At the start of 2015 many questions are in the air. Will tuition fees rise or fall after the general election? What impact will lifting the student numbers cap have on teaching quality and social mobility? Will international students continue to be included in immigration figures? If the government does not increase research spending, will the UK lose its global science lead?
We speak to vice-chancellors about what they want to see included in party manifestos ahead of the 2015 general election and their expectations for the year ahead.
Nigel Carrington, vice-chancellor, University of the Arts London
The UK still leads the world in creative education and the creative industries – one of our biggest economic sectors. Unfortunately, our policymakers are eroding creative education at secondary level and are apparently blind to the threat from other countries. Developing economies such as China have looked carefully at creative universities in the UK and US, and want what we’ve got and are investing hugely to get it.
Every manifesto needs to recognise that creativity is already the key economic differentiator across all industries; to strengthen the talent supply chain into the creative industries by recognising the importance of arts subjects at every educational level, as is happening for Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects; and attract rather than kick out high value international students to keep the brain drain operating in our favour.
Don Nutbeam, vice-chancellor, University of Southampton
The treatment of current and potential international university students is already indefensible and acting against the national interest. Some current proposals are absurd, and have the potential to make our dire situation even worse. The political manifestos need to make it clear that international students are welcome to UK universities. They are a significant source of life and diversity in the student body that benefits all students, including and especially UK students. They bring massive social and economic benefits to the UK while they are here, and help us develop long-term international partnerships once they return home. I want to see manifestos that welcome these students and sweep aside the xenophobic, unworkable, ineffective and highly offensive hurdles that we put in their way.
For me, the financial case is secondary. But that case is strong. Higher education is one of the UK’s top 10 export industries, valued at over £10bn per year. In what other major business sector would you systematically drive away customers from an export market at this early stage in the economic recovery?
Nick Petford, vice-chancellor, University of Northampton
Bring back the student numbers cap for institutions. I am not convinced its removal was the right thing. It looks set to inject even more uncertainty into an already volatile sector and I am worried the student experience will suffer as a result. I’d also like a commitment to a manned mission to Mars. The world needs something positive to focus on beyond our increasingly fraught and disparate geographical and political boundaries. It also fits the Stem agenda rather well.
David Greenaway, vice-chancellor, University of Nottingham
I’d like to see a strong commitment to the UK science base. All the evidence tells us that in the UK we punch way above our weight – we’re second only to the US, in terms of the quality of output and winning major prizes, like Nobel prizes and so on. That’s despite the fact we’re not as well resourced. But our position is a bit fragile, given the growing international competition.
I’d also like to see a new government look at ways of making philanthropy more attractive – that’s really important to North American universities, for instance. This is partly down to cultural reasons, but it’s also partly because there are stronger tax advantages attached to supporting North American universities philanthropically.
Dame Julia King, vice-chancellor, Aston University
We need to see a commitment to the university model of scholarship, where institutions are excellent at both teaching and research. This way, research can genuinely inform teaching. The government should increase research funding and support excellence wherever it’s found. I’d also like to see a commitment to widening participation, and support for institutions that do it well, helping them with outreach to local schools and their local community, and helping with support for students already in our universities.
John Vinney, vice-chancellor, Bournemouth University
I’d like the government to fund excellence in research wherever it is found, rather than concentrating on a limited number of universities. There is a pervasive myth that the best research happens in traditional research-intensive universities and that critical mass is essential to effective research, and this myth seems to be influencing a lot of government policy. But a 2011 report by University Alliance demonstrated conclusively that quality is a driver of scale and not vice-versa; an analysis of RAE 2008 clearly showed that small and medium-sized departments performed as well as, and often better than, the largest departments.
Simon Gaskell, principal of Queen Mary University of London
There is very little slack in universities in terms of the coverage or cost of education. I’d like to see all party manifestos maintain education-related income to universities. One might hope for an increase in that support in parallel with implicated costs, though I think that’s unrealistic. The Labour party clearly hasn’t made up it’s mind about £6,000 fees: I understand from them that if they were to push forward with £6,000 fees, universities would have some assurance about making up the difference through an enhanced grant from Higher Education Funding Council for England. I and many others have expressed some scepticism about whether that commitment will be robust.
Margaret House, vice-chancellor at Leeds Trinity University
The government has started putting a greater emphasis on teacher training within schools, rather than universities. Ideally I’d like to see a reversal of that process: it’s degrading the value of teacher training qualifications. At the very least we need some indication of the role universities will play going forward.
Bob Cryan, vice-chancellor, University of Huddersfield
I would like to see all political parties recognise that higher education is an investment for the benefit of UK PLC. The narrative has been deliberately changed to subsidies and loans whereas we should be talking about investing in our collective future and putting in a sustainable funding model.
David Latchman, master of Birkbeck, University of London
Funding should be reinstated for people who have already done a degree and want to do another. Current policy, which doesn’t allow this, is completely counter to the idea that people should reorient themselves through their working lives - rather than just getting a job at 18 or 20 years old and staying there for 30-40 years. We are very supportive of the idea of postgraduate loans, but disappointed that at the age of 30 your value in society seems to disappear, in that you’re not worth a loan. I’d like to see this nonsensical age restriction removed.
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What would you like to see included in party manifestos this year? Tweet us @gdnhighered using the hashtag #HEin2015 or have your say in the comments below.
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