This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Future for Scottish universities
10/12/2001
The agenda for the future of Scotland's universities is
set out today with the publication of the annual guidance
letter to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
(SHEFC).
In an important week for the sector, Minister for
Enterprise, Transport, and Lifelong Learning Wendy
Alexander emphasises three priorities:
- improving access
- rolling out the commercialisation of research
- modernising the sector
Ms Alexander also announced an additional £500,000 to
strengthen human resource management in
the universities.
Tuesday sees a new equal opportunities initiative when
Universities UK launch The Equality Challenge Unit in
Scotland. The unit is the first full-time body promoting
equal opportunities in Higher Education employment.
The results of the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise
will be announced on Friday when Scottish Universities are
expected to show a significant improvement in
performance.
Ms Alexander said:
"Scots are well aware that our higher education
tradition is one of the jewels in our crown. The future
success of the nation rests on our investment in skills and
science. Our universities lie at the heart of this
success.
"I am determined that Scottish higher education rises up
the political agenda. This week we take significant steps
forward with our annual guidance letter to universities.
New ideas, and their wider uptake, not only strengthen our
culture and society but have a critical role in the new
knowledge economy.
"The Executive's funding for Higher Education in
Scotland will rise to £703m over the coming year, more than
the cash amount required to sustain the real value of last
years 8% rise. Across the priority areas of 'wider access',
'excellent, relevant research' and 'modernisation' this
resource will both sustain successes and support change in
Scottish Higher Education.
"There is a growing interest in how, our universities
are performing as engines of human and intellectual
capital.
"Our research and learning institutions attract new
talents to Scotland, strengthen the skills we already have
and generate flows of discoveries with potential to raise
the wellbeing of Scots. They create change and shape our
capacities to respond to change. The sector boasts both
successes to celebrate as well as challenges to meet.
Access
"On access, Scotland has achieved internationally
significant participation rates in both higher and further
education. We look to SHEFC to continue to promote access
to HE for poorer Scots, both older and younger, and for
those who live in rural areas.
Important priorities include strengthening our track
record in attracting non-Scottish students. Higher
education, is an increasingly global enterprise. So,
looking to the future, we expect SHEFC to encourage
'e-learning' approaches in our institutions, for wider
access at home, and for wider export of Scottish learning
overseas.
Research
"The scale of research funding won competitively, from
research councils, industry and national and international
bodies is an incontrovertible measure of Scottish research
excellence.
"There is still much to be done to strengthen the
research base and to ensure better careers and
opportunities for contract research staff, our emerging
future stars.
"The knowledge transfer grant introduced this year is
particularly important for commercial activity. We need to
continue to build on that success. The RAE results later
this week will show a strong Scottish performance.
Modernisation
"The long-term success of Scotland's universities will
require SHEFC to promote new partnership and management
styles as well as new activities.
"The strength of any university is its staff and I am
making £500,000 available immediately to catalyse new
thinking and support better human resource management
within the Universities.
"Good people management will enhance the image as well
as the performance of the Universities.
"At the end of the 18
th century, Adam Smith wrote of the Scottish
Universities that they were the best of their kind in
Europe but that "they are capable of amendment, even
considerable amendment".
"Our Universities, through SHEFC's guidance are
beginning to restore a prestigious, if different and modern
image for the sector, but there is no doubt that they
remain capable of improvement, even considerable
improvement."
The Minister's guidance letter for Higher Education in
2002-03 highlights key actions for the SHEFC to focus
on.
Management for the Long-Term
- creating a better lifelong learning culture in
Scotland by tackling relative under-performance in
terms of Scottish adult participation in lifelong
learning
- continue to encourage the development of the
highest calibre of management and leadership in its
higher education institutions
- use £0.5 million of additional funding to improve
the management of human resources in higher education,
including the promotion of equal opportunities to
support, in preparation for introducing a new condition
of grant related to human resource management in
2002-03
- ensure that institutions place particular emphasis
on developing the ICT literacy of all graduates
Access for All
- ensure 800 additional places from SR2000 are filled
by 2003-04 and that they lead to an increase in the
participation of under-represented groups
- develop a better understanding of the factors
affecting the variation in retention rates between
institutions
- ensure widening access initiatives effectively
reach young people with no family tradition of
post-compulsory participation
- ensure that institutions are acting on their
obligations and responsibilities in relation to
diversity
- HE institutions in Southern Scotland to work
particularly closely with local employers to support
CPD for the motivation of the workforce and
repositioning of the local economy
- stimulate more innovative models of support for
part-time students and report to the Executive on this
during the year
- provide advice on the future of the careers
services in higher education, and how to build strong
links with Careers Scotland to avoid overlap and share
expertise
Improving Research, Taking
Opportunities
- provide further advice on research funding in
January, when the RAE results have been published and
their implications evaluated
- support the work of the new Scottish Science
Advisory Committee which is being established under the
auspices of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- establish reliable information on the numbers and
distribution of contract research staff and report
annually on the position
- continue to promote a commercialisation culture and
support key change opportunities