Off, not on-message

The e-university appears confused again. Last week, it extolled the virtues of attracting overseas students while launching a call for proposals in areas deemed attractive to this cohort.

But it now transpires that this launch was in the wake of a letter calling for the e-university to widen participation at home, sent to all English vice-chancellors by Sir Howard Newby, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Sir Howard's letter says: "This invitation (to bid for additional student numbers) is not about commercial programmes but about programmes to be offered as part of the public service of higher education in England, particularly to meet objectives of widening participation."