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King's College London (KQC) newsletter

On August 1 of this year, King's, Chelsea and Queen Elizabeth Collegeswill embark on a new period in their individual histories: they will jointogether to form a single School of the University of London; a diversemulti-disciplinary School, one of the largest in the University, one of thefive designated Centres of Excellence in university teaching and researchin London.

A Note from the PrincipalAUGUST 1st

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vital to the realisation of any lastingadvantage. Cornwall House is in partavailable to us now and our use of thebuilding has the support of the Govern­ment. We must use this unique opport­unity to create a unified campus and allaction possible is now being taken toimplement occupation of the building.

We have, then, the prospect of playing acentral role in the development of highereducation into the 21st Century. I bel­ieve that we have created the conditionsfor the successful completion of amerger which is without precedent inthe university system and that we mustcontinue to devote our energies to ourgrowth and advancement.

There will be no fanfares or trumpets onThursday August 1 1985 but what Ihope there will be is a solid feeling ofunity and strength for the future. Forthose staff present in College on the dayitself there will be a chance to meettogether over a drink and some food oneach of the three Campuses - or indeed

WARDS

tors, some within our own competenceand some which presuppose the supportof the University as a whole, and indeedthe Government of the day. The Acad­emic Plan indicates how we have ap­proached the task to date and, moreimportantly, how we intend to face itin the future and it details the quiteexhilarating scope of our teaching andresearch plans. It also points out thatwithout relief from the strains imposedby the geographical scattering of oursites we should be hard pressed to con­solidate the excellence that is easilywithin our academic range.

Academic and physical consolidation is

The process of merger is disruptive anddemanding and every member of staffthroughout the three Colleges will havehad to take on a burden of extra workand extra worries over past months inorder to get the College in a state whereit is ready to take this next, very imp­ortant step. It has been a time when wehave had to reflect upon and re-orderpriorities against a national backgroundof declining financial resources andbleak forecasts for higher education as awhole and, in common with many col­leagues in universities up and down theCountry, the problems we have had toface have been many.

Much up-hill work is now complete. Theredrafting of the ACADEMIC PLAN isdone; it has been submitted to theCourt of the University and will go tothe UGC. This plan clearly states thatour merger is fundamental to the re­structuring of the University as a wholeand that the combined College will be ina position to make an outstanding con­tribution to the federal university prov­ision. We have now to turn our attentionto our institutional response to the letterfrom the UGC, drawing on the essenceof the Academic Plan and research state­ments already prepared to present ourai ms and objectives in to the late 19805.

To continue to promote academic excel­lence in research and teaching and toexpand the opportunities we offer tostudents, in a general climate of con­traction, is not an easy goal to aim forbut it is vital that this is the goal wechoose. The task will be complex andsuccess will depend on a variety of fac-

Princess Anne opens the Lions International Earl Mountbatten Blood ResearchLaboratory at a ceremony onJ une 14 at the King's College School of Medicineand Dentistry. (see inside article)

-- continued from page 1

on all of them, for those of you whoare particularly energetic! - and I shallhope to see as many of you as possibleduring the course of the day. More for­mal celebration of the merger will takeplace in October, around the time of thevisit of the Archbishop of Canterbury,and details will be made known in duecourse.

We have come a long way in our plan­ning - we have a long way to go, butwe go forward now in the knowledgethat our resources are ordered, directedand reinforced in a fashion that shouldhelp shield us from further disruption inthe coming years.

I should like to wish you all well overthe summer vacation and look forwardwith you to the start of a vigorous newsession in October.

Professor Stewart Sutherland

This edition of the newsletter containsinformation on the Academic Plan, thetimetable of response to the UGC andthe UGC Letter, and details of the arrang­ements for August 1st.

PERSONNEL NEWS

KI NG'S COLLEGELeavenMiss N. Podmore, Secretarial Assistant,Dept. of Biophysics, 27.06.85

Mrs S.M. (Lee) Cary, Departmental Sec­retary, Education, 12.07.85

Mrs A. Savage, Departmental Secretary,Dept. of Byzantine and Modern GreekStudies, 26.07.85

Mr T. Long, Library Assistant, 31.07.85

Miss A. Walker, Library Assistant, 31.07.85

AppointmentsMiss O. Peart, Secretarial Assistant, Typ­ing Unit, 17.06.85

Miss S. Carter, Secretary, PhysiotherapyResearch Unit, 8.07.85

Miss H. Appleton, Secretarial Assistant,Dept. of Anatomy and Human Biology,15.07.85

Miss J. Rodin, Secretary/Student Records,RGgistry, 29.07.85

Mr A.O. Briggs, Oept. of Pharmacology,10.06.85

RetirementsMrs E. Walker, Dept. of Physics, 30.06.85

Mr J. McOonald, Dept. of Pharmacology,30.06.85

Mr A. Howe, Dept. of Plant" iences,30.06.85

Mr I. Oavies, Night Patrol, 7.07.85

Mr E.J. Richardson, Dept. of Pharmacol­ogy, 31.07.85

TransferMs W Everett, Departmental Secretary,Dept. of Geology, to Bepartmental Sec­retary, Dept. of War Studies, 1.08.85

CHELSEA COLLEGELeaversProfessor A.H. Beckett, Professor, Dept.of Pharmacy, 30.09.85

Miss R. Bhardwaj, Research Assistant(Temp), Dept of Pharmacology, 30.06.85

Miss P. Britchford, PfT Domestic Assist­ant, Malcolm Gavin Hall, 20.07.85

Or M.N. Bukhari, Research Assistant(Temp), Dept. of Electronics, 24.07.85

Or L.O. Ellam, Research Assistant(Temp), Dept. of Physiology, 31.08.85

Mr M.S. Feldman, Technician (Temp),Drug Control and Teaching Centre, 14.06.85

Or S.C. Francis, Lecturer (Temp), Dept.of Geology, 01.07.85

Miss J. Garlick, Research Assistant(Temp), Dept of Physiology, 31.07.85

Dr D.M. Hylands, Postdoctoral ResearchAssistant (Temp), Dept. of Pharmacy,31.05.85

Mr R.K. Kingdom, Kitchen Porter, Ref­ectory, 05.07.85

Mr N.C. Taylor, Technician, Dept. ofPharmacy, 31.07.85

New AppointmentsMiss C.A. Barnes, Research Assistant(Temp), Nursing Education ResearchUnit, 01.07.85

Mr J.P. Cronin, pfT Night Security At­tendant, Malcolm Gavin Hall, 15.06.85

Mr C. Oee, Plumber/Pipefitter, BuildingsDepartment, 10.06.85

Mr O.F. Elcome, PlumberlWorking Fore­man, Buildings Department, 17.06.85

Mrs C.M. Goodman, Lecturer in NursingResearch (Temp), Dept. of Nursing Stud­ies, 23.09.85

Mr L.J. Newell, Plumber/Pipefitter,Buildings Department, 10.06.85

Or A.J. Rogers, Chair of Electronics,Dept. of Electronics and Electrical Eng­ineering, 01.09.85

Mr G. Woffendin, Analyst (Temp), DrugControl and Teaching Centre, 01.06.85

Mr P.J. Wood, Programmer (Temp),Educational Computing Section, CSME,01.09.85

QUEEN ELIZABETH COLLEGELeaversMrs E. Biddies, Secretary, Dept. ofPhysics, 28.06.85

Ms L. Cleary, Cook, May 85

Mr P. Jackson, Computer lJlnit, 28.06.85

Ms C. Sayee, Secretary, Dept. of Physiol·ogy, 28.06.85

New AppointmentsMs P. Gray, Cook, 24.06.85

Mr W. Hamilton, Porter/Cleaner, 28.05.85

Mr T. Skinner, Plumber, 20.05.85

Ms C. Sullivan, Secretary, Dept. of Micro­biology, 15.07.85

Mr S. Sweet, Porter/Cleaner, 17.06.85

Mr C. Tohill, Library, 01.08.85

KQC APPOINTMENTMr Richard Kidd, the Buildings Officer atChelsea College, has been appointed Dep­uty Estates Officer for KOC with effectfrom 1st August 1985

LEAVE OF ABSENCECouncil has granted leave of absence tothe following:Mr J R Proudfoot, Reader in English, forthe Michaelmas Term 1985 and the LentTerm 1986

Professor G N Stanton (Biblical Studies)for the Lent and Summer Terms 1986

Miss Lesley Whyte (Assistant Librarian)for the session 1985/86

Mr J Woolford, Lecturer i:1 English, forthe session 1985/86

FELLOWSHIP OF ENGINEERINGProfessor C W Turner, Head of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engin .eeri ng has been elected to the Fellowshipof Engineering.

The Fellowship was established in 1976 asa national academy of engineering to bea counterpart in technology of the RoyalSociety in science.

_IProfessor Beckett honouredProfessor Arnold Beckett, FPS, aprofessor in the Pharmacy Departmentand Director of the Drug Control andTeaching Centre, was made a corresp­onding member of the Royal SpanishAcademy of Pharmacy at a ceremonyin Madrid on May 9.

ACADEMIC INITIATIVESThe following proposals for academicinitiative awards have been put forwardby the College to the Court of the Univ·ersity.

Institute for the Study and Treatmentof Delinquency £19,500

Lecturer in Social Gerontology £20,556

Language Centre £28,500

The Antenatal Treatment of GeneticDiseases £48,993

Lectureship in Immunogenetics £14,000

PROFESSOR H J V TYRRELL, VICE·PRINCIPAL DESIGNATE

RELOCATION OF STAFF FOLLOWINGCLOSURE OF THE STRAND POST­GRADUATE OFFICE - Room 16BBFrom I July the following staff will belocated as follows:

FROM BODY TO SOULOr Maureen Palmer, former Lecturer inthe Department of Physiology at OECfrom 1966 - 83 was ordained Deaconess atHereford Cathedral on Sunday 30th June1985 to serve in St Paul's, Tupsley, Here·ford.

OBITUARYJulian Sandys, an undergraduate studentin the Department of Electronic andElectrical Engineering, was tragicallykilled in a road accident on 23 June 1985He was due to enter his final year thiscoming October.

ment will help to reinforce that confid·ence. He sees the main priority as tryingto forge a new, corporate identity overthe next few years. To do that, hethinks it essential that the Collegeshould eventually operate from a singlesite, a requirement that would be real­ised with the partial acquisition ofCornwall House. This identity couldstem from the 'enormous access ofstrength' which the College now com­mands, and the academic qualities whichwill emerge as people work more closelytogether. Throughout the College, Prof·essor Tyrrell said, departments and fac­ulties are being strengthened, with across·fertilisation of ideas, and a widerrange of academic interests.

Professor Tyrrell is looking forward toworking with Professor Sutherland, andfeels confident about the future of theCollege. Now, whether speaking to indiv·idual members of staff or sitting on com­mittees he can detect a new spi rit; whereonce people were concerned with theirown position in the merger, they are nowconcerned with what is good for the newCollege, and a KOC view prevails.

As we announced in the last issue ofCOMMENT, Professor H.J.V. Tyrrell isto be appointed Vice-Principal of theCollege for one year from August 1st.At present Principal of Chelsea College,Professor Tyrrell began his career inindustry before joining the ChemistryDepartment of the University of Shef·field five years after graduating. Hecame to Chelsea College in 1965 asProfessor of Physical and InorganicChemistry and served as Head of Dep­artment from 1972-1982. In 1976 hebecame Vice-Principal, and was appoint­ed Principal in 1984 in succession toOr Charles Phelps.

Professor Tyrrell was due to retire thissummer, but accepted the job of vice·principal because of his thorough com·mitment to the new College. He prof­esses to feeling honoured to have beenchosen to help to steer the Collegethrough its first year; having been invol­ved in every stage of the merger, Profes­sor Tyrrell has gained an awareness ofthe problems and worries that membersof staff have faced as well as the confid­ence which they can now feel in theCollege. And he hopes that his appoint·

Room 27B/Main Build­ing Ext 2689

Fiona Macl.eod

Fiona Cameron

Phr.rmacognosy Lecturer to visit AfricaOr P.J. Hylands, a lecturer in Pharma­cognosy at the Chelsea Campus, hasbeen invited by the CommonwealthScience Council to Namibia and Zim·babwe. He will hold seminars on medic·inal plants of Africa at the University ofHarare and study the potentially usefuleconomic plant, nora, which has beenthe staple food of Kalahari bushmenfor 8,000 years.

Room 2B/Main BuildingExt. 2291/2753Room 2B/Main BuildingExt. 2291/2753Room 2B/Main BuildingExt 2291/2753

NB as from I August Fiona MacLeodwill be located in Room 5B/MainBuilding. Exts 2689/2307

Until further notice, postgraduate enquir­ies (except Admissions' matters) maybe referred to the above staff.

S P Harrow

Secretary toS P Harrow

, The merger of King's College, Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College is themost important development in the sphere of higher education today and it mustsucceed.'

THE ACADEMIC PLANProposals to the Court of the University of London and theUniversity Grants Committee, June 1985

Lord ScarmanChairman of the Court of the University on theoccasion of the Court Dialogue with the mergingColleges25 October 1984

This statement prefaces a 112 pp document stating the aims and objectives of themerged College and detailing the status and future strengths of each individualDepartment. To attempt to precis such a document would be unrealistic. A list ofthe Contents headings will give you an idea of the documents scope and copies areavailable for consultation in the Libraries of each campus, the Strand Senior Comm­on Room and the Information Office.

TIMETABLE OF RESPONSE TOTHE UGCThe University outlines the structure ofLondon's response to the UGC letterPLANNING FOR THE LATE 1980 s.

RESEARCH REVIEWThe Joint Planning Committee of theUniversity has set up a sub-group toconsider the overall approach to researchplans and will be particularly concernedwith inter-disciplinary and inter-collegiateprojects. King's has to produce a list ofintercollegiate research in which it isinvolved by July 31, covering the natureand aims of the work, its organisationand control and the associated cost andincome. The major research statementfor the College will have to be submittedto the University by September 16.

INSTITUTIONAL PROFILEThe College has until October 31 topresent a profile of its overall academicpolicies and objectives, including inform­ation on student numbers and financialposition. The University has stressed theneed to take realistic account of thefinancial position that institutes face andhave asked that, due to the constraintsof the timetable of response, submissionsbe made before the October deadline ifpossible.

The UGC were initially concerned onlywith the selective funding of research;the goal is now a total review of univers­ity operations. The University thereforeproposes to conduct two parallel exer­cises - a research review and the devel­opment of institutional profiles - thetwo studies to be drawn together forpresentation to the UGC.

for vision in Higher Education.

Should you wish, I shall be happy togive further details of how this partic­ular institution is already responding tothe effects of Government policy.'

THE LETTER ITSELFThe full text of Sir Peter Swinnerton­Dyer's letter is included in this edition.

FINAL UNIVERSITY SUBMISSIONThe UGC have made it clear that theymust receive all replies by November 30and it is vital, therefore, that the wholetimetable of response as outlined aboveis strictly adhered to. School and Instit­ute submissions will be transmitted tothe UGC along with the University'sfederal statements and the documentsshould be made available throughout theUniversity for consultation.

which King's alld its partners (theKing's College School of Medicineand Dentistry, Queen ElizabethCollege and Chelsea College) areengaged, is of an order quite unpre­cedented in the University system,but one which demonstrates thathigh quality and reviewed expend­iture patterns are quite compatible;

(3) Nonetheless restructuring of suchdimensions involving the closure ofinstitutions, cannot be achievedwithout the closure of some sitesand the extension or re-structuringof others. This means in our caseshort-term injections of capital toallow not simply survival but a cost­effective and vigorous long-termfuture.

FINANCIAL APPRAISAL- Introduction- Background Information- Options Considered- Investment Appraisal- Capital Cost and Recurrent and Equip-

ment Expenditure Savings Summary- Conclusion

We hope that our positive responses tothe effects of the policies of our electedgovernment will be given the opportun­ity to show that there is still a place

SPACE REQUIREMENTS AND DEVEL­OPMENT OPTIONS- Space Requirements- Restructured Multi-Site Option- Single Campus Operation- Other Options- Timing- Residential Property

NEW FACTORS

CORNWALL HOUSE

THE PLAN FOR THE MERGER- Aims and Objectives- The Context- The Academic Plan- The Means of Achievement- The Proposal and its Justification

FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTALPROFILES- Arts and Music- King's College School of Medicine and

Dentistry- Faculty of Education- Faculty of Engineering- Faculty of Laws

Facu Ity of Life Sciences- Faculty of Mathematical and Physical

Sciences- Faculty of Theology and Religious

Studies

PRINCIPAL WRITES TOSECRETARY OF STATEProfessor Sutherland has written apersonal letter to Sir Keith Josephpointing out how the current develop­ments within the University of Londonare already working towards adaptinghigher education to the needs of thenation. The letter goes on to outlinehow we are coping with our particularmerger; what its benefits will be andwhat issues will effect us - CornwallHouse is mentioned in this context.The Principal sums up by saying:

'My purpose in writing has had threepoints of focus:(I) To point out that the restructuring

of the University of London is ofsuch an order that it might providea bed-rock of experience on whichother Universities may wish, oreven have need to draw;

(2) The current merging process upon

PLANNING FOR THE LATE 1980s:

A LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE UGC TO ALL UNIVERSITIES

C.rcul.' I•• 17/84 0 19 ov.mber 1984 outllnea the Commin... 's int.n ,on toreview e prewnt grant dlwibutloo tn the hg' of un enttli8$' future pl.ns. PJIrtlC"ulady on e fl!$8atC Sfde. ThIs tener MU DU I I rateglc framewor wnhln leun, .rs ,es ohould tormulat. the" piano (~ra 2-10 , ~I the org,an,sa ,on andNI ure 0 the rev .w (paras 11-181 and 'I>«,f es the mforma .on od1 the Comm, .t need. (paras 19-30 .nd annexes

10 I s for .ach ,mt'tu on 0 conSider how 0 react 0 .s. W, In • broed sub-ject .r... here may be scope tor shifts 0 subjects of partia.l.r vocatlon.1 relev.ncewh'ch do not n 01 • subs an .1 nedlJUlbu Ion of resources. ShIfts from hl.m to

• SCII ob'tloud ra,se much rea er resource problems..

ORGANISATlO A 0 NATURE OF THE REVIE

STRATEGIC FRAMEWOR

8 Th. pl.nning numbers which the Commlnee .v.ntually d.termines tor eachuniv.rSlty w,1I be .xpressed in terms ot the full·tlme equiyal.nt of full-time and part­time dogr....nd d,plom. stUd.nts - see para 24. Th.y will be the basIS for calculat­ing the t.aching comppnent ot recurr.nt grant. They will .Iso be used in calculatingthe stud.nt-rel.ted compon.nts of equipm.nt grant and caplul·ir>-recurrent grant.

Student numbo..6 The Goy.rnment·s public expenditure plans .ssume that the number of homeand EC .tud.nts m higher education will remein at about the present lev.1 tor therest ot the decad•. The di.position ot these numbers between the univ.rsities andthe public sector has not y.t been discussed with the Gov.rnmen

These figures Includ. provision for the final y••r (AY 1985/861 ot the new blood.nd IT progr.mmes. Th.y exclude the £31m of new mon.y for the £43m programmeov.r 3 years which was .nnounced on 19 M.rc tor add't,on.1 places ,n .Iectronic.nglneenng and r.l. ed subjects hhe 'shift'); they do of course Includ. the £12mwhich the UGC Itselt IS contributing out ot recurrent grant tow.rds the progr.mme.

14 The COmmitt... •• subj.ct sub-comminees will play a full rol. in .xaminlng UnlV'

.rsiti.s' academiC plans. Including plans for research, They are beIng asked to arrange• programme of meetings which enabl.. them to do this. There will be consulut,onwith R.... rch Council•. Th. advice ot other bodies will be sought as appropri.te

The t1mlr\9 and CM'~nisaoon of the tI'fteW1 TM re-/leYlo W 11 cover recurre" granu or. four·yeat period starting In the'~mtC year 1986 87 .nd wil nvotv!: a Incl"easlng se eetl e distribution of theresearch c.ompone." of the g.... The: Comm pJa'l5 to announce the gt.n s orAY 1986 87 n M. 1986 and gr.nu tor the allOWing roe acad.m,c y••rs I1 .r In1986

15 The Comm,n.e's Secnet.rtat must heve the st.H and the technical tacilitl" toenabl. them to provide the .nalys.s ot univers,ti..' wbm,ssions and .11 the otherinformation which the Commin"" will nequ"•. ThIS has been recognised by the Dep­.rtment of Education and Science. Po> p.rt of a reorganisation of the Secr.tartat anlw ppst is being created on the fin.nc,al .ide. The Committ"" hopes that thIS pos ,wh'ch will be ot sl>«i.t ,mportance during the period at the r.Yiew. can be filled bythe secondment of a university administrator with appropriate experience, but thenumber of nominations received from Universities hIS been very small. Some uOlve~'

ity administrators are however contributing the" experti.e to the developmen of themod.1 referred to in para 16 below. The computing .nd other fac,litl" evail.ble tothe Secr.tariat have been strengthened ov.r the last twely. months. The Commln""will be conSld.ring whether further provision will be required.

(.) • leaching rlJSOUrtlI per full'lIme .Quiolal.nt home ...d EC student wary·ing according to departmental con oontr. but not according 11> lns2lttuUon.

13 In ord.r to be .ble to announce the grants In May 1986 the Committ"" hopesthat univerSities will r..pond to this letter as .000 a. possible this autumn. It recog­nises the dem.nds which the tlm.table imposes but it will need to have all r..ponsesn01 latar than 30 No..mber. For the Comminee the revi.w will take precedence oyer.11 oth.r commitments from the autumn onw.rd•. Its programme at meetings will bearranged to ensure that there is time to give full consideration to universities' submls­$Ions. In VIew' of thiS, there will be no Commlnee visits to uni\tersitles dUring thefirst half of 1986. Aft.r con.iderlng plans for student numbers and research on thebasiS at academ,c subjects, the Commrnee will .xamlne the impliatlons tor Indiv,du.1 ,nstltutions before taking final decisions. It will pay .pecial an.ntlon to the .copefor ratlonali.atlon and to proposals which involy. coll.boration with other imtitut­,ons. whether in the university sector or in the public sector and wh.ther in t.achlngor research. The Commrn"" Will be dIscussing with the CVCP how much ,nformatlonuniv.rSltles .hould be giy.n about the grounds on which the grant decisions have beenuk.n.

12Th. granu tor AY 1986'87 Will be ,rm (SUblec to he usual prOVIso aboutParltamen '. voting the necess.ry funds for the tour months from Aprtl 1987) Thegranu or the remaining thrM' years will be proYlslonal for a varie y of reasons One:IS tha he cash .yall.ble for recurr.n grant for the r.. of the public .xpenditureplanning pertod (ro FY 1988189) w,lI stili be .ubj.ct to cont,rmatlon by the Govern­men Ano her IS that.•Ithough the Commlnee believ... four-year planning pertodfor UnlV!rSl les is desirible, It can only provide figures fol" the remaining 16 monthsby extrapolatron tram the publtc expendltur. tlgures. In add,tron the Commrn"" WlI,WISh durtng the .econd halt of 1986 to conSld.r turther the allocatiOns for r.... rct­for 1987/88 - 1989/90. I will also discuss w .ome institutiOns most affected bythe 1986/87 dlStnbut,on how they .hould adap to further neductlons. Because of thepractical d,fflcuhlf!s created for a UniversitY when resources afe reduced It shonnotice tne Comminee has declC:ied to limit the real terms loss whlc .ny institutionmight ha\te to bur In 1986/87 no Instlt1.Jtlon will suHer a reduction In fts total grantthat 11 worse by more than 1.5 per cent than the .v.rage loss tor .11 institutIons. The.ubsequent rate of loss wilt d.pend on the outcome of the discussions ret.rred toabove.

R....rch .lIocation16 The Committee ..id in IU Strategy AdVice th.t it int.nded to consider changesin Its .pproach to the distribution of resources. It i. now dev.loping a model basedessentially on the tollowing comppnents.

FYI1987/88£1348.8m

FY/1986/87£1315.1m

FY 1985/86£12BO.4m

4 It is cl.ar th.retore that, so tar at I.ast. the Goyernment has not -.:epted thecaM for truly lev.1 funding. The Committee d.plor.. thi••nd will continu. to pressthe case. It r.meins to be seen whether the Government'. Green Paper on the devel­opment of h,gher education, which i. expected to be published lat.r this month. di.,closes a diHerent prospect. M••nwhil••1I univ.rsitie. must prepare for support frompublic funds 0. necurrent gr.nt and home tuit'on tees) to decline in re.1 terms y•• rby y.ar: univ.rsities which suHer less th.n the av.rage an only do .0 at the expen••of other unIversities..

5 For the purpose ot IU review the Committ•• has decided on a worlUng hypo-thati. of an .w". annual decline in the recurrent grant for .ach inJ1i1ution at 2 percant in re.1 tarms uken her. to mean .n annu.1 increase ot about 2 per cent belowthe general rat. ot inflation (see Annex 3), This is a steeper d.cline than the figurestor total recurr.nt gr.nt might suggest: the Comminee may need to withhold pert ofthe total, for ex.mple, to support restructuring

F,nanoe2 In ,a S rategy Advice last ye.r the Comm, "" urged the Gov.rnment to m.,n-Uln tnJly Iev. funding tor • ran 0 the deade, and to prov,d. appmpri•• extraresources where the Universities were as Id to fa e on Iddltlona' US L. The Commit·tee has now been told the the recurr.nt granu .mboched ,n the Public Expendltur.Wlut. P.per (Cmnd 94281 publllhed ,n J.nuary wer•.

7 Meanwhile the Comm,ttee has dec,ded to t.ke as the baseline tor the neviewits pr..ent stUdent number targets (see Annex 2) including the place. associated Withthe third and tin.1 y••r ot the IT programme (1985186) but .xcluding the extra stUd­enu tor whom additional granu are being provided und.r the ·.hift', (These Ian.which are ,n cours. of being senled with the uniYersiti.. concerned, will be tak.ninto account by the Comminee in the course of the review and .hould not be includ­ed in the figures for 1989/90 that uniYersitl" .ubmit in rflPOnse to thi. Iener,) TheCommin"" IS also a.king for infonnation .bout ectual numbers in 1984/85 to comp­I.ment the Intormation rel.ting to planned numbers. Whatever deci5l0n on total num­bers by th. end of the 1980. results from the discussions r.t.rred to in para 6, theComminee is not sen,ng out with the expect.tion ot changing the ~.rn ot dIStrib­ution bet'Neen Institutions to any significant extent.

3 The figures given above provide for increases in universities' costs that are onev.rage 1.5 per cent below the Go .mm.nt's own assumptions about gener.1 infl.tlonov.r the three years (5,0 per cent, 4.5 per cent .nd 3.5 per cem respectiv.ly). Theyalso reflect the tact that m 1984 the Gov.mm.nt r.moved £14m from the previou.lyplanned provISion for FY 1985/86 .nd £22m trom FY 1986/87 on the basis th.tuniversiti.. would be .xpected to operate With increas.d economy. (Now that theJ.rrln Commlnee has reported, the Committee's preliminary view IS that its recom­mend.tions will not I.ad to substanti.1 economies.)

Subject t.lanee9 In July 1981 the Commlttee's plam provided for a shift in the distribution ofhome and EC students among the three broad subjeex ar.as - am. science and med­Icm. - from 50:41:9 in 1979/80 to 48:42: 10 in 1983/84. Thi. has largely been act>­I.v.d. Po> un,y.rSlt,.s know. the Secretary ot State for Education and Sci.nce wouldIlk. to see a higher proportion of students .tudying subjects of 'vocational relev.nc.'.Although h. 1'1.. noted the UGC'. yi.w in th. Strategy AdVice that • signifiant ir>­cr.as. in the number of placet in SCIence and technology depend. on the provisionof tha nec..sary resources, ha n.....rthel....xpects the great.st possibl. mift tosci.nce and technology w,thin .xisting resources. H. hopes in partlcul.r that it willbe possibl. for int.k.. in these .r.as to be m.int.ined at at I.ast the I.vels plannedfor 1984 .nd 1985.

(bl a rese.rch resource,

(c) prOVISion tor centr.1 costs,

(d) .peci.1 factors r.tlectlng unavoidabl. r.Quirement. of c.rtain institut­ions (London weighting allowance being the most obviOUS .xample) orother justitiabl. adjustments ot the basic model.

17 Po> a part of the work, univ.rsities will shortly be inYlted to comment on th."dep.rtmental Unit costs, on the ratio between departm.ntal costs .nd c.ntral Unitcosts, and on .tudent/.taH r.tlOS In the Yanous d.p.rtmental subject groups. It hasbeen agreed With the CVCP that th.r. should be a group con.isting of members of

both committees to disco.. the gen.r.1 implic.tions for the uniy.rsities of the fundingmod. I.

SelectiYity in funding of ..seuch18 The Commm••'s policy to be more selectiye in Its support for r....rch isInt.nded to m.int.in the quality of uniy.rsity res••rch .nd the str.ngth of the du.1support syst.m as f.r as pou,ble within the r..ources .yailable. The gener.1 objectlyeis to redistribute resources for research between institutions, and to encourage a re-­distrrbution within Institutions, tow.rds work of speci., strength or promise. TheCommittee recognoses that there is consider.ble concem in uniyersiti...bout the pos'",ble .ffects of the policy. Some of the issues which h.ye arisen in the three workingparties on which repr..entatiy.. of he CVCP and the R....rch Councils have servedc.nnot be .nswered in advance of the r.yiew but the Committee has already takenthe following decisions:

(al it will not start With Iny preconceptions lOOUt plrticullr re..lrchIrels to be encouraged selectlyely, and it will tlke full account of III theinformation and views which it will be receiving, including in particularuniversities' own choice of priorities as 5hown in their research plans;

(b) it will not identify in IdYlnce a sum to be distributed seleeliyely forresearch;

(c) globally, it will not transf.r ..search resources between the main sub­ject areas - arts, science and medicine - but individual universities arefree to do so where they consider it justifi.ble.

THE SUBMISSION OF UNIVERSITIES' PLANS

19 Universities .re asked to proYlde.

(11 a short statement of their oyerall objectlYes for the planning period(para 20).

(b) a r..earch st.tement (Annex 11.

(c) forecasts of student numbers (Annex 2);

(d) f,nanci.1 forecasts (Annex 3).

20 The st.tement of oyer.1I objectives should. when re.d with the response to Part3 of Annex I, cover the university's gener.1 prioritres in teaching .nd rese.rch. If theuniversity proposes to expand provision in certain subjects or to introduce new ones,it should indic.te clearly wh.t subjects it will be contracting or withdrawing from inorder to accomplISh this. The st.tement should be developed on the b.sis of theworking hypothesis (p.ra 5) of a 2 per cent .nnual reduction in the real value ofrecurrent grant. In preparing the statement .nd the detail asked for in the .nnexes,universIties .re asked to take account of the following par.graphs. Supporting mater·ial should be provided as appendices, where appropriate.

Student nu mbers21 Universities are asked to consider what changes they propose to make in thebalance of student numbers between, for example:

(a) ans and science;

(b) 'vocational' and 'non·vocational' courses;

(c) full·time and part·tilJle tuition;

(d) self·financing and grant·aided courses;

(e) undergraduates and postgraduates.

p.rt·time and full·time stud.nts, and will no longer be making the auumpt,ons aboutpart·time fees that were Introduced In Circul.r I.ner 10/81.

Continuing education25 The Comminee WIll contlnu. to assume that courses of continUing edUcatIonshould cover their costs, Including the appropri.te level of overheads, without signific­ant subsidy from recurrent grant. The Committee does however recognise tha value ofsome grant provision for pump""priming for courses other than extra-mural courses ofIoberal adult education for which support is provided by the Educ.tlon Departm.ntsand local authorities. It has therefore decided 0 provide modest support at about thepres.nt level (approximat.,y £150 per FTE student on yocatlonal courses and £75 fornon-vocational courses). It is in addition considering introducing a scheme for thesupport of post·experrence vocationll education that would be highly selective bothas to subject and as to institutIon.

Rationali ..tion of deplrtmants26 The Comminee intends to comment shortly on various aspects of how universit·185 might tackle the rationalisation of departments. ResponSIbility for action must(hen in general rest With universities themselyes, both individu.lly and in cooperation.The Committee may be willing to make grants to help to implement arrangementsbetween Universities end it will be considering what line to follow on this. It mlYrtlJl need to take the init,ative in particullr cas.., for eXRmple where it ~s neces·IIry to ensure that proviSIon in cenain subjects meets but does not exceed nationalneeds or, conver1ely, where proviSion for certain subjects is in danger of being elim­inated altogether.

Restructuring cosu27 The continuing squeeze on resources, or changes that a university pllns tomake in the distribution of student numbers. may involve edditional non· recurringexpenditure. e.g. to rationalise accommodation, to facilitate re-training of staff ortransfers between institutions. or to provide for the premature retirement of staff inthe university's interest. Where this is so. universities are asked to estimate what non­recurring costs, whether capital or revenue, might lrise in edapting to the levels offunding indicated by the working hypothesis, Ind how they would propose to financesuch expenditure (see Annex 3).

Buildings28 Universities are asked to say what their plans are for the management of ca~ital resources (proYision, use and disposal of property and financing of building work)which complement their academic and financial plans for the planning period, so thatthe Committee may be aware of the accommodation implications when it is makingdecisions on recurrent grant allocations.

29 The Committee expects universities to take full advantage of the arrangementsfor retentIon of sales proceeds and certain rents set out in Circular letter 3/85. Theresources ayailable for major new capital building are unlikely to amount to morethan about £12m a year for medical projects over the period of the review. The pro­grammes are fully allocated up to 1987/88 and there are already many claims on theprogrammes for succeeding years. As to projects costing less than £1 m, universitiesshould assume for the purpose of the review that the cash resources available throughcapital-in-recurrent grant will increase at the same rate as recurrent grant.

30 Universities' plans should show the provision they intend to make for the longterm maintenance of their property (see Annex 3, Table 5).

OTHER MATTERS

Equipment grant31 By providing an additional £18m oyer three years for seleeliYe distribution tt'sSecretary of State has already made some acknowledgement of the case set out inthe Strategy Advice that the present equipment grant is seriously inadequate. TheCommittee awaits a full response in the Green Paper. Meanwhile, the planning figures,in cash terms, available to the Committee are as follows:

to strengthen research in a limited number of research groups. During the summer theCommittee will be reviewong the method used to distribute the first £4m; it expectsto invite applications from universities for grants from the remaining £14m.

32 The Committee expects to announce the distribution of equipment grant forAY 1986/87 at about the same time as it announces recurrent grant for that year.Before it does so it intends to review some aspects of the method of calcullting grantin the light of its decision to be more seleeliye in the distribution of resources forresearch.

22 The intake of home and EC medical students should be maintained at the 1980level but the total intake, including overseas students, should not exceed the univers·ity's 'Todd target'. The total of dental students should be at the level notified to theunlYersities concerned on 2 December 1983. In conSIdering possible developments inparticular subjects, universities should bear in mind the results of recent enquiries intoproviSIon in pharmacy, oceanography, architecture and agriculture and the propos.dtargets for initial teacher training. In considering the balance between vocational andnOfl"yocational courses in the 'arts' subject area, universities should take account ofthe high demand from good quality applIcants for undergraduate courses in subjects$Uch as business and management studies and accountancy for which there is also ahigh demand from employers.

FY 1985/86£95.Qm

FY 1986/B7£99.7m

FY 1987/88£102Om

Student qUllifications on entry23 In its Strategy AdVice the Committee recommended that higher educationcourses should be ayailable to all who Ire able to benefit from them and wish to doso. Nevertheless from time to time the Committee is asked whether universities sufferfinancially if they admit students without the customary academic qualifications. Theanswer is that the proportion of students edmitted without'A' level qualifications orSCE 'H' grades has not been (and will not be) a factor in Committee decisions aboutthe distribution of grant. The analyses of 'A' level scores and SCE 'H' grades that arepresented to the Committee ere based on the number of entrants aged 20 or le.. whohave such qualifiCAtions.

Part· time and diploma students24 The Committee has decided that the grant for the full·time equivalent of part·time degree and diploma students should be the same as for full-time and sandwichstudents. This Will allow virement within a planning figure that will be expressed interms of full·time equivalents of full·tlme and part·tlme students. It represents a "!/'nificant improvement over the funding prOVIded in 1981 for part· time students. TheCommittee will not however compensate for any difference between fee levels for

Performance indicators33 Universities will Increasingly be expected to be able to demonstrate that theyare using their resources effectively and ,efficiently. To this end, it will be necessaryfor the UGC and Universities to develop and use appropriate indicators of perform­ance for teachong, research and for the prOVISion of academic services. The Commit·tee intends to discuss this with the CVCP in the light of the Jarratt Report.

CONCLUSION34 Universities must continue to take excellence as their prime objectilJe in teach·ing and research. It should be possible for every university to be strong in some sub­jects both in teaching and research, but the extent to which excellence can be pre­served in all subjects and in all universities depends on the resources evailable. It IS tobe expected that there will be increasing differences among universities in the rangeof subjects they cover, In the nature of the rese.ch they do, and in teaching Slyles.With the prospect of contInuing flnancia' stringency, all universities will be faced withhard choices. The Committee endorses what is said in the Jarratt report, that forwardplanning IS all the more necesslry when the future is uncertain.

THREE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE COLLEGE

The Principal and the President then rec­eived some 250 members at a Receptionin the Great Hall. Mr E H Warrell prov­ided a concert in the Chapel, an exhibit·ion of material from the Adam archive(Arts members had made a contributiontowards its acquisition) was on view, andthe Physics Department, as part of itsOpen Day, was open to illustrate thescope and variety of its work. It would

The meeting agreed that QECA shouldbecome a branch of KCLA, provided theCouncil were satisfied with the proposedconstitution. Members were also informedthat, in view of large increases in member­ship in recent years and the formation ofthe enlarged College as from 1 August1985, the Counci I were to carry out anexamination of the future developmentof the Association. The reports frombranches contained in the 1985 News­letter were supplemented from memberspresent; in particular Professor Goughoutlined the financial support which theFriends of KCL in Canada had alreadymade to the College and various otherschemes which were under consideration.

Sir Richard WayKCB CBE

Mr A P JEdwards

Professor E HGrant

Mr B E Salter

Dr A S-T LueMBE

Honorary Secretary

Honorary Treasurer

Patron

President

Chairman

KCLA NEWSA well-attended AG of the Associationwas held in Room 8B on Friday 10 May1985. Among those present were thePrincipal and Professor B Gough, Vice-President of the Friends of King'sCollege in Canada. It was reported thatMr I P Shaw had tendered his resignationas Chairman of the KCLA Council andDr B E Dawson had decided not tostand for re-election as Honorary Secret­ary since he would be retiring from theFaculty of Education as from 1 October1985. Very sincere and grateful thankswere expressed to both for all the work,help and advice they had so willinglygiven over the years; this can be illust­rated by the fact that over the past 10years or so membership has risen fromabout 3,000 to nearly 12,000, with over­seas branches now established in HongKong, Canada, USA and Cyprus and theformation of further branches both athome and abroad now under consider·ation. The principal officers elected for1985/86 were:

A NEW LECTURESHIP FOR THECOLLEGEKing's has been awarded a DefenceLectureship by the Ministry of Defence.The new appointment will specialise inthe area of technology and militaryaffairs and be based in the Departmentof War Studies. The appointment willenable the Department of War Studiesto build on its existing strengths anddevelop further as a leading centre forwar studies in the United Kingdom.

The proposed research, which will bedirected by Dr Bernadette O'Keeffe ofthe Faculty of Education, aims toexamine the emergence and growth ofthese schools and explore their aims andobjectives. Comparison will be madewith Church of England and Countyschools and will look at such issues aswhether the ~'hurch of England, throughits schools. is failing in its efforts toprovide what parents see as a Christianeducation. The research will also estab­lish a link between the sociology ofreligion and the sociology of education,introducing the sociology of religion asan important source of insights on changein the field of education.'

There are currently 23 A.C.E. schoolswithin the educational system in Britaintoday. A non-denominational protestantbased system of teaching, the Accelerat­ed Christian Education approach emphas­ises the right of Christian parents todecide on the appropriate education fortheir children and calls for a distinctiveChristian approach to all aspects ofschool life; an emphasis on Bible-centredfaith - the teaching of science will notcontradict basic biblical truths; sponsor­ship of A.C.E. schools by a local church;parental sympathy with the aims of theschool, although membership of thesponsoring church is not necessary.

ation on the Institute should contactDr Tony Warnes of the Department ofGeography, who is acting as its Secretaryand Development Officer.

NEW RESEARCH PROJECTThe Leverhulme Trust has recentlyawarded a grant of £35,000 to King'sCollege for research on AcceleratedChristian Education Schools.

Anyone who would like further inform·

The range of interests in ageing withACRU and King's College constitute anexceptionally promising opportunity forthe establishment of the first UK multi­faculty centre fO!" gerontological researchand teaching. There is agreement and ashared enthusiasm among the Principal,the Director of Age Concern and theDean of the Medical School and manymembers of KQC departments itor itssuccess. The Minister of State for Hea-Ith, The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke, QC,MP, was guest of honour at a recentdinner at King's to mark the proposedcollaboration and has expressed his inter­est in the project.

The Age Concern Research Unit wasestablished in 1975 and has developed aprogramme of funded research totallingc£300,OOO per annum. It is supportedby £30,000 p. a. from Age Concern forthe core staff. Their strengths comple­ment the ageing research of KQC andfocus on applied social and healthadministration studies, with major pro­jects in the evaluation of innovative com­munity mental health care, the study ofthe elderly among ethnic minorities anda national reputation for social surveyresearch. It is directed by JonathanBarke', who, with his colleagues, have aproven record of securing and success­fully completing major grant-fundedresearch projects.

During 1984/85 discussions have beentaking place between faculty membersof the newly enlarged King's Collegeand the Age Concern Research Unitabout the possibilities of collaborativeresearch and teaching. It has beenfound within the College that there isa wide range of existing interests in theprocesses of ageing and in the circum­stances and care of the elderly. Theseinclude well established research in thebiology of ageing, in demographic,migration and housing topics, in nursingstudies, primary health care, communitydental health, health education and inethical and legal issues concerning theelderly.

NEW INSTITUTE TO BEFORMEDAn Institute of Gerontology is to beestablished at King's in collaborationwith the charity organisation Age Con­cern.

be encouraging to KCLA if more mem­bers of the academic staff were to attendthe Annual Reception since former stud­ents welcome the opportunity of meet­ing their former teachers and supervisors.It was without doubt a most enjoyableevening and the Association expresses itsthanks to all those who made it such asuccess.

Lastly, the demand for informationabout the Annual Dinner'in College onFriday 29 November 1985 is alreadyabout equal to the number who can beseated. Anyone interested in attending istherefore advised to contact the Academ­ic Registrar, as Honorary Secretary, assoon as possible.

PROFESSOR T J WllLlAMSRETIRESTom Williams came to King's College in1956 as Reader in Mechanical Engineer­ing, having previously been on the staffof University College, Swansea. Sincethen he has devoted himself unstintinglyto the interests of the interests of theDepartment and the College, carrying agenerous share of the teaching load, sup­ervising an active programme of researchand cheerfully involving himself in theadministration of the Department. Forten years he was Director of Studies ofthe MSc course in Internal CombustionEngineering. His main research interestshave been in the fields of unsteady gasdynamics, internal combustion enginesand noise, and his work has receivedsubstantial financial support from indus­trial and government sources. His consid­erable volume of published papers led tothe award of the DSc (Eng) degree ofLondon University in 1976. In additionto these activities he has given freely ofhis time to numerous committees, bothin the College and in the University; herehis commonsense and his ability to con­centrate attention on the essential pointsof the discussion have been especiallyvalued. He has been an active member ofthe Universities Internal CombustionEngine Group since its inception. He wasappointed to a titular Chair in Mechanic­al Engineering in 1977.

Professor WilJiams' reputation outsideLondon has produced a continual dem­and for his services as external examinerfrom many institutions in this countryand overseas. Despite his many commit­ments, however, he has always been gen­erous with his time to individual students

-- continued on next page

HELP FOR THE RNLIIn response to an article in the Januaryissue of COMMENT, Evelyn Conrad ofthe Physiology Department sent somestamps to the Royal National LifeboatInstitution. In return she received a cardstressing just how much any such con­tribution is appreciated, and wanted topass the message on to other readers ofCOMMENT.

In fact, members of the College canhelp the RNLI in two ways - by send­ing stamps to them direct, or by send­ing them to the residents of HM PrisonDartmoor. There, a unit consisting ofthree members of staff and about adozen residents, raises funds by proces­sing the stamps for resale. Both officersand inmates work in their 'spare' time,and some of the men get very involvedin the work. One of the prisoners evenlearnt Russian to further his expertise inRussian stamp issues, but sadly, as Offic­er Doug Will explained, 'fell by the way­side' and was removed from the scheme.

Setbacks like this, however, are rare; meninvolved in the scheme range from thoseon short sentences to those serving overten years or Life. And as Officer Willstressed, work of this sort seems to

'bring out a lot of the inmates, many ofwhom before the scheme were very surlyand uncooperative... they are doingsomething which they think is usefuland there is close cooperation betweenthe staff and themselves, as we try andgive them as much help as we possiblycan '.

When the stamps are sent in to the pris­on, they are sorted, firstly into countriesand then for quality. Stamps of goodquality are removed from envelopes andare mounted on card and placed in trans­parent envelopes showing the catalogt,Jenumber and price; any really valuable

stamps are sent to an Auctioneer whosells them for the RN L1, claiming onlya small percentage. Finally, the preparedpacks of stamps are sorted into £ 100parcels and are sent to lifeboat stationswhere they are sold.

Although lifeboat stations throughoutthe South-West area (from Poole to Ap­pledore) are supported by the prrsoners,they have particularly adopted AppledoreStation, as it gave them the most encour­agement when the scheme was initiated.In June the prison issued a limited edit­ion of first day covers entitled 'Safety atSea', and by the end of May had received700 firm orders, each of which is worth£6.00 to Appledore Station and theRNLI. A new lifeboat costs between£6,000 and £20,000 so the equipmentmade available by this initiative shouldforeground the valuable work done bythe prisoners in the last few years. Thecovers were carried by Coastguard land­rover to Bullpoint Lighthouse and thento Hartland Point. From there they wereflown by a helicopter from RAF Chiven­or to Appledore lifeboat at sea. The life­boat then landed the stamps at Apple­dore and they were driven by Post Officevan back to the prison. Each cover hasbeen signed by the Coastguard, light­house keeper, Coxswain and HelicopterPilot.

The covers, and other packs of stamps,are avai lable by post from STAMPS,HM PRISON DARTMOOR, PRINCE­TOWN; YELVERTON, DEVON PL206RH. This is also the address to send'anything remotely collectable' whichthe prisoners will 'have a go at turninginto cash'.

During their Rag week, QEC studentsunion raised over £4,000 for the RNLI,and a boat to he named 'Queen Elizab­eth College' will be launched next year.

-. continued from previous page

and their regard for him is evidenced bythe numbers who have continued tokeep in touch with him over the years.

He ch06e to take early retirement in1982 but has continued his teachingpart-time over the last three years. Nowhe retires completely, and we hope thathe and Mrs Williams will find more timeto relax in their native Wales.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY PARLIAMENTARYGROUP MEETS AT SENATEHOUSELord Flowers and Or Alan Betts (stand­

ing in for Sir Randolph Quirk) hosteda meeting of members of the House ofLords and House of Commons whoare London alumni on Thursday 27 June.They were welcomed and, as well ashearing an address from Lord Flowerswere able to look at a variety of 'displays from throughout the Universityand were able to discuss the future plan­ning and problems of the Universitywith the Heads of Schools. Our Princ­ipal, Professor Sutherland, was amongstthose invited. The turn-out of MPs wasnot as great as hoped, due to an unex-·­pected vote in the House that evening,but the event is the first of a proposedregular link with such MPs and, as SUCh,was successful in establishing a frame­work for the future. The basic text ofLord Flowers' Address is printed below:

The formation of the University ofLondon Parliamentary Group - like somany other initiatives over the last four

years - has been energetically supportedby Sir Randolph, To him as to all ofus it is important to foster our relation­ships with alumni and with -11 those whocare about the values of a universityeducation so that, through them, wecan bring home to everyone the changeshappening within the University...

...Over the next four years the pace ofchange will quicken, and our task inmanaging that change will become moredemanding. There is precious little fatleft; only real sacrifices remain to bemade. We have been peppered withreports, inquiries, scrutinies and policystatements, Within the last few monthswe have had:

the UGC and NAB strategy docu­ments.the Jarratt Report on efficiencystudiesthe Lindop Report on course valid­ationthe CVCP guidelines on academicstandardsthe UGC letter of 9 May on select­ivityand, of course, the Green Paper of21 May

That is a small sample, but all will havea profound effect on the way we rununiversities in this country. They heraldthe increasing pace of change, and - what­ever one may think of it - they representan unprecedented degree of centralismin official and political thinking abouthigher education.

It is difficult to describe the Universityof London, it is so large and diverse.......The scale of our operations is best,seen in the national context. Londonhas one-eighth of the total number offull-time undergraduates, and one-fifthof the postgraduates; that makes theincidental point that we are exceedinglystrong in research. In certain subjedtareas our dominance is even more mark­ed: for example, we have half thenation's postgraduate students in medic­ine.

The sheer size of the University, itscomplexity, and the fact that Londonis relatively expensive all add to thechallenge; but there is no evidence thatquality has thereby suffered. Since'performance indicators' are much invogue I will offer three examples.

First, take engineering - since it's a sub­ject in which, it's sometimes said, Londonis not doing enough. Well, what are thefacts? Universities have suffered severe

cuts in resources and engineering is anexpensive dtscipline. It was inevitablethat nationally the number of engineer­ing places should have fallen. They havefallen by nearly 12% in the last five years.In London, however, we registered 1144undergraduates studying engineering in1979; last year we registered 1150. Sodespite the cuts we in London have keptengineering numbers constant. Ourshare of the national engineering intakehas therefore gone up, from 9% to 10%%.This has been achieved without sacrificeof quality: against a national average'A-level' score of 10.5, entrants to Londonengineering courses are averaging 12.5 ­and rising. Moreover, we offer a quarterof the nation's masters courses in engin­eering. I don't think it can be said thatLondon has not been doing its veryconsiderable bit.

Second, take income from rese.arch grantsand contracts, all of them won in com­petition with other universities and some­times with governmental and industriallaboratories. In 1982/3. London earned£71 million this way - more than aquarter of the national university total,and another indication of our strengthin research. In 1983/4 we increased thisincome to £88 million. If the UGCreally does pursue its new policy of alloc­ating funds selectively to those whoseresearch is highly valued by the customerthen London's success shou Id breed 'further success.

Third, a measure which the Chairman ofthe UGC himself suggests can be used toprove that excellence is not evenly distri­buted throughout the university system:the number of Fellows of the RoyalSociety under the age of 65. This year,11 of the newly elected Fellows, from atotal of 40, were London academicscompared with 5 from _Cambridge (i~clud­ing the MRC laboratories there), and 2from Oxford.

When the report by Sir Alex Jarratt onthe efficiency of university managementwas published early this year, some ofus had an acute sense of deja vu. ForLondon has been putting the principlesenunciated by Jarratt into practice forthe last four years. We had alreadyestablished a Joint Planning Committeeof the Court and the Senate to under­take long-term planning and to proposeresource allocations selectively in accord­an~e with the plans. It was this body,~hlch grows in stature every year, thatIS able to oversee the complex series ofmanoeuvres which has led to the mergersof departments and of whole institutionsthat we have all read so much about

ery. During his absence, the DeputyVice-Chancellor, Or A 0 Betts, will acton his behalf.

Professor Ash is currently Pender Profess­or of Electrical Engineering and Head ofDepartment at University College. Hewill start work as Rector in October.

UNIVERSlTY TRAINING ADVISERPeter Guildford, currently Senior Person­nel Officer with special responsibility forstaff training at the Open University, is tojoin the University of London for a periodof three years as University Training advis­er.

HONORARY DEGREESAWARDED BY UNIVERSITY OFLONDONThe Senate has considered recommend­ations and agreed that the following deg­rees should be conferred at the Foundat­ion Day Ceremony on Wednesday 13November 1985:

Sir Michael Atiyah, FRS

Or Kingman Brewster

Professor Laurence Gower,FBA

Professor Frank Hahn, FBA

Mr Howard Hodgkin, CBE

Miss Iris Murdoch, CBE

Professor Sir William Paton,CBE, FRS

Sir John Sainsbury

Professor Reginald Winning­ton -Ingram, FBA

DSc (Econ)

Dlitt

Dlitt

DSc

DSc

LLD

LLD

DSc (Econ)

DLitt

NEW RECTOR FOR IMPERIALCOLLEGEThe Governing Body of the ImperialCollege of Science and Technology hasappointed Professor Eric Ash, CBE, FRS,FEng, Rector in succession to LordFlowers, who takes up his appointment asVice-Chancellor of the University of Lon­don on I September.

'DUNCAN'S HORSES' UNVEI LEDA work by Adrian Jones, the sculptorwho also studied at the Royal Veterin­ary College in the 1850s, has finallybeen unveiled. 'Duncan's Horses', a dep­iction of the struggle of the three horsesof King Duncan in Macbeth, was be­queathed to the College by the sculptorto be cast in bronze. This has now beendone, and the statue was unveiled byPrince Phi lip in June at the College'sHertfordshire campus.

The Vice-Chancellor was recently admitt­ed to hospital for an operation, but ismaking good progress and, on behalf ofKing's, we wish a full and speed y recov-

So in asking you to appreciate our reas­ons for change, which may sometimesseem to differ from yours, I wish never­the less to urge you to view this Univer­sity, of which you are all members, asa sort of collective constituen<¥ in whichyou can all quite properly take a n inter­est, and maybe even a little responsibility.I must admit that over the years, univer­sities generally have been appallingly badat keeping in touch with their friendsand alumni, the people who can bestexplain to a wider audierce what we areall about. Meetings like this are anattempt to put right some twenty yearsof neglect. It may be little, and it maybe late, but I am sure that with yourhelp and understanding it will not bewithout success.

ACADEMY PRESIDENTThe Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Rand­olph QUirk, has been elected Presidentof the British Academy. It is only thesecond time a London academic has beenelepted to this prestigious position.

from within that the changes must bemanaged. It is all very well for the GreenPaper to tell us that 'the executive headof each institution is responsible morethan anyone else for standards of effic­iency and effectiveness'. At the end ofthe day, university executive heads - theyused to be call Vice-chancellors, remember?- have to win a majority when the divisionbell sounds, and there are no whippedvotes in university senates, only the vice­chancellor gets whipped. Senate, if it anygood, contains a high proportion of themost forthright and independent-mindedmembers of the university, people forwhom even more than for you, disputat­ion is a profession and a way of life; andsuch bodies are disgruntled by externaldirectives which seem to threaten thetraditions of university self-governance.Thus we approach the problems of changenot as crude imperatives of the latestpublic expenditure review, but as needingto have an academic logic as their startingpoint. Our rationale for restructuringthe University is not first and foremostto save money; it is to apply our resour­ces so as to improve our primary products.We aim to strengthen those activitieswhich distinguish a university of the high­est rank: teaching of outstanding quality,excellence on research and internaticnallyrecognised scholarship.

recently. Academically advantageous intheir own right, these mergers have beenLondon's principal means of protectingexcellence from the effects of swingeingfinancial cuts. What London has beendoing for the past four years, Jarratt istelling the other universities to dotomorrow.

Now I'm not trying to say that we'reperfect; far from it! Here are a fewareas where improvements should besought:

our committee structure needs to besimplified to reduce time on admin­istrative detailadministrative duplication must beeliminated between the Federal Uni­versity and its Schoolswe must improve and make morewidely available our managementinformation services

- the activities of the various Schoolsmust be seen to complement ratherthan compete with each other, andwe must learn how to market theuniversity as a whole, as well as itsparts

But in reviewing the need for change,we must bear two things in mind. First,e.hange costs money. The Royal Hollo­'way and Bedford New College mergerwould have been impossible without£16 million of new buildings. The capit­al costs of the KQC merger may well besimilar. Also, it costs money to reducethe wage bill faster than the rate set bynatural wastage. Early retirement andredundancy compensation are so expen­sive that shedding staff actually increasesthe wage bill for a couple of years. Anda change in subject balance - the desiredswitch from arts to science and engineer­ing - also costs money, most obviouslyon equipment, but equally in salaryterms because we have to operate in amore competitive market. Doctors arethe most expensive to produce, butscientists and engineers cost about twiceas much as graduates in the humanities.So to change the subject balance willresult either in increased costs or in adisproportionate drop in arts numbersin the ratio of approximately two toone. Of course, I'm assuming that weare still expected to maintain the tradit­ional high quality of which in Britain weare justly proud. Engineers can no morebe produced in a sausage machine thanhistorians, or rather they would be aboutas useful if they were.

Second, we must remember that althoughthe stimulus for change may well, as now,come from outside the university, it is

WORLD-BEATING FOCUS ON LIVING CELLS The Physics Department's work on soft X-ray microscopy

Fresh insights into the relationshipsbetween macromolecular assemblies inliving cells are expected when ascanning soft X-ray microscope beingdeveloped in the Physics Departmentbecomes operational. Knowledgegained with the aid of this excitingnew instrument could help bring

important advances in fields such ascancer research and the treatment ofinfertility.

The most significant benefit to comefrom the microscope, which is beingproduced in collaboration with theSERC Laboratory at Daresbury, will

be provided by the relatively highpenetration of soft X-rays throughliving material at a resolving powerwhich lies between that of the opticalmicroscope and the electron micro­scope. Dividing cells and processesof cell 'replication can, therefore,be observed directly. There are ~qually

exciting applications in surface andmaterials science.

Fabrication of zone-plates by electron beam with a scanning electron microscope(STEM) in the Physics Department.

King's Leads the WorldTwo basic elements are required for anX·ray microscope. Firstly, it needs asource of very high intensity X·rays withhigh brightness. At the moment this isprovided by the synchrotron radiationsource (SRS) at Daresbury, which is anunique national facility. Secondly itrequires a means of focusing the radiat­ion. X-rays are very difficult to focusand it is in the development and constru­ction of the focusing element - the zoneplate - that King's College leads thefield. Professor Surge, Head of the Dep­artment of Physics and his research teambelieve that they have developed themost efficient focusing element in theworld. Suitable zone-plates are madeusing a scanning electron microscope(see photograph) and comprising concent­ric absorbing and transmitting rings madeto a thickness and separation of the sameorder of size at the required resolution.The work on zone-plate developmentand testing is strongly supported by SE RCand the Royal Society Paul InstrumentFund.

£270,000 For New ResearchThe Department is now exploring thepossibility of replacing the synchrotronradiation source by a laboratory sourceof soft X-rays. A grant of £270,000over the period of 1985-1987 from theRigaku Corporation of Japan is providingan extremely high power rotating anodeX-ray system and assistance with itsconversion to a unique source of softX-rays. In addition, Rigaku is providingthe full-time services of a post-doctoralscientist, Or Ogawa, and an experiencedengineer, Mr Kuriyama, who will workin the Department for two years on theproject.

The completion of a high-resolutionX-ray microscope working with theDaresbury synchotron is scheduled formid 1986 and it is intended that alaboratory-based instrument, for testand evaluation, will be completed ina simi lar time-scale.

Or Matthew Forster (College Psychotherapist) and Or Jack Terry (College Doctor) ata farewell party given for them in the Council Room on June 26

EWS-----

PRINCESS ANNE OPENS NEWLABORATORIES AT MEDICALSCHOOLPrincess Anne visited King's CollegeSchool of Medicine and Dentistry onJune 14 to open the Lions InternationalEarl Mountbatten Blood Research Labor­atory.

After unveiling a plaque to mark theoccasion, the Princess, who is also Chan­cellor of the University of London, saidthat she was particularly pleased that thelaboratories should bear Earl Mountbat­ten's name as he had shown great inter·est in the blood research being carriedout at King's. The Chancellor also wishedthe members of the Medical School manyyears of successful and life-giving research.

The Earl Mountbatten Laboratory is theresult of an appeal instigated by LionsInternational in July 1978. £250,000has already been raised, but another£150,000 is needed to refurbish a corrid·or and provide essential equipment.

NURSING STUDIES AWARDThe Department of Nursing Studies hasjust been awarded a prestigious HealthEducation Council Lectureship. TheLectureship is of three years duration,and is worth up to £20,000 annually.The Department gained this award undergreat competition nationally; they will beadvertising for applicants for the postshortlY.

WESTFIELD WORKING GROUPESTABLISHEDA Joint Working Party has been set upconsisting of the following membershipfrom each of the two Schod~; thePrincipal, the Secretary, the Dean of theFaculty of Arts, plus three other memobers.

The Joint Working Party will report totheir respective Councils with a view tosubmitting an agreed statement to theOctober meeting of the University JointPlanning Committee. The Working Partywill report on the following matters:

(I) The Academic and staffing implicat­ions of the formation of a singleFaculty of Arts;

(2) The financial and administrative im·plications of a single Court grant forKing's College (KQC) and Westfield;

(3) The implications of the establishment

of a single administration;(4) Policy on student residences, with

particular reference to BerridgeHouse;

(5) The use of the vacated science acc·ommodation at Westfield;

(6) The constitutional issCles.

When necessary, alternates are to be per'mitted at meetings of the Joint WorkingParty. Officers of the two Schools willattend meetings as appropriate and add­itional working parties may be commiss­ioned to examine specific matters andreport back.

KING'S COLLEGE LIBRARYSummer VacationThere will be extensive movement ofbookstock over the summer vacation.Reading rooms, particularly at theStrand, will be liable to closure. Where­as every attempt will be made tosatisfy requests for material not availableelsewhere, readers are advised to useother libraries wherever possible.

Access to particular reading rooms on agiven day may be checked in advance byphoning 01 836 5454 ext. 2140 or 2737.

CATERING SERVICES (STRANDCAMPUS)Summer ClosureThe Catering Department close~ afterbusiness on Friday 9 August 1985 "",d

re-opens on Tuesday 27 August 19ti5.We apologise to customers for any incon­venience this may cause, but for a num­ber of reasons this annual closure remains,at least for this year, necessary.

I would like to thank all our customersfor their support during the year, andwish all those taking a break thissummer a very enjoyable holiday.

Peter HoffmanCatering Officer

THE ROT SETS IN...Trouble in the Finance DeptThe expansionist plans of the FinanceDept have ground to a halt with thediscovery of dry rot in the rooms abovethe Social Club Bar.

The removal of plaster and woodworkbetween the floors is causing the regul­ars some concern, although the flyingdust has given them an unexpectedreason to increase their fluid intake.

Although the Members were aware that'Dry Rot' was a constant source of dis­cussion with the Academic Regions andHigher Echelons of the College, itsarrival in Surrey Street in its more viru­lent form, is not appreciated, and mem­bers with wooden legs are advised tostay well clear until the remedial meas­ures are completed.

A W FisherFinance Dept

MissJoan Bevis, on the occasion of her retirement party in the CommitteeRoom on June 24. J oan joined King '5 in 1969 and has recently been thePrivate Secretary to Mr Myles Tempany, the Col/ege Secretary.

GILBART LECTURE SERIESCONTINUES SUCCESSFULLY

The 1985 Series of Gilbart Lectureswas delivered in May by ProfessorD T L1ewellyn on the subject THEEVOLUTION OF THE BRITISHFINANCIAL SYSTEM - A Reviewof the Past and Current FactorsProducing Change in the Structureand Operation of the FinancialSystem.

These Lectures have been given atKing's since 1875, unbroken exceptfor the war years, and are valued

in the banking community as ausefu I part of general training.

Thirty-seven people passed the exam­ination following this year's lecturesand there were six prize-winners.

FOR SALESONY TC FX6C CASSETTE DECK(one of a matching pair)including the following features:

Dolby B & C noise reductionTimer-activated record and replayDigital tape counter calibrated in

minutes and secondsAutomatic music sensor with memoryand repeat functionsMicroprocessor- controlled feather­touch function buttons.

Carefully maintained by hi-fi enthusiastabout to up-date£70.00Contact Stephen Harrow in the RC9.istryfor details (ext. 2689).

TELEPHONE NUMBERSPlease note the following alterations tothe telephone directory:Dr D Leake, PharmacologyExt 2315 Room 34SWBDr N Evans, ZoologyExt 2588 Room IDH

KING'S PUBLICATIONS PRAISEDTwo periodicals published by King's Col­lege have been praised in 'THES' reviews.The first, 'Religion Today: a journal ofcontemporary religions' was said to prov­ide 'essential up-to-date information onthe very complex and diverse fields ofthe study of contemporary religions.'The reviewer, Geoffrey Ahern, alsocommended 'Religion Today' for itscommitment to :provide a lively forumfor the study of religions... it consists offairly short articles, but also carries use­ful summaries of research and bookreviews'.

The second journal, 'Portuguese Studies',edited by the Portuguese Department,was said by reviewer Frank Pierce tomark the 'coming of age of Portuguesestudies in this country'. Mr Pierce con­tinued, 'Professor Helder Macedo andhis colleagues at King's College Londonare to be congratulated on launching anattractively-produced volume of clearacademic quality and commendable aims.Everyone from the broad field of Hispan­ic studies will wish this new addition toour academic humanism long life andcontinu ing success.'

SPONSORED CLIMB FORCHRISTIAN AIDTony Freake - Departmental Superin­tendent in the Physics Department ­intends, as part of his holiday, to climbthree of Switzerland's highest peaks in theBernese Oberland as a sponsorship forChristian Aid.

Tony, who is also Chairman of ChristianAid in Barnet, hopes to raise a substant­ial sum to relieve the suffering of people

in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries.

Together with his wife and five other colleagues he hopes to climb the onch(13,527 hI. The Jungfrau (13,721 h)and Finsteraarhorn (14,104 hI. the high­est in the Bernese Oberland.

In 1983, Tony raised over £1,250 on asimilar climb and hopes people will be asgenerous again. If you would like to sup­port him please contact him in room 22Aor on extension 2792. Sponsorship formswill also be on main notice boards. Heleaves for the alps on July 19.

ANCIENT AND MODERNThe last edition of 'Comment' notedthat the first university to be establishedin modern China, Tianjin University, wasfounded in 1985 - an inscrutable state­ment even by Chinese standards! Thedate should have read 1895.

STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRE

FURTHER NEW APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

The appointment of two ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS has recently beenannounced, to take effect in the new session. The two people appoin­ted are Professor Peter Gahan and Mr John Muir.

Fu rther details will be included in the next session's issue.

AUGUST 1st: CELEBRATIONS ON THE DAYAs you will all know, August 1st is the official day on which the merger between theColleges is formally effected. (The Bill has in fact already received the Royal Assent.)It is not intended that any major events marking the merger should take place on thatday, as more formal celebration will centre around the visit of the Archbishop ofCanterbury on October 24 - more of those arrangements in the next issue. However,any members of College, staff and students, are invited to meet together over a drinkand something to eat on each (or all, if you are quick enough!) of the three maincampuses. The Principal and senior officers will be attending each event and hope tomeet as many members of College as they can. The schedule is as follows:

12.30 pm

3.00 pm

5.00 pm

LUNCHTIME

TEATIME

EARLY EVENING

STRAND CAMPUS GREAT HALL

KENSINGTON CAMPUS OLD REFECTORY

CH ELSEA CAMPUS STAN LEY HOUSE(and lawns) 552 King'sRoad (Assembly Hall,Manresa Road, if wet)

These get-togethers are open to all members of College without reservation but itwould greatly help the catering arrangements if those of you who intended to cometo any (or all) would fill in the appropriate repl.y slips on the back page of this issue,and send them off as soon as possible. Have a nice day!

HAVE YOU GOT A SPARESECOND?Time services around the world putback their clocks and time signals byexactly one second at the end of June.The adjustment was made immediatelybefore midnight on June 30, resultingin a 'leap second'. So instead of thefamiliar six pips, listeners to the Green­wich Observatory time signal wouldhave been startled by a seventh!

Leap seconds were introduced to keepclock time in closer agreement withsolar time, which is based on observat­ions of the Earth's slightly uneven rot­ation. This mean solar time is utilisedby navigators and is directly related toastronomical events such as sunrise andsunset; perhaps wisely, no attempt isnow made to force clocks to followthis timescale. The leap second facilitatesthe few millionths of a second per yearaccuracy which is now available fromthe modern atomic master c1dcks, andpresumably, satisfies those people withexpensive digital watches.

Small and unpredictable variations inthe rotation of the Earth are caused bydiverse factors such as wind and oceancurrents, and movements hidden deepwithin the Earth. Because our planet isspinning slightly faster than it was tenyears ago, leap seconds are now introd­uced less regularly than was necessarythen. It's still reassuring, however, toknow that time isn't catching up withus quite as fast as we sometimes think.

A note from the EditorThis will be the last edition ofCOMMENT for this session. The nextedition will appear at the opening ofthe new term.

I shou Id like to thank all those contrib­uting since its first appearance in Dec­ember and to stress how eagerly theInformation Office receives such contrib­utions. It is not really possible for us toknow all that is going on in such a div­erse academic and geographically spread

institution but if you can point us in thedirection of news and events we willgladly follow-up stories. If you thinkyou know of anything that would be ofinterest to your colleagues, let us knowand feel free to submit any articles,photographs, cartoons or general newson any topic.

As the first edition said, 'COMMENTgives you the opportunity to get toknow your College better and to ben­efit from what it can offer. It also givesyou the chance to contribute'.

We hope you will all have news andideas to contribute in the new session ­have a good summer!

All material for COMMENT and allenquiries should be sent to the Inform­ation Office on the Strand site, whereCOMMENT is produced.

t\'EXT EDITIONCopy date: Monday September 23Publication: Week of September 30

STRAND CAMPUS

AUGUST 1st REPLY SLIPS

LUNCHTIME 12.30 pm GREAT HALL

I should like to attend the informal gathering at lunchtime on the Strand campus at 12.30on Thursday August 1st.

NAME

DEPARTMENT

DEPARTMENTAL ADDRESS

KENSINGTON CAMPUS TEATIME 3.00 pm

return to address overleaf

OLD REFECTORY

I should like to attend the informal gathering at teatime on the Kensington campus at 3.00on Thursday August 1st.

NAME

DEPARTMENT

DEPARTMENTAL ADDRESS

CHELSEA CAMPUS EARLY EVENING 5.00 pm

return to address overleaf

STANLEY HOUSE552 KING'S ROAD

I should like to attend the informal gathering in the early evening on the Chelsea campus at5.00 on Thursday August 1st.

NAME

DEPARTMENT

DEPARTMENTAL ADDRESS return to address overleaf

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THE CATERING OFFICER

STRAND CAMPUS

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THE SITE SECRETARY

KENSINGTON CAMPUS

Campden Hill Road

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THE SITE SECRETARY

CH ELSEA CAMPUS

552 King's Road

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