Crusty dons should be more modern

Academics should spin themselves as vibrant rather than crusty, a seminar will hear next week.

Peter Scott, vice-chancellor of Kingston University, will speak at the first of a series of seminars organised by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Society for Research into Higher Education.

He told The THES that universities and colleges should present themselves as amenable to modernisation. He said: "Higher education does not talk the language of modernisation. We do suffer because we seem very pretentious. It would be better if we did not get on our high horse so very much."