26.06.07
1994 Group Chair sets out the challenges ahead for Gordon Brown's Premiership
The 1994 Group will hold a dinner at the Cinnamon Club this evening to formally mark the retirement of two of its former Chairs, Professor Sir Ivor Crewe and Professor Alasdair Smith.
The dinner will be attended by 50 guests from the political, academic and media communities including Vice-Chancellors, Ministers, Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords.
Speaking at the event, Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter and Chair of the 1994 Group paid tribute to the substantial contribution made by both Sir Ivor and Alasdair to the shaping of the Higher Education sector over the past decade. 'We in the 1994 Group greatly appreciate Ivor and Alasdair's fantastic contribution over the years, and value highly the friendship that we have all formed with them.'
The timing of tonight's dinner is significant in that it takes place on the eve of Gordon Brown becoming the next Prime Minister. It is particularly timely that tonight the Group is saying thank you to both Alasdair and Sir Ivor who led the 1994 Group through the majority of Tony Blair's period of office, being Chair of the Group for a combined total of eight years from 1997 through to 2005.
Reflecting on the challenges facing Gordon Brown's government, Professor Smith said: 'While a great deal has been achieved over the past ten years, the Higher Education sector is rapidly developing and there remain a number of challenges ahead.
We must ensure that investment in the UK system continues to reach international standards, in particular by meeting the challenges of rapidly growing economies like India and China. We must strengthen the connection between HE and industry, by delivering high-quality research and knowledge transfer, and by providing highly-skilled graduates. We must continue to widen access and opportunity for all people to benefit from Higher Education, instilling HE as a key stage in the development of people and society.
By continuing to work together with the government, the 1994 Group can meet the challenges ahead and can help ensure that the UK and its higher education system remains an international example of excellence and achievement for the next ten years.'
Notes for editors
Professor Sir Ivor Crewe will retire as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex in October 2007. Sir Ivor served as Chair of the 1994 Group from 1997 to 2001.
Professor Alasdair Smith will retire as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex in September 2007. Alasdair served as Chair of the 1994 Group from 2001 to 2005.
Established in 1994, the Group brings together nineteen internationally renowned, research-intensive universities. The Group provides a central vehicle to help members promote their common interests in higher education, respond efficiently to key policy issues, and share best methods and practice. Our members tend to be campus-based, small- to medium-sized institutions. They operate on a scale which allows them to respond rapidly and flexibly to student needs whilst having sufficient size to make a substantial contribution to high-quality research.
Our members make the research and teaching experience more personal, maximising contact between staff and students. The majority of the top 1994 Group academics who achieved outstanding results in the Research Assessment Exercise also teach. The Group's aggregate performance in the National Student Survey substantially exceeds the sector as a whole.
Members of the 1994 Group are Bath, Birkbeck University of London, Durham, East Anglia, Essex, Exeter, Goldsmiths University of London, Lancaster, Leicester, Loughborough, Queen Mary University of London, Reading, Royal Holloway University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, St Andrews, Surrey, Sussex, Warwick and York.
For more information about the 1994 Group contact Stuart Franklin, Head of Press and PR, University of Exeter, 01392 263146, or Tom Norton, Director of Internal Policy Development (1994 Group), 020 7164 2094.