26.04.2005
On 4 May 2005 Professor Sir David Watson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton and Rachel Bowden of the university’s Strategic Planning Unit, will lead an election eve seminar on the fate of UK higher education over the past four years.
Entitled The turtle and the fruit fly: New Labour and UK higher education, 2001-2005, the event will be held from 5-6.30pm at the Small Hall on the Falmer campus.
The seminar, the third successive pre-election seminar led by Sir David and Rachel Bowden at the university, will focus on the process and impact of policy formation.
In particular, it will examine the tension between New Labour’s longer-term plans for science and innovation and a series of shorter-term, largely evidence-free, interventions arising from the 2003 White Paper, The future of higher education.
Sir David Watson and Rachel Bowden will also look at the performance of the higher education system over the whole period of New Labour stewardship and speculate on its future.
An Education Research Centre Occasional Paper on the issues raised in the seminar will be launched at the event.
Journalists wishing to attend the seminar should contact Sarah West, Strategic Planning Unit, University of Brighton on 01273 642615 or email s.j.west@brighton.ac.uk
Sir David Watson and Rachel Bowden will be available for interview after the seminar.
Copies of the Education Research Centre Occasional Paper The turtle and the fruit fly: New Labour and UK higher education, 2001-2005, will be reserved for journalists attending.
Professor Sir David Watson and Rachel Bowden have previously written two similar papers in the Education Research Centre Occasional Papers series, each on the eve of a General Election:
Ends Without Means: the Conservative stewardship of UK higher education, 1979-1997, University of Brighton Education Research Centre Occasional Paper (April 1997)
Can we be equal and excellent too? The New Labour stewardship of UK higher education, 1997-2001, University of Brighton Education Research Centre Occasional Paper (June 2001).
Limited copies of the above are available from the University of Brighton Education Research Centre – 01273 644533; education.research@brighton.ac.uk
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
