A.C. Grayling, Dawkins and more Launch Private University

[klr]

Well that's odd. Not sure I really understand what the point of it is. There are other universities for keeping things traditional - and I'm not convinced that one-to-one tuition would even match up to the everyone-to-everyone possibilities of internet education, if that was properly structured and invested in. There's probably more to the story, but they're going in the wrong direction if you ask me.

Ditto. One-to-one tuition is actually commonplace in Oxford and Cambridge AFAIK, but those are not exactly in the high-volume easy-access segment of the market.

So they are going to take on Oxford and Cambridge (and St. Andrews, etc.), but with a "humanist"/"critical thinking" angle. With the astronomical fees and no mention of grants/scholarships, it sounds as if it would be horribly elitist, which kind of defeats the point, and could send out the wrong message as well.

It smacks of being a vanity project if you ask me. But then again, academics at this rarefied level are not exactly noted for things like proper strategic assessment and planning, or just being plain realistic ...

[Santa_Claus]

I don't see how a University charging £30k is bad for anyone else - especially as it does not automatically make the education "better", nor that the Students will be worth anything at the end.

Just seems like a lefty knee jerk approach, "if I can't have it nor can you".

From my experiances of the UK education system (mostly dealing with the output) a degree would largely be a waste of time for most folk.............if it wasn't for the (unneccessary) paper education "inflation" requirements for entry level (and higher) jobs. In truth most starter jobs only need someone who can read and write coherently - anything else (inclduing proffessional qualifications) can and should be done on the job, paid for by the employer if they see there is any £££ point or on own dime if not.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Harvard costs considerably more than £30k per year. Just sayin'.

[Atheist-Lite]

Harvard costs considerably more than £30k per year. Just sayin'.

The Harvard sets costs go up considerably once they hit the power brokers of Wall Street & Washington. Just sayin'.

[HomerJay]

Ditto. One-to-one tuition is actually commonplace in Oxford and Cambridge AFAIK, but those are not exactly in the high-volume easy-access segment of the market.

My daughter is at Cambridge and they had some of their taught tutorial time (not 1-2-1s) reduced by half after xmas.

The college then made up the difference by paying for the extra hours without passing the costs onto students. (collegiate system at Cambridge is a bit different).

[Feck]

My sister went to Oxford (Somerville ), In her first year there were NO lectures ! just a reading list and once a week tutorial . She was less than amused to be told her whole year was based on her work on The Ancien Régime and several of the books she was meant to use as source were in French .

I had interviews for Bristol and one of the questions asked at interview was How did I think I would fit in considering That I hadn't been to a known public school and came from 'The North ' FFS ! At the Time I applied , Oxford would not consider your application if you had applied to Cambridge (and vice versa) Durham would not consider you if you had applied to either and St Andrews would only consider you if you had been rejected By OxBridge ! Now it seems Dawkins et al want to set up an elitist school so a few rich students can head straight to the best law firms in London to do their 'articles'. Fuck me if I'm wrong But this is Richard Dawkins (Scientist ) adding his name to a private grooming class for the Humanities (and Law...... Oh the irony ) .I Hope those Universities that have given Richard Honorary degrees in science will withdraw them since he no longer thinks his work in science is important just his derivative books on subjects he has no training, skills or knowledge .

[floppit]

I don't see how a University charging £30k is bad for anyone else - especially as it does not automatically make the education "better", nor that the Students will be worth anything at the end.

Just seems like a lefty knee jerk approach, "if I can't have it nor can you".

From my experiances of the UK education system (mostly dealing with the output) a degree would largely be a waste of time for most folk.............if it wasn't for the (unneccessary) paper education "inflation" requirements for entry level (and higher) jobs. In truth most starter jobs only need someone who can read and write coherently - anything else (inclduing proffessional qualifications) can and should be done on the job, paid for by the employer if they see there is any £££ point or on own dime if not.

I have no objection to it being elitist or attended by very wealthy teens. But, without the means to enter based on ability it will draw from a smaller intellectual pool, be less intellectually competitive. It is humanities based and will have less breadth of perspective through which to view research of a nature that requires interpretation by default. I'm all for any intellectual environment that has the means to push forward human learning, as an evolutionary biologist one would have thought Dawkin's would intuitively have been aware of the need for both variation and competition, only somewhere along the trip this seems to have fallen behind the need to be appear elitist at the most base and frankly, boring level.

[Atheist-Lite]

That's one expensive lifeboat if you ask me, and a odd assortment of survivors from the coming shpwreck.

[JimC]

Bah humbug to private universities of any type.

And I am a hypocrit because I teach at a private school (albeit with very low fees)

But bah humbug none the less...

[Pensioner]

Well I think it is a kick in the teeth for all the folk who are fighting privatization of our public services in the UK. Dawkins and the rest are nothing more than elitist tossers and should be ashamed of them selves.

[JimC]

Well I think it is a kick in the teeth for all the folk who are fighting privatization of our public services in the UK. Dawkins and the rest are nothing more than elitist tossers and should be ashamed of them selves.

[Coito ergo sum]

Harvard costs considerably more than £30k per year. Just sayin'.

Actually, in today's dollar's to pounds conversion -- Harvard tuition and fees are 32099.7573 pounds. So, I wouldn't call about 2100 pounds "considerable," IMHO. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/ ... -increase/

[Svartalf]

Well I think it is a kick in the teeth for all the folk who are fighting privatization of our public services in the UK. Dawkins and the rest are nothing more than elitist tossers and should be ashamed of them selves.

[Coito ergo sum]

Humanities ..so nothing Useful at all then .

Yes, bollocks like -

Philosophy, history, law, languages, literature, art, music, religion (and the lack thereof)....all quite "useless..."

[Atheist-Lite]

Humanities ..so nothing Useful at all then .

Yes, bollocks like -

Philosophy, history, law, languages, literature, art, music, religion (and the lack thereof)....all quite "useless..."

Damn right - we know how many angels sit on the head of the pin and the remainder is pub talk.