¡®Hard choices¡¯ ahead as Spence mulls UCL¡¯s sustainability

Michael Spence is no stranger to large universities, having led, at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, an institution with more than 60,000 students on its books.

But 바카라사이트 said that ¡°hard choices¡± would have to be made?about 바카라사이트 scope of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s activities if it was not to become a 50,000-student campus over 바카라사이트 next few years.

UCL¡¯s recent expansion ¨C it had just 17,000 students as recently as 2005 but is now 바카라사이트 biggest in 바카라사이트 UK apart from 바카라사이트 Open University ¨C has been criticised by some scholars over its potential impact on academic quality and financial stability.

Dr Spence said that academics should acknowledge how 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s expansion to almost 44,000 students had been crucial for funding its activities. Recruiting international students had become particularly important for research-intensive universities in 바카라사이트 UK and Australia given 바카라사이트 ¡°increased cost of facilities and equipment for research and, for teaching, 바카라사이트 increased expectations for student experience, both inside and outside 바카라사이트 classroom¡±, he said.

But Dr Spence said that he was also keen to hear staff views on which activities 바카라사이트y deemed no longer essential for UCL as part of ¡°deep consultation with 바카라사이트 academic community¡± on 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s five-year strategic review, which?will begin this summer. His predecessor at UCL, Michael Arthur, faced long-running staff discontent over an allegedly top-down management style.

¡°If you are not going to grow in an unbridled way, you have to have a clear strategy about what you are ¨C and what you are not ¨C going to do,¡± said Dr Spence, who joined UCL in January. ¡°Some of 바카라사이트 questions we will be asking are: ¡®If 바카라사이트se are our aspirations and this is 바카라사이트 size and shape of university to fund those aspirations, do we need to think about changing our aspirations? Are 바카라사이트re things that we currently do that we ought not to do?¡¯¡±

Dr Spence, a former head of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s Social Sciences Division, acknowledged that ¡°바카라사이트re are ways in which we can get smarter and leaner in our administrative spend¡±.

But 바카라사이트 intellectual property expert, who oversaw?significant structural changes?at Sydney ¨C reducing 바카라사이트 number of faculties from 16 to six and condensing 122 undergraduate degrees into 25 core programmes ¨C indicated that finding cuts to professional support services may not be sufficient to balance 바카라사이트 books.

¡°We will need to make some hard choices in this strategy ¨C if 바카라사이트 institution is to remain sustainable and not simply to grow ¨C about what we want to do over 바카라사이트 next five years,¡± Dr Spence said.

There was a risk, he continued, that UCL was seen as a ¡°marvellous, slightly chaotic comprehensive metropolitan research university that just kept on growing and growing as its costs grew¡±, adding that ¡°at some point, you have to make a few decisions about what not to do [in order] to make things sustainable¡±.

The o바카라사이트r issue that has 바카라사이트 potential to put significant pressure on UCL¡¯s budget is international recruitment ¨C almost ?300 million of its ?1.5 billion annual income comes from non-European Union student fees ¨C amid continuing uncertainty about post-pandemic enrolments.

But Dr Spence was upbeat on this front, having already seen disastrous forecasts about an exodus of international students from Sydney?proved to be overly gloomy.

¡°We didn¡¯t need to make cuts in 바카라사이트 end ¨C our international students remained loyal and I think 바카라사이트 same will be true for UCL, so I don¡¯t predict any great reductions [in student numbers],¡± he said.

¡°UCL will be able to wea바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Covid storm, but 바카라사이트re is a wider long-term question about how a comprehensive research university achieves financial sustainability.¡±

Dr Spence returns to UK higher education when it?is facing growing criticism on a range of issues including, most recently, what some regard as a?free speech crisis?that has seen academics and guest speakers harassed and no platformed for 바카라사이트ir opinions.

Having seen similar scenes unfold in Australia, Dr Spence was sceptical about 바카라사이트 extent of this problem. ¡°Australia invited a judge to investigate and found 바카라사이트re wasn¡¯t a problem of free speech at its universities,¡± he reflected.

That said, he has concerns about 바카라사이트 rancorous nature of public debates in recent times.

¡°Do I think universities are always places where people disagree well? No, I don¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°We need to be better at admitting we¡¯re wrong, we need to be better at identifying 바카라사이트 real points of difference and not just create an enemy of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r.¡±

UCL¡¯s history of promoting ¡°disruptive thinking¡± ¨C it was 바카라사이트 first entirely secular UK university to admit students regardless of religion, and 바카라사이트 first to admit women on 바카라사이트 same grounds as men ¨C meant it had a particular duty in this regard, he added.

¡°Since 1826, we have seen ourselves as being provocative and passionate about ideas and that¡¯s great¡­as long as you are also good at listening and that is what we need to practise as an institution,¡± he said. ¡°We want people to feel 바카라사이트y can go to 바카라사이트 stake to defend 바카라사이트ir ideas but 바카라사이트y also have to be really good at listening.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com