Should two universities go into one? The answer to that question could decide the fate of Abertay and Dundee universities and have serious implications for the city, the region and the future of Scottish higher education.
Why is the question being asked?
As Education Secretary Mike Russell explained last week: “The financial difficulties we face as a result of the UK Government’s contraction of public spending mean we have to make difficult decisions on how best to provide and deliver post-16 education in the future.”
Despite a cash injection from the Scottish Government’s spending review, higher education faces serious funding pressures. The growing number of universities, including St Andrews, which plan to charge tuition fees of £9,000 a year to students from other parts of the UK is testament to that.
Taxpayers already stump up £1.8 billion a year to help pay for colleges and universities, with another £500 million spent on student loans and other support.
A pre-legislative paper from the Government on post-16 education makes a case for “targeting our investment where we need to, driving up outcomes, encouraging more collaboration and securing greater efficiencies.”
It had been expected that Mr Russell would propose tie-ups between neighbouring colleges, such as the three in Tayside and the three in Fife, but he announced there was “room for some consolidation” among universities too.
New laws are planned for late 2012 which would give ministers and the Scottish Funding Council powers to “review the number and pattern of fundable bodies” and force through changes.
The paper adds: “Around the urban areas of Scotland there are often overlaps in provision between some of the more regional universities. In any approach which involves greater regionalisation, we believe the SFC should be charged to work more closely with universities to consider how such overlaps are best removed through greater collaboration or, where the case exists, merger.’Value for money'”The test would be the need to improve the value for money and coherence of provision.”
In other words, two can go into one.
So why is Abertay potentially a target? For a start it is relatively small about half the size of the average UK university and its campus is only a few minutes’ walk away from its much bigger neighbour Dundee University.
It went through a difficult few months as a messy dispute with long-serving principal Professor Bernard King was played out in public before finally being settled with his retiral. Questions were also raised about governance, with several university court members quitting.
The SFC has already called on Abertay to suspend its efforts to find a successor to Prof King, suggesting that the court should consider the changing landscape in post-16 education in Tayside before deciding what to do next.
There are concerns Abertay is being seen as a test case for the merger concept, with potentially serious implications for educational diversity, staff jobs and choice and accessibility for students.
Fending off that possibility will require the university to demonstrate that it deserves to continue standing on its own two feet and that it brings something distinctive to the Scottish educational landscape.
Academics are already gearing up for the fight.’Implacably opposed’Dr Andy Samuel, president of Abertay branch of the University and College Union, said: “We are implacably opposed to any forced merger with Dundee University or, for that matter, any other higher or further education institution in the Tayside area.
“Our independence as a university has allowed us to successfully establish ourselves as a leading player in addressing Scotland’s wider access agenda, facilitating non-traditional students, particularly from the Tayside region, through their educational journey, which ends here for many of these students with a good degree.
“It is only through our status as a university that we are able to ‘add academic value’ to these students’ journey a success story which is wholly in line with the Government’s post-16 education agenda and, more importantly, in a way that Dundee University is not geared up to do.
“Dundee University, as an independent institution, contributes in other important ways to higher education in the Tayside region.
“Furthermore, any merger would see huge redundancies across both Dundee institutions and would have a huge negative economic, social and cultural impact across the city.
“We would hope that Courier readers would help us in resisting any potential merger and argue for the independence of both institutions.”We will be campaigning against any merger of Dundee two universities. See The Courier every day for in-depth coverage.