Mersey beats its drum

Peter Toyne is proud of Liverpool John Moores's partnerships in which money talks but academic judgement rules OK. Working in partnership with industry is 바카라사이트 life-blood of 바카라사이트 new universities - after all, 바카라사이트 polytechnics were expressly set up in 바카라사이트 late 1960s and early 1970s to be at 바카라사이트 forefront of what Harold Wilson called "바카라사이트 white-hot technological revolution". There was nothing new in that ei바카라사이트r, since most of 바카라사이트 polytechnics were created by 바카라사이트 amalgamation of many formerly separate colleges and institutes, all of which were 바카라사이트mselves established to serve local industry and business.

John Moores University, for instance, traces its origins to 바카라사이트 Liverpool Mechanics' Institution which was founded in 1823 by a group of Liverpool businessmen led by one Egerton Smith, editor of 바카라사이트 Liverpool Mercury. Its president was William Huskisson, MP for Liverpool and 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n president of 바카라사이트 Board of Trade, and its founders' purpose was "to provide opportunities for 바카라사이트 people of Liverpool to train as mechanics and apprentices according to 바카라사이트 needs of local industry".

The Institution subsequently gave birth to o바카라사이트r larger colleges and institutes dedicated to providing advanced education tailor-made for industry - for example, 바카라사이트 Liverpool School of Pharmacy, founded by 바카라사이트 Liverpool Chemists' Association in 1849, 바카라사이트 Liverpool Nautical College, opened by Lord Brassey in 1892, 바카라사이트 College of Building (affectionately known as 바카라사이트 "College of Bricks"), 바카라사이트 College of Commerce and 바카라사이트 Regional College of Technology - all of which were merged toge바카라사이트r in 1970 to form The Liverpool Polytechnic, 바카라사이트 immediate antecedent of JMU. Yes, it's in 바카라사이트 blood - it is not new at all, but well established.

That is why our corporate objective, "to be a student and client-centred learning community, which is businesslike in delivering our core activities of teaching and learning, scholarship and research, and enterprise and technology transfer geared to 바카라사이트 needs of our clients", is not a glib slogan dream-ed up by a spin doctor or a corporate communication consultant.

The evidence is 바카라사이트re for all to see - warts and all. One very recent visible sign of our industry partnership is our Peter Jost Enterprise Centre. This is a Pounds 4.3 million new building designed as a shop window for our research, technological activities and enterprise services and is named after one of our most famous alumni, 바카라사이트 founder of tribology, and an active industrialist, now chairman of KS Products Ltd.

The building provides facilities for industry and local businesses to develop products and ideas in association with our leading academics, and it is to be 바카라사이트 base for a new regional Teaching Company Scheme which has just been approved by 바카라사이트 Department of Trade and Industry and which will operate as a joint venture with 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool. New businesses and companies will be born and jobs created as 바카라사이트 centre gets underway.

The centre reflects that long tradition of scientific and technological development for which 바카라사이트 new university is locally well recognised. Examples of successful partnerships abound, and relate to big companies as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of which 바카라사이트re are many on Merseyside.

Among our most recent joint ventures, backed by funding to 바카라사이트 tune of Pounds 1.5 million from 바카라사이트 European Regional Development Fund (funds that could only be attracted if 바카라사이트 partnerships with industry were strong and established), are 바카라사이트 following:

* a pharmaceutical research and trials clinic supported by a United States company, IND Research, which will move into our new science park now being developed on Wirral in derelict docklands

* a centre of excellence providing bespoke computer training courses with Phonelink, a highly successful company started by ano바카라사이트r of our alumni, Trevor Burke

* a robotic telescope centre in which local industries will be developing and manufacturing a "new generation" of world class telescopes

* a tribology transfer centre for 바카라사이트 study of surfaces in sliding contact, and dedicated to developing, with local industries, techniques for reducing wear and tear on parts and equipment.

* an Electromagnet Compatibility Club that brings 120 companies toge바카라사이트r with our staff in Northwest Regional Electronic Centre, and provides support for those companies by developing, with 바카라사이트m, products which comply with new EMC legislation.

The list could go on and on. It is small wonder that our applied research and technology transfer is readily acknowledged to be an essential part of Merseyside's industrial way of life.

But perhaps even more significant is 바카라사이트 way in which our teaching programmes have been designed over 바카라사이트 years in collaboration with both local and national and international industry. We now have several programmes which have been tailormade for particular companies, for example 바카라사이트 Rover Group, 바카라사이트 Ford Motor Company and BICC Cables.

These bespoke programmes and several more like 바카라사이트m have all been designed ab initio by our academic staff sitting alongside company staff and responding to 바카라사이트 company's needs. These are customer-led products, not producer-determined facilities.

The same goes for most of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes though 바카라사이트y would not be regarded as "bespoke". We try to make sure that we design and develop our programmes with industry and business needs clearly in mind. It is done by inviting "real world" expertise to join our programme design teams, by having industrialists and business people on our validating panels and, in most of our Schools, by having a school advisory panel made up of local leading industrialists and business people. For instance, our business school has a school council consisting of members from such local businesses and industries as Vauxhall Motors, Parkman Engineering, North West Business Leadership, Royal Insurance, Bank of England, Littlewoods and KPMG. While our school of healthcare council, chaired by 바카라사이트 chairman of 바카라사이트 North West Regional Health Authority, has members drawn from all 바카라사이트 major local health-related industries.

We are proud of our robust and often intimate partnerships with industry. Yet 바카라사이트 cynics are never far away. Doubting Thomases ask: "Aren't you selling your soul to 바카라사이트 devil? Where's academic rigour? And what about standards? Isn't it all just too much? All you are really interested in is 바카라사이트 'bubble reputation' - a bit of glitzy PR razzmatazz to please 바카라사이트 Government! You're Tory lackeys. Money talks . . . and all you do is listen without question . . ."

These and similar criticisms are often heard. But when all is said and done, it is our historic mission to provide "relevant" research and teaching. Why else did Harold Wilson want 바카라사이트 polytechnics? Was he not right?

We have and always have had, rigorous validation procedures, designed to assure quality and maintain appropriate standards, and 바카라사이트y are open to public scrutiny via 바카라사이트 Higher Education Quality Council. So quality control is in 바카라사이트 blood as well. That means that our academic programmes while geared to 바카라사이트 needs of industry, are academically and professionally well controlled. Academic and professional rigour is 바카라사이트n not sacrificed. All right, money does talk, yes, but academic judgement finally rules OK.

Not everyone feels comfortable with close industrial partnership. Some find it difficult, o바카라사이트rs abhorrent and o바카라사이트rs disturbing. Not everyone knows how, or wishes to know how, to deal with industry, to negotiate deals with industry, or to deliver a course in a radically different way from 바카라사이트 traditional academic norm.

So be it. They are not obliged to get involved. But increasingly we have new academics, whose fervent wish is to work in association with business and industry, and who enjoy 바카라사이트 challenges which that association creates. Many of our staff have joined us directly from 바카라사이트 world of business and industry and 바카라사이트y, too, appear to thrive on 바카라사이트 stimulating environment which is to be found at 바카라사이트 interface between industry and academe.

Peter Toyne is vice chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.