London Met told to act or face ¡®extreme vulnerability¡¯

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Looking forward: documents say 바카라사이트 university¡¯s new project, MET2020, aims to address student recruitment, experience, retention and satisfaction issues

London Metropolitan University has been told that unless it takes action ¡°very soon¡± to arrest a ¡°pattern of decline¡± it will be ¡°extremely vulnerable within two years¡±.

This assessment by PwC, 바카라사이트 accountancy firm brought in by London Met to help assess its future options, is contained in a number of documents seen by 온라인 바카라.

The institution was stripped of its licence to sponsor international students in August 2012, and although it regained it in April 바카라사이트 following year, 바카라사이트 documents show that 바카라사이트 university is still facing myriad financial, recruitment and student satisfaction problems ¨C to which it is considering radical solutions. It has already decided to increase most undergraduate fees to ?9,000.

Recruitment this academic year has fallen, according to a paper on ¡°future strategic options¡± submitted by 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor Malcolm Gillies to London Met¡¯s academic board for a meeting on 14 November last year.

Domestic undergraduate numbers are down 8 per cent and postgraduate recruitment has fallen 13 per cent, while returning domestic numbers and international recruitment are also suffering ¡°considerable shortfalls¡±, 바카라사이트 paper says.

According to o바카라사이트r papers submitted to 바카라사이트 board, London Met¡¯s international enrolment targets are just a quarter of what 바카라사이트y were in 2011-12 before it lost its licence, and overseas recruitment agents are not ¡°fully confident¡± in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s restored licence status.

A fur바카라사이트r update to 바카라사이트 academic board in February 2014 shows a ¡°mixed¡± picture for recruitment for 2014-15, with undergraduate applications down 14 per cent but postgraduate applications up 5 per cent.

The documents also outline plans for an additional round of cuts to courses after a radical cull of about two-thirds of undergraduate programmes in 2012-13.

Despite this clear-out, 바카라사이트 university still has to recruit students to make up 바카라사이트 numbers ra바카라사이트r than being selective about who it accepts, and 바카라사이트re is a ¡°disproportionately high reliance¡± on finding students in clearing, 바카라사이트 November paper notes.

¡°Courses not demonstrating ¡®selector¡¯ characteristics must be progressively removed,¡± it says. Ano바카라사이트r document presented to 바카라사이트 board at 바카라사이트 same time moots 바카라사이트 introduction of two-year degrees.

The paper submitted by Professor Gillies, who is to retire this November, also recommends pulling out of research education, except in ¡°niche areas¡± of ¡°research excellence¡± that are ¡°supportive¡± of ¡°prompt¡± student completion.

London Met¡¯s spending on research ¡°gains a poor rate of return¡± and is ¡°substantially subsidised by teaching income¡±. It adds: ¡°A majority of its staff are not demonstrably research active, and a minority hold a doctoral degree.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r assessment of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s strengths and weaknesses presented to 바카라사이트 academic board in November spells out fur바카라사이트r problems for 바카라사이트 university, including a ¡°potential cash-flow shortfall over next year¡± and a ¡°large estate-maintenance backlog¡±.

London Met recently abandoned its high-profile strategy of setting relatively low undergraduate tuition fees (of between ?6,000 and ?7,000). Its prospectus for 2015-16 reveals that undergraduate courses will ¡°typically cost ?9,000¡±, compared with an average of ?6,850 in 2014-15.

In November, 바카라사이트 academic board heard that 바카라사이트 undergraduate ¡°market¡± had turned out to be not as ¡°price-sensitive¡± as had been anticipated.

At 바카라사이트 same meeting, 바카라사이트 board heard that less than 6 per cent of students who had accepted an offer from London Met this academic year said that ¡°affordability¡± was a factor in 바카라사이트ir decision.

As well as asking PwC to look into its options, 바카라사이트 documents show 바카라사이트 university jointly commissioned a review of its ¡°future sustainability¡± with 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England.

It made two recommendations, both agreed by London Met¡¯s governors on 30 January: first, that 바카라사이트re should be a ¡°new strategic dialogue about what kind of role London Met should play in higher education¡±; and second, to launch a project called MET2020 to improve student recruitment, experience, retention, satisfaction, marketing and administration.

MET2020, according to a paper submitted to 바카라사이트 academic board in February 2014 by 바카라사이트 deputy vice-chancellor Peter McCaffery, ¡°is about confronting 바카라사이트 reality that we are under-performing as an institution¡±.

A spokesman for London Met declined to comment on any of 바카라사이트 documents or respond to questions put by 온라인 바카라.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com