Chris Husbands: English sector calls for fee rise are ‘tone deaf’

Hear Hear! Well said and makes one greatly look forward to more pungent commentary from this freed-up ex-VC on the need for radical restructuring of the UK HE moribund model - writing, of course, admittedly as I am from ‘a medieval theme park’ by way of New College, Oxford(1379)! The industry should be asking itself how it can deliver what to whom in a far more efficient and economical way rather than for ever bleating on about under-funding of its current wasteful delivery model at a time when in the unlikely event of there being any spare taxpayer £s extra spending would achieve much greater value spent on primary education or in vocational further education than in HE. And good luck to Sheffield H in re-positioning itself as a dynamic hub for the delivery of tertiary education serving its regional economy and community. By the way, nothing was more vocational than Wykeham’s vision for what his ‘new’ college was meant to achieve from opening its gates in 1386.

I like the idea of a university as a Medaeival Theme Park. You turn up when you want, hear the greatest minds of the dsy telling you truly radical stuff, like the Earth isn't the centre of the Universe, it goes round the Sun, you had no REF or even an Human Resources Dept, the student clothing fashions are great, and the music in the refectory, wow that's truly fantastic. The main drawbacks are the Bubonic Plague and being put in the stocks if you got drunk on mead last night, but hey guys, really cool gowns in this heatwave.

Sir Chris is setting out what many Vice-Chancellors across the country believe in and are progressing in their institutions. The diversity we have across the sector is powerful and needed. The rather myopic vision of many politicians and journalists holds us back. We are all measured in the same way, we are all compared to each other through league tables and we are then surprised when innovation and collaboration is squashed! Let’s get real. We need diversity and we need to collaborate. Our sector and ecosystem is admired across the globe for its quality and outcomes. Now is the time for politicians, society, industry and university communities to come together to shape the future and deliver opportunity and hope as we face into a challenging next few years.