We are in less safe hands with May, says new university vice-chancellor

Professor Adam Tickell exclusively told The Argus the sector has lost strong supporters in David Cameron and George Osborne as it enters its first period of stalled growth in two decades.

Professor Tickell said Mrs May and chancellor Philip Hammond did not have the “same feel” for universities and their national significance.

The new vice-chancellor, who took up the post last month, also warned of the negative impact Brexit would bring.

The university’s eighth vice-chancellor, who replaces Michael Farthing after his nine year stint in the post, said universities had enjoyed growth since the days of John Major as Prime Minister but the brakes were now on and “on hard”.

Among the factors buffeting the University of Sussex and other institutes is the "eroding value" of student fees, visa restrictions and looming Brexit.

He added: “The transition in government from George Osborne and David Cameron means we have lost two very strong advocates for UK universities and UK science.

“Philip Hammond and Theresa May just don’t have the same feel for the role universities can play, locally, nationally and internationally.”

An announcement made by Home Secretary Amber Rudd at the Conservative party conference on a proposed two-tier student visa scheme has raised concerns in the sector.

Industry experts are worried the proposals could see right to work after graduation for foreign students restricted to students of Oxbridge and the Russell Group universities as previously suggested by the prime minister’s chief of staff Nick Timothy.

Professor Tickell said: “They are talking about treating the best universities in a different way than how they treat other universities.

“We rank higher than 13 of the 24 Russell Group universities and so I think it would be impossible legally for the Government to have a rule which said Russell Group universities are exempt from the other rules.

“It might be that they try to do something which would mean the Russell Group is fine and everyone else suffers but if they do I think they would be very vulnerable to legal challenge.”

Professor Tickell said Brexit was already causing difficulties - EU research and teaching staff are now reluctant to come to the UK because they no longer felt welcome.

He said European grant panels were also marking down British applications because the UK was “no longer a member of the club”.

He added: “The UK has been the single most successful country in generating research funding from the EU and that’s because science in Britain is better than anywhere else in Europe.

“That is looking really vulnerable.

“The Government has made some really welcome short-term announcements about existing contracts but the medium-term is looking really worrying in terms of research funding.

“If we lose that, it's funding that won’t be found from elsewhere.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “The UK is home to some of the world’s best universities – and we want that to continue.

"The contribution that international students make to our higher education system is important, and we want our universities to continue to attract genuine students from around the world.

“At the same time, the Government is committed to its drive to reduce net migration to sustainable levels.”

• Also read: The Argus leader column - Great asset for city

THE CHALLENGE IS HUGE – THE BRAKES ARE ON

What are your main aims for your time as vice-chancellor?

The University of Sussex is an absolutely terrific university.

We are top 20 in all main league tables and we are ranked fifth for prospects of our graduates going into a graduate level job or on to further studies which puts us above universities like Oxford.

For a university where a third of our students come from backgrounds that are poor, that is a fantastic achievement, we compare better than any other university in the UK for value added. So the first challenge is to maintain thatnot to foul up.

We need to work more effectively locally and I have talked about making sure that we are a university for Sussex as well as the University of Sussex.

What are the biggest challenges you will face in the role?

The challenge is huge.

We’ve enjoyed growth in universities since John Major was Prime Minister but now the brakes are on and the brakes are on hard.

Student fees are eroding in value, we’ve got a very different approach to international student visas than we have enjoyed for a long time, the effects of Brexit will hit us and the transition in Government from George Osborne and David Cameron means we have lost two very strong advocates for UK universities and science.

Philip Hammond and Theresa May just don’t have the same feel for the role universities can play, locally, nationally and internationally.

What impact and challenges will Brexit bring to the university?

We still don’t know what Brexit means and we probably still won’t know for a very long time.

The two parts of the British economy most impacted by Brexit are the City of London and the university sector.

Twenty per cent of research funding into British universities and the University of Sussex comes from the European Union, the UK has been the single most successful country in generating research funding from the EU and that’s because science in Britain is better than anywhere else in Europe. That is looking vulnerable.

The Government has made some really welcome short-term announcements about existing contracts but the medium term is looking really worrying for me in terms of research funding.

If we lose that, it’s funding that won’t be found from elsewhere. About eight per cent of students who study at the University of Sussex come from elsewhere in the EU and it seems unlikely they will want to come and study here.

How do you see the university’s relationship with the rest of the city?

I’m really committed to working very closely with local councils and MPs to make sure we don’t have a relationship that is characterised by friction.

Obviously there are issues we need to explore about housing.

[University of Brighton vice-chancellor] Debra Humphris and I have agreed we will work together with Brighton and Hove to achieve as good a solution as possible, recognising there are all sorts of different challenges for us.

My sense is that there are so many different housing pressures on Brighton and Hove.

Brighton is such a fantastic city, lots and lots of people want to come to live here, there are lots of places where people have second homes which lie empty or are AirBnb but for very, very understandable reasons the focus is on student accommodation when the challenges are much bigger than that.

Where do you see the university learning from the experiences of the Lee Salter case [University of Sussex lecturer convicted of assaulting his girlfriend] and where does the university go from here?

I have commissioned Professor Nicole Westmarland to conduct an inquiry for me. She has held open sessions with staff and received quite a lot of emails about their feelings and concerns as well as everybody involved in the handling of our response.

Nicole is going to be giving a report to me by the end of the month and I’m absolutely committed to publishing that and I won’t be saying what she can and can’t say. I’m committed to acting upon the recommendations she will be making.