A University Education

by Willetts, David

• ISBN13: 9780198767268
• ISBN10: 0198767269
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2018-01-23
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Universities have a crucial role in the modern world. In England, entrance to universities is by nation-wide competition which means English universities have an exceptional influence on schools--a striking theme of the book. This important book first investigates the university as an institution and then tracks the individual on their journey to and through university. In A University Education, David Willetts presents a compelling case for the ongoing importance of the university, both as one of the great institutions of modern society and as a transformational experience for the individual. The book also makes illuminating comparisons with higher education in other countries, especially the US and Germany.

Drawing on his experience as UK Minister for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014, the author offers a powerful account of the value of higher education and the case for more expansion. He covers controversial issues in which he was involved from access for disadvantaged students to the introduction of L9,000 fees. The final section addresses some of the big questions for the future, such as the the relationship between universities and business, especially in promoting innovation.. He argues that the two great contemporary trends of globalisation and technological innovation will both change the university significantly.

This is an authoritative account of English universities setting them for the first time in their new legal and regulatory framework.

Author Biography

David Willetts was Minister for Universities and Science in the Coalition Government. He stood down as an MP at the 2015 General Election and is now a Visiting Professor at King's College London and a member of the House of Lords. He served as an official in HM Treasury and in Margaret Thatcher's No 10 Policy Unit. He has written widely on economic and social policy, including The Pinch, How the Baby Boomers took Their Children's Future - And Why They Should Give it Back (2011). He is executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation, an independent think tank established with the aim of improving the standard of living of low- and middle-income families. He also chairs the Advisory Board of the Times Higher, is a member of the Council of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, and is an Honorary Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The student
1. Which three years?
2. Getting in
3. The academic experience at university
4. Paying for it
The university
5. The history of the university
6. Robbins and After
7. Consumers and producers
8. Ideas of the university
Looking Outwards
9. Training for the professions
10. Going Global
11. Universities and business
12. Universities and research
Conclusion