MOVING TO FRONT FROM JANUARY 11--SOME INTERESTING (AND ALARMING) COMMENTS--MORE DISCUSSION WELCOME
From a philosopher in the UK:
I just don't see the basic math working long term, even for [a leading UK university, but not Oxbridge]. Tuition fees for UK students are capped at c. £9K, and have been at the same level for well over a decade. Neither main political party shows any willingness whatsoever to raise these, and have indeed ruled this out. Nor do they show willingness to increase the modest governmental subsidy to higher education institutions. Staff and other operating costs go up each year. There is thus a scramble to get more and more undergraduates and to try to attract students from abroad (esp. China), who pay more in fees. There is no endowment to fall back on, no appreciable donations in comparison with similarly research-intensive places in the US, and they have ambitious plans for new buildings and the like, which they borrow money to build. Financially, I feel as though we're, in essence, bailing out water, and soon will not be able to bail it out fast enough. Sinking isn't imminent, but I do worry about the longer term horizon of 5-10 years or more.
Curious to hear whether this rings true to other UK academics. If you don't want to use your name, please use a real email address, which will not appear.
