Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Jacob]

"no compromise with the electorate!" 

[crazy canuck]

Sheilbh, the difficulty in separating the research universities from the undergraduate degree granting institutions is the undergrads then don't get the chance to interact with researchers during their formative years.


A lot of students enter their MA/PhD  years because of a connection they developed with a PI during undergrad.  The student might not work for that PI directly but that is how they got their start and developed their interests.

[Sheilbh]

I think my thought - which is shaky at best and something I just thought of on the hoof ) - is that it would be in a way perhaps a bit like the US state system (I know nothing about this) or a 21st century OxBridge (or maybe like a 21st century University of London) college model or maybe a bit like the French system (don't know how it works but you think of the numbered Paris universities).

Regional universities offering undergrad courses - as well as further education, short courses, work in the community - but made up of constituent (perhaps specialised) research colleges/universities with post-grads.

So academics would still be teaching undergrads - and engaging with the wider community they live in. My thought is that it would help remove the marketisation element in undergrad education (for domestic and international) where I think broad access (including to those academics) matters more. But it would retain the post-grad research and grant funding sector and hopefully they'd reinforce each other.

[Zoupa]

Incredibly rare Brexit win:

UK law to ban live animal exports clears parliament