MPs lend support to higher education bid
for South Essex
The Vice-Chancellor,
Professor Ivor Crewe (right), and South East Essex College Chief Executive, Tony Pitcher
(left), presented a business plan to Sir Brian Fender, Chief Executive of HEFCE (centre)
at the House of Commons reception, hosted by North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin.
The University has moved a step nearer establishing a
partnership to bring higher education to the south of the county. Discussions with South
East Essex College have been going on for more than a year, and have resulted in a bid for
capital and additional student numbers being submitted to the Higher Education Funding
Council for England (HEFCE). The bid, which has been prepared by the partnership of the
University and South East Essex College together with management consultants KPMG,
assesses the demand for higher education in south Essex and puts forward the case for
substantial additional student numbers. The project was launched formally at a reception
at the House of Commons on Tuesday 18 January which was attended by members of the
University and South East Essex College, as well as representatives of the local business
and education communities and 10 MPs.
Professor Crewe said: ‘This is the most exciting
development in higher education in the county since the development of this University
over a generation ago. The partnership will bring modern, IT-based learning in an
innovative environment, which is responsive to the needs of students, industry and the
local community.’
He continued: ‘We have widespread support for this
project and are very hopeful that the Funding Council will look favourably on our
bid.’
The partnership, building on a small existing higher
education cohort in Southend, plans to make available 1,500 student places by 2004. The
students would be University of Essex students, taught largely by new staff of South East
Essex College.
The curriculum will initially be limited to four areas:
Information Technology, Business and Management, Media Technology, and Health and Care.
While the initial development will be centred on the existing site, the plan is that the
college will re-locate all its activity to a new purpose-built building, on a site already
purchased, in the centre of Southend. It is estimated that more than 750,000 people
will be within an hour’s journey time of the new campus.
A new economic
blueprint for Colchester
A blueprint for the future direction of the
Colchester economy is set out in a new report, written by Dr Peter Townrow, a Visiting
Fellow at the University.(pictured right)
The 50-page report, ‘The Colchester Economic
Audit: Into the New Millennium’ provides both a snapshot of the local economy and
indicates options for its future direction, including the development of a research park
at the University. It aims is to help the borough prepare its longer-term strategies for
the future economic development of the town and its surrounding areas.
The report builds upon Colchester’s many
economic strengths but it also takes account of the dynamic changes taking place in the
global economy.
The report has been commissioned by the
Colchester Economic Forum (ColEcon) with partnership funding from the Borough Council, the
University of Essex and the Essex Training and Enterprise Council (TEC).
Dr Townroe, said: ‘This overview looks back
at developments over the past decade, takes note of the forces in the national and
international economy which have influenced local growth and looks forward to the next
decade.’
Dr Townroe suggests that future developments in
the borough might focus on a number of options. These include:
• Marketing Colchester as
a tourist and business location
• Support for the regeneration of east Colchester
• Support for smaller high-tec companies
• Providing business starter units
• The development of a research park at the University of Essex
• Addressing issues raised by pockets of deprivation
Welcoming the study, the new chairman of the
Colchester Economic Forum, Tiptree businessman Chris Proffitt, said the Audit marks a
‘fresh start for Colchester in a new millennium.’
He said: ‘The Economic Audit will assist the
borough in directing its priorities and its resources to sustain a healthy local economy
over the coming decade.’
A free executive summary focussing on the
report’s key pointers is available from the Borough Council’s Economic
Development Unit. Copies will be circulated to local businesses and organisations and
anyone who is interested in Colchester’s economy is invited to have their say.
West End playwriting
debut for Theatre Studies Director
A play by Jonathan Lichtenstein (pictured
below), the Director of the Centre for
Theatre Studies, has been chosen as the opening show at a new theatre in London’s
West End.
In March, his first-ever play The Station,
will open the new £10.6million Soho Theatre built by the Soho Theatre Company (STC) at 21
Dean Street, following a £8million award from National Lottery.
The STC has played a unique and award-winning
role in the development of new theatre writing in Britain for more than 25 years. Many of
the UK’s established playwrights have had their early works premiered by the company,
including Caryl Churchill, Hanif Kureishi, Timberlake Wertenbaker and Sue Townsend.
Each year the STC receives hundreds of scripts,
so Jonathan is thrilled that his was picked to be ‘the first play in the first
theatre built in the West End for many years.’
As a spin-off from this project, Jonathan was
asked to write a short radio play for BBC Radio 4, to be broadcast as part of a week of
celebration for the new Soho Theatre. The 15-minute play, Moving On was recorded on
13 January and stars Henry Goodman in the leading role. Moving On will be broadcast
twice on 10 February.
The STC has also introduced the Centre for
Theatre Studies to this year’s Theatre Writer, Adrian Pagan, who will be working with
students on a new play to be performed in the Lakeside Theatre from 12-15 May.
Essex academics predict a bleak future for
many of tomorrow’s elderly
Many of tomorrow’s elderly face a deprived
old age as the gap between Britain’s ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’
widens, say Essex researchers Professor Ray Pahl and Jonathan Scales in their Millennium
report for Age Concern.
Professor Ray Pahl of the
Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Essex
The report ‘The Future of Work and
Lifestyles in the New Millennium’ is one of a series of Millennium Papers considering
the importance of demographic ageing on social policy, which contributed to the
‘Debate of the Age.’
The Age Concern debates aimed to raise awareness
about the ageing society and to provide a forum where people can debate the implications
of this change and influence.
At the final debate in London in December,
Professor Pahl argued that despite the present healthy economic outlook, the wealth
generated is not being spread evenly across the population.
Drawing on data from the British Household Panel
Survey, he argued that if present trends continue the prospect of a polarised society
looms for tomorrows elderly ‘in a society where if you haven’t done well in the
labour market you face a deprived old age.’
He said that focusing on the labour market as the
source to administer financial resources instead of the welfare state means we are
allowing ourselves to fall into a new and perhaps more dangerous dependency culture.
This has led to what Professor Pahl terms the
Matthew Effect – ‘those that have will have it more abundantly, whilst those
that have not will have even that which they have taken away.’
Pahl said policy makers have three options: do
nothing and risk perpetuating social polarisation; put more resources into public goods
and services to smooth out or narrow existing inequalities; or resource the individuals
and/or households who are being left behind as a result of ‘the Matthew effect.’
Thoughts and reflections
of the year 2000 to be buried for posterity
(left to right) Loykie
Lomine, Society Secretary, Rowena Macaulay and Agnes Skamballis, Society President, with
the 'The People's Book' - ready to receive contributions.
A time capsule to mark the new millennium is at
the centre of a major fundraising project to be undertaken by the Sociology Society over
the coming year.
The capsule will buried in the University’s
grounds in the early summer.
Rowena Macaulay, who works in the
Department’s Resource Room, explained that rather than a collection of contemporary
objects, the capsule will contain a book of commentary at the turn of the century,
entitled ‘The People’s Book - Reflections and Predictions in the year
2000’.
She said: ‘Contributors will pay a pound to
enter their name and message, thereby achieving immortality for the price of a bus fare
into town! The project is not exclusive to the university - we are intending to take it
out into town and to make use of local press and radio in its promotion.’
All money raised will go to two local charities,
the Colchester Rape Crisis Line and CEDARS (Colchester Eating Disorders All Round
Support).
The project has the backing of the Vice
Chancellor of the University, Professor Ivor Crewe, and the Public Relations Office, who
will be helping the Society publicise the idea outside the University as well as within.
Local stonemasons will provide a stone plaque to mark the burial spot and a formal
ceremony will mark the occasion.
Rowena, added: ‘We have invited the Art
Department at the Colchester Tech to adopt as a project the design of a plaque for the
inside cover of the book and a box to house the book in. We feel that the contribution of
local young artists, together with a wide range of written social commentary - some
serious and academic, some light and humorous - will add to the sociological interest of
the book as well making it visually dramatic and an object of beauty.’
University studentships 2000 on offer
New fees-only scholarships are being offered to
help ten University of Essex undergraduates who want to go on to take a masters degree and
who may be interested in studying for a PhD afterwards.
These will be open to students who pay fees at
the home/EU rate.
The University has for a number of years had a
studentship programme aimed at increasing the number of students able to undertake
research degrees, mainly but not wholly the PhD, in its various Departments and Centres.
Another innovation this year is that there will
be a small number of fees-only studentships for part-time research students.
The studentship scheme for next academic year has
recently been advertised in the press and on the University’s and other websites.
Full details of the various studentship schemes
are given on the Graduate School’s
web pages, specially linked for the rest of this month from the University’s home page.
