New Times – New Universities
Andrew Chappell 17th June 2011
Britain has a one of the most reputable University systems in the world, perpetually promoted by the names of Oxford and Cambridge, dating back centuries. However there may well be a new kid on the block to buck the trend and rival the British university elite.
The New College of Humanities, to be based in Bloomsbury, will open its doors to new undergraduates at the start of the academic year 2012/13. Fourteen elite professors from some of the best universities around the world will form the teaching staff, headed up by Anthony Grayling, a philosophy don. The star-studded list of pedagogues includes biologist Sir Richard Dawkins, historian Sir David Cannadine and economic historian Niall Ferguson. Students can choose their degree from five subject areas: Law, Economics, History, English Literature and Philosophy, either specialising in a single honours or a broader joint honours degree. A unique part of the courses, however is that they include compulsory extra modules in the areas of logic and critical thinking, science literacy, ethics and professional skills. Once the students have graduated they will receive a degree from the University of London. Their vision in their own words is to provide ‘personal enrichment, intellectual training, breadth of vision, and the well-informed, sharply questioning cast of mind needed for success in this complex and competitive world’.
This may seem, although a new variation to the norm, all a little unremarkable, but as is the level of public disquiet today something which is more remarkable is that it will be funded completely independent from the state. Mr Grayling and his team have already raised £10m from private investors and will intend for the university to make a profit. Prospective students reading this article may be thinking it sounds like a great idea receiving first-class higher education within a new, innovative institution from some of the greatest minds our world has to offer, but such are the laws of economics that it doesn’t come cheap! Tuition fees are to be set at £18,000 per year, double to maximum cap the government has imposed on the rest of the British universities. Fears have arisen that it will be no more than a “toffs paradise”, just for Oxbridge rejects and that the prices will exclude the most talented but most underprivileged children. New College counters that it will provide large amounts of assistance to 20% of the new intake in 2012, but the dazzling 5 figure fee sums may be enough to put off many. But the question circling the whole tuition fee debate, no matter the level, is that does it represent value for money? University should always be viewed as an investment; it has been proven time and time again that the lifetime earnings of a graduate are significantly more than someone who didn’t go to university. Looking at the positive aspects of New College, the students will be receiving much more intensive tutorship from some of the best minds in their field; be studying in one of the most diverse, cosmopolitan and exciting cities in the world. On the other hand however they will be guinea-pigs to some extent, being tested in a new university model; where although the academic credentials of the staff could never be doubted, concerns about consistent staff presence due to other responsibilities have also been raised.
No matter the war of words that will naturally ensue between the supporters and critics of the New College of Humanities, one thing is for certain is that it is possibly the most revolutionary idea within the British higher education system since the introduction of the Open University. If successful, it may breed a new university free of state funding.