03 July 2019 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
Mark O’Thomas, a PVC at the University of Greenwich is the latest to dive into the university Value debate, with a mixed-bag article in Wonkhe this week. The social value conundrum he articulates where “a graduate of a Business degree at a high-ranked institution who deploys their studies into the City of London …is celebrated as having far greater value to society than, say, the Fine Art graduate who runs part-time painting workshops in care homes” is uncontroversial. Less so his assertion that there has been “almost wholescale collusion of universities into this systemic attack on the arts and humanities”.
However, his conclusions on how universities might help redefine the notion of ‘Value’ are fair. Where he calls for universities to help ‘counter received wisdom’, we would nominate BUFDG’s own video series on the Value. If you’ve not encountered them yet, there are six short, shareable videos, that look at what universities are and what they do, the challenges they face, why and how they invest, and how they contribute to society. Do share them with colleagues, and let us know what you think.
