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15 Jan 2009 15:55:15
The Chair of the Association of Universities in the East of England, Professor Les Ebdon, has called on universities to play their part in combating the recession.
Summing up the AUEE’s two day conference 'Your Role in the Road to Recovery' held at Cranfield University, Professor Ebdon said it was only a matter of time before the recession would start to reach higher education.
He said: “We have had an opportunity here to look at how we can make an impact. There is a vital contribution that universities and higher education institutions can make to the economic recovery. It is now down to us to do something. Let us add to the popular words of the moment ‘Yes we can’ the words ‘Yes we will’.”
In the course of the two-day conference 90 delegates from universities across the East of England discussed how their institutions could help local communities via individuals and businesses in these times of economic crisis.
Professor Ebdon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire said it was essential that universities provided government ministers with the evidence of the many practical examples of case studies illustrating how they are helping communities cope with the recession.
Dr Sal Brinton, Executive Director of the Association of Universities in the East of England said the conference had been very successful, a view echoed by Professor Ebdon. She added that it had become evident more work had to be done to break down the walls of the ivory towers that separate universities from communities in which they are based. She appealed to higher education institutes to place more emphasis on collaboration rather than competition with each other.
Dr Brinton also urged the government to put more funds into increasing student numbers instead of unemployment benefits arguing that it was more beneficial to have people in education instead of simply out of work.
And she encouraged both universities and employers to explore how to make the best of the short term working hours which so many businesses have been forced to introduce as the recession bites. Dr Brinton concluded that employees should spend the hours they are unable to work improving their skills by training.
Latest news» 2009» January» Universities can help combat the recession
