Final report on civic universities released

Thirty universities have pledged to support their local areas by signing an agreement set up by the Civic University Commission.

In its final report on civic universities, published on 11 February, the Civic University Commission—set up by the UPP Foundation and chaired by Robert Kerslake, a former head of the civil service—stressed that dangers to university finance such as a potential reduction in student fees could damage the work being done by universities in their communities.

“The deep economic and social changes that are happening in Britain today have, alongside Brexit, made the civic role of universities even more vital to the places they are located in,” said Kerslake. “We are now entering a new industrial revolution when it will be even more vital that knowledge is accessible in as many communities as possible.”