University's role in local and international community

Published on Monday 15 October 2007 00:04

Myshele Goldberg's attack on the University of Strathclyde's strategy as a choice to "sell itself to the highest bidders" (Education and Learning, 10 October) presents a picture few of us who know the university would recognise.

It is a leader in recruiting students from neighbourhoods where participation in education is low, in focusing on research projects which will directly benefit the health and prosperity of its community and in partnerships with the developing world. The national partnership between Scotland and Malawi grew directly out of the University's Millennium Project to support Malawi.

Indeed, our commitment to excellence will only benefit the caring and voluntary sectors in which many of our students build a career.

Our Excellence Agenda aims to re-define our traditional mission of being a place of useful learning in contemporary terms without sacrificing traditional values.

Are we still the place of useful learning? It's something we remain committed to and we are co-ordinating a major study funded by the ESRC to discover what useful education means today and this will guide our strategy and our determination to only engage in helping the community where we believe we can make a real difference.

Ms Goldberg holds that the use in our plan of terms such as "performance monitoring" and "competitive advantage" shows that we see no difference between the advancement of business interests and the advancement of society. "Aye, right," as we say in these parts. Wiser analysts will look beyond the language to the substance of a set of aspirations which will see the university fulfil its duty to the whole of society more effectively.

ANDREW HAMNETT

Principal and Vice Chancellor, University of Strathclyde

Glasgow