The University of Leeds and the British Higher Education System, 1963-2004

• Published in: Northern history 2006-09, Vol.43 (2), p.303-325
• Main Author: Dixon, Simon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CONTEMPORARY BRITISH HISTORY; HIGHER EDUCATION; UNIVERSITIES; UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS; VICE-CHANCELLORS
• ISSN: 0078-172X; 1745-8706
• DOI: 10.1179/174587006X116185

Having entered the 1960s in a mood of confident expansion epitomized by the Robbins Report of 1963, British universities found their budgets ravaged by inflation in the early 1970s and struggled for financial equilibrium over the next three decades. While the 'unit of resource' halved between 1976 and the end of the century, the very nature of a university came into question as renewed growth succeeded cuts in the 1980s, and institutions were required to balance their books by supplementing the traditional functions of teaching and research with a contribution to 'knowledge transfer', local regeneration, and the search for social inclusiveness. In this increasingly competitive system, the 'big civics' faced the spectre of relative decline in the 1990s, as the State continued to support the elite 'golden triangle' and diverted further funds to support struggling 'new' universities, while smaller 'plate glass' institutions were swifter to respond to a new culture of public league tables. This article examines the University of Leeds's changing responses to these challenges, comparing the 'political' leadership of Vice-Chancellors Lord Boyle and Sir Edward Parkes with the managerial approach of Professor Sir Alan Wilson.