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Paying for college
Sep. 7th, 2017 08:39 amYesterday on the radio I heard Louise Richardson, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, defending her handsome salary, making the point that competition for vice-chancellors occurs in a global marketplace and she would be paid rather more in the US. This morning, somewhat in response, we had Jo Johnson MP, the Minister for Universities and Science, defending funding arrangements for universities. Now I receive an broadcast e-mail from the Vice-Chancellor here, the University of Dundee, expressing pleasure at our being shortlisted as University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards which I would guess helps to validate his salary.
I was lucky to be born early enough that my own university education in England was paid for rather more by grant than by student loans and what loan I did have had a low interest rate. Now England has moved to a system that is dominated by loans at a higher interest rate. Especially, as a student I had the sense that the taxpayer, not me, was paying for my education and that probably affected my attitude to it.
One concern I have is the idea of having to pay competitive market rates for university staff. ( It may be a mistake to consider money as the principal attractor to positions in English public universities. )
Another concern I have is the change in mindset that comes from students feeling that they are paying for their own education. ( Pleasing the student customers is not the same as requiring worthwhile academic success of them. )
I was lucky to be born early enough that my own university education in England was paid for rather more by grant than by student loans and what loan I did have had a low interest rate. Now England has moved to a system that is dominated by loans at a higher interest rate. Especially, as a student I had the sense that the taxpayer, not me, was paying for my education and that probably affected my attitude to it.
One concern I have is the idea of having to pay competitive market rates for university staff. ( It may be a mistake to consider money as the principal attractor to positions in English public universities. )
Another concern I have is the change in mindset that comes from students feeling that they are paying for their own education. ( Pleasing the student customers is not the same as requiring worthwhile academic success of them. )
