The Browne report advocates, in effect, the privatisation of higher
education in England. With the proposed removal of the current cap on
student fees and the removal of state funding from most undergraduate
degree programmes, universities are set for a period of major
reorganisation not seen since the higher education reforms in the
1960s.
This book brings together some of the leading figures in Higher
Education in the UK to set out what they see as the role of the
university in public life. The book argues for a more balanced
understanding of the value of universities than that outlined in the
Browne Report. It advocates that they should not purely be seen in terms
of their contribution to economic growth and the human capital of
individuals but also in terms of their contribution to the public.
This book responds to the key debates that the Browne review and
Government statements have sparked, with essays on the cultural
significance of the university, the role of the government in funding
research, inequality in higher education, the role of quangos in public
life and the place of social science research. It is a timely, important
and considered exploration of the role of the universities in the UK and
a reminder of what we should value and protect in our higher education
system.
