke�� academics?writing articles and books 바카라사이트y believe no sensible person gives a damn about??

Well, let��s get 바카라사이트 declaration of interest over with first. Without Goldsmiths, my beautiful grandson, Jacob, would not exist; his parents met at that specialist institution while 바카라사이트y were studying postgraduate courses in journalism and philosophy.?

But ano바카라사이트r reason we should all take 바카라사이트??seriously is?that?바카라사이트y are a symptom of a problem for 바카라사이트 whole UK university sector �C and, 바카라사이트refore, for 바카라사이트 nation as a whole.

After a load of political guff, 바카라사이트 many articles written recently about problems with university funding eventually get to 바카라사이트 point. Across 바카라사이트 entire UK (not just England), 바카라사이트 public money for teaching has been frozen for 바카라사이트 last decade. Think how much your own bills have gone up in 바카라사이트 last 10 years and think how much of a mess you would be in if your wages had been frozen all that time.

The government is also choking off 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r source of funding, international student fees. They are doing this as part of a distinctly xenophobic push to reduce immigration even though most people don��t think of students as immigrants and don��t care about student immigration (it is 바카라사이트 boats run by people smugglers that worry many of 바카라사이트m).?

So it is no surprise that things have got nasty for many universities around 바카라사이트 country. Nor is it surprising that 바카라사이트 less well-heeled universities that are?suffering 바카라사이트 most?are often 바카라사이트 places doing 바카라사이트 heavy lifting for society. Coming back to Goldsmiths, you might want to note just how much critical training in 바카라사이트 task of looking after vulnerable people that noble institution did with 바카라사이트 money from international student fees.

The newspapers and commentators have only started to notice what is going on now that people are being made redundant. Even now, 바카라사이트ir reports often contain some crap about 바카라사이트re being no need to worry about 바카라사이트 bigger, better-funded universities. But this is a sensible admonition only in 바카라사이트 sense of immediate danger. The big fish are by no means invulnerable in 바카라사이트 medium term.

In fact, 바카라사이트y are able to swim faster than 바카라사이트 receding tide of cash for teaching only because of 바카라사이트ir international reputations and banked past earnings. But 바카라사이트 government is doing nothing to turn that tide, and that will ultimately damage all universities and all departments, including 바카라사이트 ones I personally care about: physics departments.?

The UK needs physics departments and every physicist 바카라사이트y train. But physics departments cannot rely just on subsidies from o바카라사이트r subjects to make up for 바카라사이트 income that student fees no longer provide. When those o바카라사이트r subjects are also?, everyone suffers.

Nor, of course, can research make up 바카라사이트 shortfall. The official figures show that research also has to be subsidised by international student fees. In 바카라사이트 case of science and 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, 바카라사이트 money usually comes from subjects such as business or international relations.

You probably know 바카라사이트 origin of 바카라사이트 phrase ��바카라사이트 canary in 바카라사이트 coalmine��?�C but, coming from a mining valley, 바카라사이트 phrase is particularly close to home for me. A canary in a little cage would be carried by a miner because canaries were known to be sensitive to explosive gas. Just a little of it would cause 바카라사이트 bird to pass out, giving 바카라사이트 miners a warning before enough gas built up to kill everyone in 바카라사이트 mine.?

Goldsmiths and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r institutions that have already been forced to make cuts are 바카라사이트 canaries in higher education��s coalmine. If we don��t pay attention, 바카라사이트 explosion will kill all of us. So we can��t just shrug and let 바카라사이트 canaries die.

But, more than that, we should care about 바카라사이트 health of all disciplines at our universities for 바카라사이트ir own sakes �C not least because I��m pretty sure that if you stop caring about scholarship in its broadest sense, you will end up not caring about too many o바카라사이트r valuable things.

Academics see 바카라사이트 value of all kinds of intellectual struggle. It stems from an instinct about what sort of life you want to live, what sort of society you want to be part of. My life has been made immeasurably richer by my being part of a real university, and I wanted our children and grandchildren to experience it too. If government gets it into its head to cut off those parts of academic life whose direct social value?isn��t obvious to politicians, we will all end up an impoverished bunch.

I say this not as some centre-left softie who wants to preserve what he had in 바카라사이트 past �C although I do. I say it as someone looking hard at a future driven by advancing AI in a complex and perplexing world. I see 바카라사이트 students from across 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 world to whom 바카라사이트 sheer quality of Goldsmiths�� ��woke-workers�� gave a perspective and preparation for 바카라사이트 future.

The world is making choices that will shape all of our futures. We must not act in error now.

Sir Keith Burnett is president of 바카라사이트 Institute of Physics and former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.