By Bruce Robbins

THE SCOTTISH Executive is running out of time to close an ever-widening funding gap between Scottish and English universities, Principal Bernard King yesterday told Abertay University’s summer graduation ceremony in Dundee.

He told graduands and their guests at the Caird Hall that there had been much debate about the best way of funding Scotland’s higher education institutions but added, “now is the time for words to begin to give way to actions”.

His address was made amongst the academic pomp and pageantry of a university graduation in a venue thronged with almost 3000 graduands, family and friends.

In both morning and afternoon ceremonies, almost 1000 degrees were conferred upon Abertay graduands.

Amongst those were honorary degrees for Sir Ranulph Fiennes (Doctor of Science), Dr Chris Masters (Doctor of Education), Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Doctor of Technology), and Professor Dave Ulrich (Doctor of Business Administration).

Professor King highlighted the university’s many achievements but said the funding issue had to be sorted out—and quickly.

He said, “Time is running out. We need to get down to the nitty-gritty of what we are actually going to do.

“Tough choices will be needed in the spending review this autumn. What exactly are we going to do in Scotland about the disparity between English universities controlling their own futures and growing rich through top-up fees paid directly to them, and Scottish universities reliant on centrally- controlled funding?

“Tough talking will be needed in the review of UK HE (higher education) planned for 2009. What is Britain as a whole going to do about its laggardly performance in the knowledge economy stakes, and how is it going to fund the new Prime Minister’s commitment to increasing the share of GDP invested in HE?

“And finally, tough luck on us if we don’t get it right!”

Professor King welcomed recent announcements from Holyrood and Westminster indicating that both the UK and the Scottish governments appreciated the need for a “deeper and broader skills base and for stronger, more productive connections between the innovation and excellence of universities and the economy at large”.

He said, “However, a high-growth, fast-lane economy not only needs next-generation businesses supported but also needs next- generation universities backed by some serious funding.

“A mass higher education system on the cheap will simply not deliver the graduates’ attributes essential for a knowledge economy.

“Few can seriously claim to be unaware of these important issues. But, in an extremely competitive world which is already in the fast lane, perhaps now is the time for words to begin to give way to actions.”

For those graduands wondering what relevance his message had for them, he added, “It is simply this: as universities become ever more important to support the knowledge economy of the future, you as the owners of that knowledge economy, will want to know that the engine of the economy is being properly run and funded.

“You, after all, will be paying taxes to support it and it’s your jobs I’m talking about.”