A fourth university mission group, the University Alliance, was formally launched today to represent the interests of 24 institutions.
Previously convened informally as the Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, which was formed last year, the new group comprises a mixture of pre and post 1992 universities, which are not members of the other mission groups; the Russell Group, the 94 Group or CMU (Campaigning for Mainstream Universities).
Chair of the University Alliance, Professor John Craven, Vice Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, said member institutions were those which had a balanced portfolio of research, teaching, enterprise and innovation as integral to their missions and that it was important that these universities had a voice in national debates.
“The growing recognition of the Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities made it necessary for us to come together in a more formal structure. There are many challenging issues facing the higher education sector and it is vital that universities belonging to the Alliance are consulted and able to contribute to all areas of public debate.”
The group has met four times since its inception in April last year. It will focus its discussions initially on issues such as the changes in RAE methodology, teaching funding and the 14-19 agenda.
“This is a great opportunity for strong institutions to come together and have a united voice on a range of subjects concerning Higher Education,” said Professor Craven. “There are some very influential institutions in the middle sector which form a vital part of the contribution made by Higher Education to the prosperity of the country”.
Ends
Notes for Editors
The University Alliance members include; Aberystwyth, Bournemouth, Bradford, Cranfield, De Montfort, Hertfordshire, Huddersfield, Institute of Education, Kent, Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores, Manchester Metropolitan, Newport, Northumbria, Nottingham Trent, Open, Oxford Brookes, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Salford, Sheffield Hallam, UWIC, West of England
For further information please contact:
Anne Stanford, Press Office, University of Portsmouth
Phone: 029392 843742;
Mobile: 07710 909 165
Email: anne.stanford@port.ac.uk
