Oxford must reform college system or face a ‘definite decline’, warns vice-chancellor
OXFORD UNIVERSITY’S college system is in need of reform, the vice-chancellor has said, as she bemoaned the “waste of resources” that the current set-up gives rise to.
Prof Louise Richardson said that “much of the success of Oxford University can be attributed to its devolved structure” but expressed concern about the “duplication” of bureaucracy. She suggested that unless Oxford reformed its “sclerotic” administrative structure, the university faced “slow but definite decline”.
Attempts to centralise functions at Oxford have in the past been controversial as the autonomy of colleges is fiercely defended by dons.
Addressing academics and lecturers at her annual Oration, a special meeting of Congregation which takes place at the start of each academic year, she said that changes were necessary at a time of “ever increasing regulatory burdens” on universities.
“We all know that change occurs slowly at Oxford… but the world is changing rapidly around us, and I believe that if we stand still we will enter a period of slow but definite decline,” she said.
“We can ride the waves of globalisation, technological change and pressure on costs, or we can let them wash over us, eroding the edges that make us the world-leading university we are.”
Speaking at Convocation House, she insisted that she was not trying to undermine the “autonomy” of the collegiate system.
“I am convinced that much of the success of Oxford University can be attributed to its devolved structure,” she said. “Nevertheless this structure allows for a great deal of duplication of activities which lead to a waste of resources both financial, and worse, our most valuable resource, our time.
“At a time of ever increasing regulatory burdens on universities imposed externally, I would like to see us reduce these burdens internally, to reduce unnecessary complexity and free up our time for the research and teaching that drew us into universities to begin with.”