S4 Ep1: Do we value universities enough in Britain? with Vivienne Stern
Oct 4, 2023
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Vivienne Stern, Chief executive of Universities UK, discusses the challenges and value of universities in Britain, including Brexit, falling student numbers, strikes, and the COVID pandemic. They explore the importance of social sciences, evidence-based policy decisions, and the role of universities as collaborative spaces for research and teaching. They also touch on the financial challenges faced by universities, the role of international students, and the debate around market pressures on universities.
Universities are important for promoting intellectual freedom, critical thinking, and the ability to engage with diverse perspectives.
Universities play a vital role in generating and sharing knowledge, reflecting human beings' inclination to collaborate and share information.
Deep dives
The Importance of Social Sciences in Higher Education
In this episode, Vivien Stern, Chief Executive of Universities UK, discusses the vital role of social sciences in higher education. She emphasizes that universities are not only centers of knowledge creation but also places where people work together to generate ideas and share them. Stern highlights the importance of universities in promoting intellectual freedom, critical thinking, and the ability to engage with diverse perspectives. She believes that universities should be spaces where students encounter radical and uncomfortable ideas and learn to engage with them critically. Additionally, Stern acknowledges the challenges universities face, such as funding issues, market pressures, and industrial disputes, and emphasizes the need for cross-party consensus on long-term solutions to ensure the sustainability and success of higher education in the UK.
The Value of University Education in Society
Vivien Stern shares her belief that university education is a powerful force for good in society. She describes universities as institutions where people come together to work, create, and share knowledge. Stern highlights the importance of universities' role in generating new ideas and passing them on to others, and she sees this as a reflection of something wonderful about human beings' inclination to collaborate and share information. Emphasizing the importance of research, teaching, and the freedom to explore ideas, Stern underscores that universities provide spaces where individuals can take risks and where valuable learning takes place. She also addresses the need for universities to balance their economic impact with their academic mission.
Navigating Challenges in the Higher Education Sector
Vivien Stern acknowledges the challenges universities are currently facing, including strikes by academic staff, government restrictions on international students, and frozen tuition fees. She expresses concern about the potential loss of the UK's esteemed higher education system due to the lack of sustainable funding and policy support. Stern emphasizes the need for cross-party consensus on long-term solutions rather than continuous tinkering with the funding system. She suggests reintroducing maintenance grants, increasing public funding, and indexing tuition fees to inflation as potential measures to improve the financial sustainability of universities. Stern also recognizes the vital role that international students play in providing cross-subsidization for research and teaching and highlights the economic impact of universities on local communities.
The Future of Higher Education in the UK
Vivien Stern discusses the future of higher education in the UK and the challenges universities face. She highlights the importance of making a career in academic life attractive and addressing issues such as pension schemes and fair pay for academic staff. Stern emphasizes the need for universities to strike a balance between research and teaching. She believes that universities should not solely focus on research and neglect teaching, as teaching also plays a crucial role in producing well-rounded graduates. Stern recognizes the complexities of the funding landscape and the trade-offs universities have to make. She calls for collaborative efforts between government, universities, and stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability and excellence of the UK's higher education system.
Vivienne Stern is the chief executive of Universities UK, a membership organisation that represents 140 UK universities. In this role, she's had to weather a raft of challenges from Brexit to the Covid pandemic.
Host Will Hutton joins her in this conversation where they delve into just how important universities are for Britain, and how these treasured institutions can be protected for future generations.
This is the first episode of Season 4 of the We Society Podcast from the Academy of Social Sciences which tackles the big questions through a social science lens. Throughout this series, you'll be hearing some of the best ideas to shape the way we live.
Hosted by journalist and Academy President Will Hutton, we interview some of Britain’s top social scientists and public figures from across the globe to explore their evidence-led solutions to society’s most pressing problems.
Don't want to miss an episode? Follow the We Society on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to or follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/thewesocietypod
