Universities could be in private hands 'in six months'

[muriel_volestrangler]

A private equity firm or private higher education provider will buy a UK university in whole or part "within the next six months", according to a sector legal expert.

The prediction by Glynne Stanfield, a partner in the education group at Eversheds, comes as government documents reveal that a US private equity firm, Warburg Pincus, has twice met with David Willetts, the universities and science minister.
...
More likely, Mr Stanfield said, a private equity firm or trade buyer could buy a stake in a university, providing the institution with working capital in return for using its degree-awarding powers overseas, for example.
...
By buying a university in whole or part, a private firm could circumvent the established process for winning degree-awarding powers, which are granted by the Privy Council on the advice of the Quality Assurance Agency.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=417767&c=1

Closing Down Sale - Everything Must Go!

[non sociopath skin]

1. Too right Mu. It is becoming patently obvious that the ONLY "logic" ....

... behind the Coalition's policies is to put every blessed aspect of life in the market place and see what happens.

It is a cynical abdication of responsibility om a massive scale.

The good news is that Joe Pubic saw through the ruse and didn't give the Tories a majority.

The bad news is that the LibDems fancied a couple of ministerial limos and did.

O tempora. O mores. O fuck.

The Skin

[tjwmason]

2. But, but, but, but, but - the market does everything better...

Which is why last week's edition the of the Times Higher carried an analysis of the university world rankings which suggested that the British system is probably the best value for money as it currently stands (before private asset-strippers get their hands on it, before the withdrawal of public funding), with the other top places held by largely publicly funded systems.