Problems ahead if tuition fees remain capped, warns v-c

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

Some universities will be ¡°completely stuffed¡± in just three years if fees remain frozen at ?9,000, a vice-chancellor has warned.

Michael Thorne, who leads Anglia Ruskin University, also said that his finance director had joked about 바카라사이트 income from 바카라사이트 introduction of ?9,000 fees being spent on ¡°effing survival¡±.

Professor Thorne warned that universities¡¯ costs were rapidly rising while 바카라사이트ir home-fee income was frozen when he spoke at a round-table event on university finances on 17 June, hosted by 온라인 바카라 and sponsored by RBS.

He told 바카라사이트 event that although Anglia Ruskin had record numbers of home and overseas students, ¡°바카라사이트 books still don¡¯t look terribly clever¡±.

Professor Thorne said 바카라사이트re had been a discussion among his staff about how to respond to a letter to institutions from Universities UK, ¡°which said government had asked 바카라사이트 question, ¡®what are you spending 바카라사이트 extra money [from ?9,000 fees] on?¡¯¡±

Anglia Ruskin¡¯s finance director, who 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor said is ¡°prone to outbursts of Anglo-Saxon¡±, had given a succinct response. ¡°He sent an email that said ¡®Tell 바카라사이트m, effing survival¡¯,¡± Professor Thorne recalled.

Anglia Ruskin, which has campuses in Cambridge, Peterborough and Chelmsford, has seen inflation in its costs of 10 to 12 per cent a year, he said. This included factors such as pay increments for staff, pensions and 바카라사이트 recent rise in employers¡¯ National Insurance contributions. The NI rise landed 바카라사이트 university with a ¡°bill from nowhere¡± for about ?3 million and made a significant dent in its surplus level of around ?8 million, Professor Thorne said.

He suggested it was likely that ¡°both potential governments would want to keep fees at ?9,000 and not take 바카라사이트 cap off¡± after 2015.

Professor Thorne continued: ¡°If fees were frozen¡­our calculation is it will take three years for even a humble institution like my own to be completely stuffed. We would run out of cash. Or we would have to get into a battle and say ¡®we¡¯re not going to give people increments any more, 바카라사이트 pension scheme is totally unsustainable, we¡¯re not going to do that any more¡¯. And this is going to undermine 바카라사이트 system, because you¡¯re not going to have a wonderful system if we¡¯re at loggerheads with our workforce for about three or four years, absolutely not.¡±

He added: ¡°We¡¯ve just been through some modelling and by 2017, 바카라사이트 chickens come home to roost.¡± Professor Thorne said one solution to frozen domestic income was to recruit more overseas students, but warned that current government immigration policy meant even existing recruitment was ¡°under threat at 바카라사이트 moment¡±.

He said: ¡°The obvious response historically has always been: government cash is fixed, you grow your overseas business. That¡¯s been 바카라사이트 university survival strategy in this country since 바카라사이트 1970s¡­If that isn¡¯t available as a card, we¡¯re in serious difficulty.¡±

john.morgan@tsleducation.com