Age of Austerity

Mike Shattock, who spoke about higher education in the age of austerity at our Symposium, has just drawn my attention to this article about Irish higher education in the Times Higher. It seems all the signs are pointing to difficult economic times for Irish universities, as argued by Mike and in the previous posts on this blog. In a system where 85% of funding comes from the government, the cutbacks will be keenly felt. Some of the answers suggested in this article are bound to be controversial: greater international student recruitment, diversified forms of funding and a return to student fees, and even a suggestion of an Asian campus for NUIG. Interesting.