University closure
What price an education? Or rather, what price an educational facility? This little corner of the south coast is currently being rocked by a storm thrown up from Brighton that doesn’t show any signs of calming. At its heart is the University of Brighton’s decision to close its two campuses in Hastings – currently little beacons of hope and energy for those living in one of the most beleaguered areas of the country.
Of course it’s more complicated than the removal of social and educational aspiration for the local population. There is the tricky question of finances – everything, especially now, comes down to money. The official line is that a sharp fall in the number of 16-and 17-year-olds in the town is predicted and the ‘current model’ is not sustainable. I am unsure how they arrived at that forecast – the birth rate has not dramatically reduced since I first came here. Still, let’s not be pedantic.
Since 2003, the University of Brighton has received £12m of public money for its Hasting’s campus. This investment was based on a vision to share resources and spread the knowledge base of Brighton’s existing academic circle. We all know that Brighton is already a thriving hub and often the first choice for middle-class art students who like the idea of studying by the sea while remaining within commuting distance of London. And so the idea was that Hastings could benefit from the same liberal influx and the locals would get dragged up with them. ‘Knowledge,’ as Francis Bacon once said, ‘is power.’ But so are facts. The money has gone and there is no more to be handed out, so the University of Brighton is leaving. As Peter Chowney, the council leader, has said, they are asset stripping the town.
There is an argument that suggests that this loss doesn’t matter. According to recent research from The Knowledge Academy, 64 per cent of graduates felt their degree didn’t match their current role, and 67 per cent of them think they might have got their job without one. We have spent billions on university degrees, giving us over 12 million graduates at the last count. But surely that is a good thing? As Oscar Wilde famously said: ‘You can never be overdressed or overeducated’.
Next week: Hastings is away
Of course it’s more complicated than the removal of social and educational aspiration for the local population. There is the tricky question of finances – everything, especially now, comes down to money. The official line is that a sharp fall in the number of 16-and 17-year-olds in the town is predicted and the ‘current model’ is not sustainable. I am unsure how they arrived at that forecast – the birth rate has not dramatically reduced since I first came here. Still, let’s not be pedantic.
Since 2003, the University of Brighton has received £12m of public money for its Hasting’s campus. This investment was based on a vision to share resources and spread the knowledge base of Brighton’s existing academic circle. We all know that Brighton is already a thriving hub and often the first choice for middle-class art students who like the idea of studying by the sea while remaining within commuting distance of London. And so the idea was that Hastings could benefit from the same liberal influx and the locals would get dragged up with them. ‘Knowledge,’ as Francis Bacon once said, ‘is power.’ But so are facts. The money has gone and there is no more to be handed out, so the University of Brighton is leaving. As Peter Chowney, the council leader, has said, they are asset stripping the town.
There is an argument that suggests that this loss doesn’t matter. According to recent research from The Knowledge Academy, 64 per cent of graduates felt their degree didn’t match their current role, and 67 per cent of them think they might have got their job without one. We have spent billions on university degrees, giving us over 12 million graduates at the last count. But surely that is a good thing? As Oscar Wilde famously said: ‘You can never be overdressed or overeducated’.
Next week: Hastings is away