Warning over Islamic extremists operating in universities
Race hate laws should be used to crack down on extremist groups whose activities are prompting a rise in anti-Semitism at Britain's universities, vice-chancellors are to be warned by ministers today. The police are to be told to use the Public Order Act 1986, which outlaws the spreading of racial hatred, against Islamic extremists for speeches on student campuses. The hardening of the approach towards anti-Semitism by the Government follows growing evidence collected by an all-party group at Westminster about a rise in attacks since the Iraq War. Ministers are particularly concerned about the infiltration of campuses by Islamic extremist groups that have stirred up hatred against Israel.
The Independent
Welsh universities get 3% funding rise
Higher education in Wales will have £424 million to spend in the next financial year, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales announced today. Universities and further education colleges that deliver HE programmes will see their budgets increase by an average 3.84 per cent in 2007-08 compared to the previous year, the funding council confirmed. The increase is lower than the funding settlements made in England, which saw university spending rise by an average 6.4 per cent for the next financial year, and Scotland, where the rise was on average 4.7 per cent.
The Guardian
Highlands and Islands University needs £100m more to develop fully
Creating and developing a university for the Highlands and Islands will need another £100 million over the next ten years, its backers will reveal today. The UHI Millennium Institute will make a plea for extra capital and revenue cash, which it says is necessary if it is to realise its full potential. Over the last decade the project has received more than £160 million from various bodies. But in a four-page appeal to candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary and council elections, UHI says the Scottish Executive should "be bold" and provide the extra resources.
The Scotsman
Barbican director to head arts university
Sir John Tusa is to become the chairman of the University of the Arts London when he steps down as managing director of the Barbican Centre in the autumn. The distinguished BBC broadcaster, credited with turning round the fortunes of the centre since 1995, will succeed Will Wyatt as chairman of governors, the university announced today. The university was formed in 2004 from six arts colleges - Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Art. It has nearly 19,000 students.
The Guardian
Call for new inquest on Jewish student linked to far-right 'cult'
A British student who attended a right-wing anti-Iraq war conference in Germany was murdered after delegates found out that he was Jewish, his family claim. Jeremiah Duggan, 22, died from catastrophic head injuries after apparently running into the path of two cars on a motor way in Wiesbaden in March 2003. But new evidence suggests that the car crash was a set-up, his family say, and that he was battered to death first with a blunt instrument, or possibly a fist or boot. Campaigners including the Labour peer Lord Janner of Braunstone called on the Attorney-General yesterday to order a new inquest into the death of Mr Duggan, a student at the Sorbonne in Paris who was from Golders Green, northwest London.
The Times
University applicants may be told to list family problems
Teenagers may be asked to include details of family problems and money worries on their university application forms. Admissions tutors could give special consideration to those who outlined deprived backgrounds. But the suggestion from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service prompted warnings that students would use "sob stories" to improve their chances after gaining poor exam results. The idea was condemned as "social engineering".
The London Evening Standard