Aberystwyth joins new university group

Monday 5 February 2007
Aberystwyth joins new university group                                         
Aberystwyth is one of 24 Universities who have joined the University Alliance, the fourth university mission group, which was formally launched on Thursday 25 January.

Previously convened informally as the Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, which was formed last year, the new group comprises a mixture of pre and post 1992 universities, which are not members of the other mission groups; the Russell Group, the 94 Group or CMU (Campaigning for Mainstream Universities).

The Chair of the University Alliance is Professor John Craven, Vice Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth. He said member institutions were those which had a balanced portfolio of research, teaching, enterprise and innovation as integral to their missions and that it was important that these universities had a voice in national debates.

“The growing recognition of the Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities made it necessary for us to come together in a more formal structure. There are many challenging issues facing the higher education sector and it is vital that universities belonging to the Alliance are consulted and able to contribute to all areas of public debate.”

The group has met four times since its inception in April last year. It will focus its discussions initially on issues such as the changes in RAE methodology, teaching funding and the 14-19 agenda.

“This is a great opportunity for strong institutions to come together and have a united voice on a range of subjects concerning Higher Education,” said Professor Craven.

“There are some very influential institutions in the middle sector which form a vital part of the contribution made by Higher Education to the prosperity of the country”.

Professor Noel Lloyd said;
“I am pleased that the University Alliance has now been launched and that Aberystwyth is a member of it. It is important that universities respond collectively to issues that affect them.  Doing so strengthens their position and enhances their influence on policy developments.”
The University Alliance members are; Aberystwyth, Bournemouth, Bradford, Cranfield, De Montfort, Hertfordshire, Huddersfield, Institute of Education, Kent, Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores, Manchester Metropolitan, Newport, Northumbria, Nottingham Trent, Open, Oxford Brookes, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Salford, Sheffield Hallam, UWIC, West of England