Provost’s Update: UCL’s political engagement

UCL Provost Dr Michael Spence standing in front of the UCL Portico The first in a series of monthly updates from the President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence. Dear colleagues, It has been suggested that I might, once a month, drop you a line about the context in which we are operating and what we are doing to address it. In so far as is possible in such a large community, I hope that this can be a conversation and would welcome any and all feedback, including on any topics or questions you would like me to address. I thought I would start with two questions that I am often asked. How much do Whitehall and Westminster understand about both the needs, and the contribution, of our university communities? And what are we doing to ensure that they do? The answer to the first of those questions is shockingly little. When I came back to the UK after 12 years in Australia, I have to say that I was taken aback by what seemed like a deterioration in the social licence to operate of the UK universities. Many people did not seem to understand the value for money that the domestic undergraduate fee represents, or the extent to which our domestic undergraduate education and our research are supported by international student fees.