Core concerns

Many thanks to Martin Haywood, chairman of the Association for University and Industry Liaison Officers, for offering guidance to the understandably confused citizens of higher education regarding our raison d'etre ("For the record", THES, March 26).

According to Haywood, wealth creation is now at the core of university life. So all that other old-hat stuff about "truth" and "wisdom" and "adding value" is now just a spin-off if we're lucky, then?

With 12 million people in the UK living on or below the poverty line, some might say it is high time that the ivory towers were put to practical use. Indeed, why stop at universities? Let's make wealth creation the core business of kindergartens, too!

Roll on, Brave New World.

Suzi Clark Middlesex University