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New reP-ort calls for serious shake路UP- with emP-hasis on research by JAMES GOFFIN
A CONTROVERSIAL paper commissioned by UEA Vice-Chancellor, Vincent Watts, has warned that radical change must be made if UEA is to avoid "spiralling and catastrophic decline" in the near future. The Creating Our Future document, amazingly written by senior University staff, recommends that UEA must axe hundreds of course units to stay amongst Britain's top universities. become the research-led institution to which this The report, meant to guide UEA into the new millennium, insists that the institution must report aspires," he adds. However, Union Academic Officer Katy Fixter become research-led, concentrating on activities that have "a high profit margin" if it is to survive has criticised the paper's findings. "It's understandable that some changes have to into the next century. be made because of the way the government links High profit funding to research, but what i really worrying is "Simple logic tells us we cannot continue to the almost absolute dominance of research . "UEA has got to properly address the issue of run almost 300 degree programmes, 287 undergraduate units with fewer than I0 students teaching quality, but this document makes little and 114 with fewer than 5," says the paper. mention of teaching at all," said Katy. UEA also is also c.riticised within the dossier Wrong for lacking "an overall sense of direction" and for having "a serious problem with its image路路. And she warned, "Under these proposals "There should be time given for improvement, schools that don't make a high profit will be axed, we will end up with a very polarised university but ultimately hard decisions will have to be made,'" warn the authors of the report . with little choice for students." Students have also condemned the new plans. Marketplace lsabel Garcia (EUR 3) protested, "I think these proposals are completely wrong, students won ' t And although the University officials have be doing such a good degree in future if there are attempted to distance themselves from the report, so few units to choose from ." stressing it is the independent work of University And Nathan Gricks (BIO 3) said, " I don't thinl.. staff, UEA's Vice-Chancellor, Vincent Watts, it's very sensible, if you want good postgraduates warmly endorses the study's findings in a foreword to the document. you have to have well educated undergraduates. so these plans would backfire. "This analysis of UEA's position in its "Anyway it 's necessary to have a broadly based marketplace indicates that we are not doing as education, without the choice education just isn't well as we should,'" write~ Mr Watts. as valuable," he added. "I have no doubt that we are well placed to
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