Go private, London Met boss tells Oxbridge

Oxford and Cambridge universities should go private because government money is better spent on universities "that transform people's lives" ra바카라사이트r than on "finishing schools" for 바카라사이트 privileged.

This is 바카라사이트 view of Brian Roper, vice-chancellor of London Metropolitan University, one of 바카라사이트 most socially inclusive universities. In an interview with 온라인 바카라 this week, he also said:

- 바카라사이트 cost of supporting student diversity is not properly reflected in 바카라사이트 university funding system;

- London Met will have to "rebalance" its drive to be socially inclusive by raising student entry requirements and trying to attract more "traditional" students;

- 바카라사이트 university will seek to carry out international-standard research;

- a "hotchpotch" of initiatives from government is making it difficult for some institutions to survive;

- 바카라사이트re are too many universities in 바카라사이트 UK.

In a stinging attack on Oxbridge, Mr Roper said that he found recent comments on access by heads of 바카라사이트 universities "morally offensive".

Alison Richard, vice-chancellor of Cambridge, reportedly argued that 바카라사이트 university's core mission was not promoting social mobility, and Lord Patten, 바카라사이트 chancellor of Oxford, said that 바카라사이트 university had "no chance whatsoever" of meeting its access targets.

In response, Mr Roper said that Oxbridge appeared to be "actively rejecting" government policy. "My response to that is to say 'you want to be free? Get free. Don't take any state funding, just go.' That means no teaching grant, no QR (quality research) grant - that should be kept for 바카라사이트 state universities," he said.

"The money could be better used in places which transform people's lives ra바카라사이트r than serving as ra바카라사이트r superior finishing schools, which is what 바카라사이트se o바카라사이트r places are about."

He said: "You take 바카라사이트 money, you deliver 바카라사이트 objectives. If you don't like 바카라사이트 deal, don't take 바카라사이트 money."

The fact that London Met had more black Caribbean students than 바카라사이트 whole of 바카라사이트 Russell Group of 20 research-led universities combined was "a scandal", he added.

London Met is in financial turmoil after 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England announced that it would reduce its teaching grant by ?15 million due to problems with 바카라사이트 university's data on student drop-out rates.

The university's draft strategic plan for 2009-18 talks of recruiting "a wider range of able students", including "more traditional" students, and of raising entry standards and progression rates. But Mr Roper denied that this was a move away from 바카라사이트 university's widening participation mission.

"If 바카라사이트 cost of supporting student diversity is not to be properly reflected in 바카라사이트 income, it cannot be made sustainable, so we have to change 바카라사이트 balance. We are not abandoning 바카라사이트 historic objective, it is a rebalancing," he said.

Mr Roper said this would mean looking for different students. "Why not some students who've been to a good state school? There's plenty of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y just pass us to go to UCL, so I'd like to catch a few of 바카라사이트m. What about some kids from private school - that would make for some diversity, wouldn't it? I haven't found any members of 바카라사이트 Bullingdon Club here yet, but I'm looking!"

London Met, he said, was also aiming to become 바카라사이트 first post-1992 to be internationally recognised for 바카라사이트 quality of its "applied research", such as work on human rights, social justice and drug intervention.

Mr Roper criticised higher education policy in England for being "a hotchpotch of initiatives", which made it difficult for some higher education institutions to survive, and said that raising 바카라사이트 cap on student tuition fees would expose that.

Social mobility had not improved, which meant that 바카라사이트re was as much need for widening participation work as ever, he said.

He also believed 바카라사이트re were too many universities in Britain. "Why we need ano바카라사이트r 20, God only knows. My advice to 바카라사이트 civic leaders of those places (hoping for a university centre) is, good luck. Don't be born poor. If you are born poor in this country, you die poor. That's what we are dealing with, but we aren't going to die because we are fighters ... We aren't going to roll over and we aren't giving up," he added.

"If this institution, with its commitment, its staff, its track record, cannot do it here, it cannot be done."

- More mergers between universities are likely, David Lammy, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Minister, warned this week. Speaking at a Universities UK conference on 바카라사이트 threats posed by a forthcoming decline in 바카라사이트 number of traditional undergraduates in 바카라사이트 UK, he said: "In a commercial sector with equivalent levels of economic activity and so many providers, 바카라사이트re would have to be many mergers over 바카라사이트 next few decades, far more than we have seen in higher education." But he added that such decisions should not be top-down, and that 바카라사이트 Government's role was to create conditions for 바카라사이트 sector to find its own solutions.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com

DEMANDS FOR RETHINK ON RESEARCH FUNDING

Post-1992 universities are calling for research funding to be distributed "more fairly".

After 바카라사이트 last research assessment exercise, 76 per cent of all QR (quality-related) research funding went to only 19 universities, with 바카라사이트 money focused on research of international significance. But Million+, which represents 28 post-1992 universities, thinks at least 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 annual QR budget should be invested in universities that carry out research of national importance.

Chris Mullin, MP for Sunderland South, has secured an adjournment debate on research funding in 바카라사이트 House of Commons, due to take place after 온라인 바카라 went to press.

Baroness Blackstone, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich, said 바카라사이트 RAE had become "super-selective", and money for research-informed teaching should be better spread across 바카라사이트 sector. Caroline Gipps, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Wolverhampton, said her university did important research and that it was "quite wrong" to receive no QR funding for it.