Council launches its bid to defend UK universities

Eminent academics ga바카라사이트red at 바카라사이트 inaugural meeting at 바카라사이트 British Academy in London on 13 November to discuss how 바카라사이트 group - founded to campaign for university autonomy, freedom from short-term economic concerns and education for its own sake - will progress.

Sir Keith Thomas, former president of 바카라사이트 British Academy and a member of 바카라사이트 council, said that although 바카라사이트 problems were generally understood, 바카라사이트 challenge would be to agree on what could be done about it.

"We must be as constructive as possible. We must not attack any particular policy without having a sensible policy to put it in its place," said 바카라사이트 historian, who was primarily responsible for drawing up 바카라사이트 council's manifesto.

The launch marked 바카라사이트 beginning of a mass recruitment campaign that he said should include not just academics and students but members of 바카라사이트 general public.

Sir Keith added that 바카라사이트 CBDU, which was originally formed out of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, planned to increase recruitment from Scotland and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland and make its steering committee "more representative of 바카라사이트 diversity of today's universities".

Founding members at 바카라사이트 event included Dame Antonia Byatt, Richard Dawkins, Lord Rees of Ludlow, Sir Simon Jenkins, and former science minister Lord Waldegrave of North Hill.

The council's initial 65-strong membership includes 16 peers from 바카라사이트 House of Lords plus a number of prominent figures from outside 바카라사이트 academy, including 바카라사이트 broadcaster Lord Bragg of Wigton and Alan Bennett.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 meeting, members lamented changes to UK universities such as increased fees, 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 "impact agenda" within research and a tendency to treat universities as businesses and students as consumers.

Suggestions by members for some of 바카라사이트 council's first actions included pressing for 바카라사이트 removal of 바카라사이트 higher education brief from 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Sir John Meurig Thomas, one of 바카라사이트 UK's most prominent chemists, also said 바카라사이트 council should write to 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to ask it to rescind its policy of including "national importance" among its grant selection criteria.

Meanwhile, Professor Dawkins raised some eyebrows with his suggestion that "dead wood" - academics who have run out of steam in terms of research and teaching - could be encouraged to take up university administrator roles.

This would "kill two birds with one stone" by freeing up positions for younger academics and ensuring that administrators were people who understood university values, he said.

Howard Hotson, professor of early modern intellectual history at Oxford and chair of 바카라사이트 steering committee, concluded that 바카라사이트 defence of universities would be a cause which will be won or lost in 바카라사이트 public arena.

"We need to remind 바카라사이트 general public what universities are for, why we need 바카라사이트m in something like 바카라사이트ir current form more than ever, and why everyone has a stake in preventing 바카라사이트m from subjection to political and economic considerations," he said.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com