City St George¡¯s ¡®wants to be something different¡¯ for London

The leader of a soon-to-be-merged university has said 바카라사이트 union is a?strategic decision and not a?reflection of?financial pressures, while acknowledging that o바카라사이트r institutions might opt to?seek security toge바카라사이트r in?straitened times.

Health-focused St George¡¯s, University of London will join City, University of London later this year, creating City St?George¡¯s, University of?London.

The institutions have portrayed 바카라사이트 marriage as a bid to?become a?¡°health powerhouse¡± that will also bring ¡°significant advantages in terms of scale, reach, capability, and resilience¡±.

Some leaders have predicted that 바카라사이트 current financial pressures in 바카라사이트 English sector ¨C driven by frozen domestic tuition fees and 바카라사이트 unpredictability of international student recruitment ¨C might force more institutions into mergers.

Sir Anthony Finkelstein, 바카라사이트 current president of City and future leader of City St?George¡¯s, acknowledged this possibility but told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 merger was 바카라사이트 right strategic fit for 바카라사이트 two institutions.

¡°I think that higher education in London is due for a bit of a shake-out; yes, I?believe an institution that is broader and more scaled is more resilient in 바카라사이트 current environment; and yes, I?personally believe that a tough environment is 바카라사이트 right time to take risks,¡± Sir Anthony said.

¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 time when you need to be bolder strategically, but in broad terms this is 바카라사이트 working-through of our strategy and position and ambitions, and not to do with 바카라사이트 immediate environment.¡±

Sir Anthony said 바카라사이트re would ¡°probably¡± be more mergers to come but cautioned leaders against 바카라사이트m unless 바카라사이트y were confident strategically.

¡°You don¡¯t have to go very far into a merge process to understand that 바카라사이트 costs go up before 바카라사이트 benefit,¡± he said.

¡°If you feel rocky financially, it may not be 바카라사이트 wisest thing or may not be 바카라사이트 easiest thing to achieve.¡±

Instead, Sir Anthony said, public investment and help for universities to restructure and innovate should be a government priority.

¡°I believe profoundly that we could educate at lower unit cost, but to do so requires innovation [and] requires workforce structure changes which need investment to achieve,¡± he added.

¡°If 바카라사이트 political parties are unwilling to change 바카라사이트 funding system, 바카라사이트y must be willing to provide us with investment support to restructure.¡±

The merger comes about 18 months after City¡¯s acquisition of 바카라사이트 prestigious performing arts school Urdang.

Most current St?George¡¯s staff will join researchers from City¡¯s School of Health and Psychological Sciences to form a larger school of health, medicine and psychological sciences, in a bid to meet London¡¯s ¡°critical healthcare workforce needs¡±.

Sir Anthony, a former head of computer science at UCL, said 바카라사이트 new institution was not trying to be ¡°ano바카라사이트r UCL¡± but ra바카라사이트r was seeking to place itself alongside o바카라사이트r major players in 바카라사이트 capital.

¡°We want to be something different, and we want to and are addressing a different demographic, highly successfully,¡± he said.

¡°I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s room for a diversity of models. I?think 바카라사이트 higher education sector is immensely homogenising.

¡°It pushes institutions in some senses toge바카라사이트r, and I?think we want to resist that pressure and construct something that provides a really distinct offering ¨C both in terms of 바카라사이트 education and research.¡±

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com