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I was contacted recently by the head of a private for-profit company asking whether, at short notice, I would be prepared to join a panel discussion as part of a conference on UK higher education.

Members of the public who attend this conference will pay ?190 plus VAT. But when I requested a modest fee for my services (including travel costs), I was turned down, the expectation being that I would be only too anxious to give my services for free.

On the basis that time is money, I have declined the invitation. Can I invite my peers in the academy to follow my example?

Geoffrey Alderman, University of Buckingham