Letter from London Blair’s last hurrah? There is every likelihood that Gordon Brown, the current chancellor of the exchequer (finance minister), will become prime minister when Tony Blair finally steps down soon. As that time gets nigh, interest is growing in the education policies he might introduce. He has already made it clear that he will continue to prioritise education, as did Tony Blair with his famous “education, education, education” mantra. Yet despite rising discontent, Blair is firmly in the saddle recently expressing that before surrendering the seals of office, he would like to complete the “unfinished business” of university funding. To this end he has announced a new government initiative under which universities will be encouraged to build corpuses with donations from alumni, corporates and philanthropists, through a government endorsed endowment scheme. Anyone who gives a cash gift to a university will receive a booster shot from the public exchequer, so that every £ 2 donated will be matched by £ 1 from the government. Up to 75 universities in England will be eligible under the scheme, while those without any fundraising departments will be given aid to establish fundraising centres. After permitting the controversial higher tuition fees chargeable by universities and pursuing his ambition to get 50 percent of young people into higher education by 2010, this radical new proposal by Blair is the logical next step in higher education reforms. The US is the most obvious model to study, with top American universities such as Harvard, having accumulated massive corpuses through matched funding schemes. As a consequence the most highly rated and well endowed American universities are able to follow ‘needs-blind’ admission policies under which handsome subsidies are offered to meritorious students who cannot afford their tuition fees. The task force in the UK which made the recommendation was led by Prof. Eric Thomas, vice-chancellor of Bristol University, who contradicts the belief that Britons are tight-fisted about responding to appeals from academia. He says it is wrong to assume there is no “giving culture” in the UK. On the contrary he concluded there is no “asking culture” in British academia. Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, the vice-chancellors’ umbrella organisation, is very bullish about the new scheme. “This is a new and creative initiative which will provide a terrific boost to university finances. The endowment scheme will be a very welcome addition to the public funding on which universities rely.” When this scheme is up and running, it may finally still the plaintive cry for money by universities and help retain young graduates to pursue their careers in the UK. However, academics warn against expecting miracles. A “culture of giving” can’t be created overnight and Britons may prove less generous than their US counterparts. (Jacqueline Thomas is a London-based academic) United States Obstinate greying of campus America American universities, concerned about a shortage of staff when those hired four decades ago retired, are facing the opposite problem: staff who don’t want to leave. Faculty taken on during the vast expansion…
