A vice-chancellor has accused the authors of England¡¯s Augar report of ¡°sneering at the working classes¡± and ¡°being cynical about people who want to better themselves by going to university¡±, claiming that ¡°established sector¡± voices on its panel judge universities against an Oxbridge model.

Carl Lygo, vice-chancellor of Arden University and former vice-chancellor of BPP University, two for-profit institutions, told the audience at an event organised by London Higher that the report ¡°felt like the established sector despising and looking down its nose at other parts of the sector¡±.

This was true of its ¡°attack¡± on foundation courses, mounted ¡°without any evidential base¡±, he told the event, part of London HE Week and hosted by PwC in London. The ¡°achievement rate¡± for students on foundation courses was ¡°much better than access courses¡±, Professor Lygo argued.

¡°It¡¯s this pernicious, toxic debate: that somehow the elite universities are better than anyone else; that giving an opportunity to everyone is a bad thing; that universities are somehow profiting from giving opportunities to people,¡± he continued.

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Professor Lygo criticised the Augar report¡¯s use of graduate earnings data in its discussion of value. He referred to his own time studying for his A?levels at Doncaster College, which he said as a higher education provider is ¡°top of the list of colleges that offer the least value for money¡± on graduate earnings. But there were similar returns for other South Yorkshire colleges, reflecting the area¡¯s low average earnings, he added.

¡°The [earnings] comparison pitches Doncaster against other colleges [across the UK]. It doesn¡¯t look at the context in which Doncaster operates,¡± Professor Lygo said.

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He continued: ¡°It¡¯s just a pernicious debate¡­about who should be going [to university] and who shouldn¡¯t. When you look at that value for money, you¡¯ve got to be incredibly careful that we don¡¯t allow it to be captured just in commercial terms. Social mobility is about giving everybody a chance. My mum couldn¡¯t read or write ¨C she went to Doncaster College to learn how to?read.¡±

He added: ¡°We as educators need to push back on this constant comparison to everything being like an Oxford or a Cambridge. Of course, it¡¯s going to destroy our economy if we become elitist in that way.¡±

In terms of the Augar panel members with a background in higher education, Baroness Wolf of Dulwich studied at the University of Oxford and is Sir Roy Griffiths professor of public sector management at King¡¯s College London; Sir Ivor Crewe studied at Oxford and is master of University College, Oxford; while Edward Peck studied at the University of Bristol and is Nottingham Trent University vice-chancellor.

Professor Lygo criticised the ¡°sneering at the working classes that came out of Augar¡±. He added that institutions ¡°brave enough to come up with a model that¡¯s going to help with widening participation shouldn¡¯t be judged in the same way¡± and should not be judged ¡°against the Oxford and Cambridge model¡±.

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Asked what he would say to the next prime minister about higher education if given the chance, Professor Lygo replied: ¡°Ignore most of Augar and don¡¯t be cynical about people who want to better themselves by going to university.¡±

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com