Cambridge Follows Oxford to Determine Confidence vs No Confidence in Universities Minister. (June 4, 2011)

On May 18 TFW reported: "3,700 Oxford University academics make up the Congregation. Next month on June 7 it will vote on whether or not it has "no confidence" in the  the Conservative MP David Willetts, Minister of State (Universities and Science)".

Oxford has now been followed by the University of Cambridge who the Guardian reports "are expected to pass a vote of no confidence in universities minister David Willetts this month".

Following the 170 plus Oxford academics who instigated the pending vote by the Congregation, near 150 Cambridge academics have signed a motion of no confidence in Mr Willetts which is being sent to the university's Council for endorsement. Cambridge's Council consists of the chancellor, vice-chancellor, nineteen elected members, and four appointed members.

As is the case with Oxford, if the vote is in favour of "no confidence", the university will be obliged to inform the government that it has passed a vote of no confidence in Mr Willetts by the end of this month. Until now no English university has delivered such a vote to government.

Ian Patterson, a fellow in English at Queens College, Cambridge, told the Guardian he had signed the motion because the government was "destroying everything that works well in higher education. It is completely outrageous. I am particularly concerned about the removal of money from arts and humanities, but this is also about the marketisation of higher education and the appallingly high fees that will inevitably have an impact on access."

He is particularly concerned that the idea of a market in higher education was more dominant than the idea of education as a "social good; we just have to take every opportunity that presents itself to say that we are concerned that the government is doing something destructive."