Dear colleagues,
The Financial Recovery Group which has representatives from across the University, has been set up to help steer our organisation back to growth and keep you informed of stages along the way.
Last week the Group focused on what the University does to engage externally, including pressing for improved funding for universities. I hope that this update is helpful in raising the profile of this important work. The following is a summary of some activity.
This Week
- The Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes was on campus on Monday as a result of an invitation to see the strengths of the University at first hand and discuss the case for investment. We are emphasising the gains for the regional and national economy if the Scottish Government is able to facilitate investment from diverse sources. The visit was covered by regional media, social media and is on our website.
- On Tuesday the Principal attended a meeting for all Principals with John Swinney the First Minister. They wished of course to focus on funding, not least because of recent comments from Graeme Dey, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, suggesting that further cutbacks may be ahead.
- On Wednesday the Principal attended a meeting for all Principals with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, when topics included university funding, the role of universities in economic growth and international student visas.
- On Wednesday, the Vice-Principal Regional Engagement met with civil servants from the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss the role of the University in regional economic development, skills and innovation; the impact of funding on our ability to deliver on this important mission featured strongly during the discussions.
Other Recent Political, Policy and Business Engagement
- The Principal initiated a letter to each MSP highlighting recent redistributions of funding by the Scottish Funding Council which seem to advantage institutions in the central belt. He proactively engaged with RGU in this initiative, which secured attention in the media and in the Scottish Parliament. The letter highlighted that this funding pattern impacts on the regional economy, not just the universities.
- The University arranged a meeting on campus for regional MPs and MSPs to highlight the fall over ten years of 19% in the value of funding from the Scottish Government for undergraduate tuition. There was also a strong focus in the cross-party discussions on the then UK Government administration’s stance on immigration, which has had a major impact on international recruitment. Follow-up meetings have been arranged this month with individual politicians to progress particular points.
The University is actively involved in Higher Education organisations including the representative bodies, Universities Scotland and Universities UK leading to regular formal and informal meetings with Ministers and leading officials in government and government agencies.
- In May, the Vice-Principal Regional Engagement and Chief Finance Officer briefed a full meeting of Aberdeen City Council on the University’s financial situation and the wider higher education funding landscape. We worked in partnership with Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, and Times Radio to ensure the campus became the focus for General Election debate featuring the main Scottish party leaders. The event included private engagement with them on the key issues of Scottish Government funding, migration policies and international recruitment.
- We have also been working with Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce over the past year to inform local employers about the challenges facing universities and our capacity to build on our contribution to the regional economy.
- We worked in partnership with Prosper, a business membership organisation (formerly known as SCDI), to ensure the University was the location and focus for a hustings in the General Election featuring regional candidates.
- Through his frequent interactions with regional leaders in the public and private sectors the Vice-Principal Regional Engagement provides briefings on the challenges facing universities, encouraging external partners to act as advocates on behalf of the sector.
- The University initiated meetings with two newspaper editors which has led to coverage of the challenges faced by universities across the UK and the strategic response at our own University.
The University will be represented at the SNP and Labour conferences this autumn, highlighting key issues to MPs and MSPs.
- The University sent letters after the General Election to each new Minister and MP in the new UK Government, with a view to raising the university’s profile and establishing or consolidating relations.
- We researched the current intake of MPs to see which ones have Aberdeen connections and have included them on a priority list for a briefing on key issues for the sector plus a case study, with the objective of hearing these issues raised in Parliament. Four particular meetings have been arranged as a priority.
- In January, the Vice-Principal Regional Engagement met with the Director General and Chief Policy Advisor of the British Chambers of Commerce to brief them on the financial challenges facing higher education and wider impacts on the sector’s ability to contribute to local and national economic development.
- Last year, the University established an External Business Advisory Group made up of senior figures from a range of industry sectors. Meetings of the Group provide a forum for exchange of information between the University and these individuals – many of whom are in regular contact with UK and Scottish governments. The meetings also generate enterprising ideas, sound advice and firm offers of assistance including organisation of industry-facing hackathons and enterprise mentoring programmes.
- The Financial Recovery Group had a wide-ranging discussion about the need to raise the profile in the University community of our external engagement. This communication is a first step and plans are being developed to do that on an ongoing basis.
The next update from the Financial Recovery Group will cover Online Education.
Best wishes
Karl |
