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Future Thinking Taskforce
20/12/2007
Bold and radical thinking will be essential to get the most out of Scotland's university sector in the coming decades, Education and Lifelong Learning Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Universities Scotland Convener Sir Muir Russell said today.
Their comments came following the first meeting of the Joint Future Thinking Taskforce on Universities at the Scottish Parliament.
Jointly chaired by Ms Hyslop and Sir Muir, the Taskforce agreed on the key issues to cover over the next six months:
- How to optimise and shape the contribution which the Scottish university sector can make during the next 20 years to the Scottish economy, to Scottish culture and society, and to the political priorities of the Scottish Government
- What opportunities can be created and what barriers will need to be overcome to achieve that
- What resources will be needed and how they will be provided
Ms Hyslop said:
"This is an exciting chance to shape our higher education system over the next 20 years, to help us build a smarter Scotland.
"This Taskforce will be vital in challenging universities and Government on what we expect higher education to contribute to our people, our society and our economy. It will also look at the place of Scottish universities in the global market.
"At the same time, we need a hard-nosed look at the costs and resources involved in realising our common ambitions, with an understanding of what might be holding us back, so that we can move to tackle those, head-on."
Sir Muir said:
"This Taskforce starts from the proposition that higher education is the foundation on which the Scotland of 20 years time will be built and that is the right place to start.
"A high-skill innovative Scotland is our best and indeed only chance for international competitiveness in the coming two decades.
"We will be working together to make sure that this Taskforce produces realistic but ambitious thinking on how universities can deliver what Scotland needs. "
The Taskforce consists of representatives from Government and Scottish Universities. It agreed to meet monthly up until summer 2008, with meetings focusing on topics such as:
- New ventures
- Scottish universities' place in the world and how organisations collaborate
- Ensuring economic competitiveness
- Future teaching and research
- Obstacles to progress and opportunities for success
The Taskforce members are:
- Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
- Stephen Noon, Special Adviser
- John McClelland, Chair of the Scottish Funding Council
- Mark Batho, Director of Lifelong Learning, Scottish Government
- Stephen Kerr, Head of Higher Education and Learner Support, Scottish Government
- Sir Muir Russell, Convener of Universities Scotland and Principal of University of Glasgow
- Bernard King, Deputy Convenor of Universities Scotland and Principal of University of Abertay
- Tim O'Shea, Convenor of Universities Scotland's Funding Policy Group and Principal of University of Edinburgh
- Pamela Gillies, Principal of Glasgow Caledonian University
- Seona Reid, Principal of Glasgow School of Art
- David Caldwell, Director of Universities Scotland