Leave the old tunes behind

Think back to the olden days, pre-pandemic, and you may recall that much of the debate about higher education in the UK was conducted in terms of value. Value to fee-paying students, value to the taxpayer, and value to society more broadly.

There is every chance that the organ grinders will restart this tune as we move out of the worst that Covid-19 had to throw at us, so will universities be better placed to respond?

On one side of the ledger, there is the small matter of science and research paving the path out of the crisis, and the government seems committed to putting R&D at the heart of its effort to rebuild.

If participation in higher education is a measure of support, then that too is strong – and during a recession will remain so, particularly if universities can do more to address reskilling.

On the other hand, there has been a resurgence of the culture wars this year, and the vultures will soon circle over any universities that find themselves in difficult financial circumstances.

Given how persistent rumours of universities teetering on the brink have been over the past five to 10 years, a pandemic might be expected to represent not so much a straw that breaks a few backs, but a Californian redwood crashing down on overburdened institutional spines.

However, when I spoke recently to four vice-chancellors from England, Scotland and Wales, from Russell Group institutions and modern universities, there was no sense of panic. Indeed, all four of those who took part in the panel discussion at THE Live said that they were confident in their financial position, although they had made pragmatic decisions early in the Covid-19 crisis about projects to put on hold (including significant estates schemes) alongside other cost-saving measures.

Be that as it may, as we report in our news pages, there is reason to believe that quite a few institutions are in financial difficulty and many more will be looking ahead to 2021 with some trepidation, with any ongoing impact on international student flows and the new relationship with the European Union looming large.

In this context, it was surprising that Sir Michael Barber, the outgoing chair of the Office for Students, picked this moment to chastise universities for talking about the value of autonomy then calling for “bailouts” to prevent failure last week. It seemed a particularly odd intervention when financial assistance has been provided to so many sectors and organisations during this exceptional crisis.

The financial health of higher education is, of course, a matter of great national concern.

One of the key government agendas put on hold by the pandemic was the ambition to “level up” the UK, with greater support and investment in areas that had been left behind in recent decades.

Any serious return to that aspiration would have to be built at least in part around universities, which are almost unique as anchor institutions distributed across all areas of the country, and with the tools to deliver not just degrees but skills, R&D, employment and any number of other interventions that sit within what might be termed their civic mission.

If you buy that argument, then of course we need to maintain the strength and capacity of our higher education system in all its multifaceted, geographically dispersed glory.

The importance of appropriate financial support to advance diversity is equally applicable to individuals as it is to institutions, and in our opinion pages we have a piece reflecting on how crucial it is to ensure that poverty is not a barrier to postgraduate study in particular, if the UK is to have a research base (and teaching staff) that reflects the country.

A similar point was made in an editorial by Nature last week, reflecting on a survey that found a steep increase in financial distress among postdocs in the US and Europe.

These early career researchers, it pointed out, “are the future of science, and the lifeblood of the research workforce. If they don’t receive some extra financial help soon, research – and society as a whole – will bear the consequence.”

If the pandemic has shown us one thing, it is the importance of having a research base that is ready to ride to our rescue when we need it – any investment in securing that pales into insignificance when you consider the alternative.

john.gill@timeshighereducation.com