As Britain¡¯s first private university when it received its royal charter in 1983, the University of Buckingham has always generated strong feelings.

It was run from 2001 until recently by Terence Kealey, a passionate believer in free markets whose book on The Economic Laws of Scientific Research, he once told Times Higher Education,¡°stated quite categorically that governments should not fund science or higher education¡±.

The new vice-chancellor, Sir Anthony Seldon, took over in September after close to a decade as master of Wellington College. So what are his values and plans for the controversial institution?

¡°I¡¯m not a free-market ideologue,¡± he says, ¡°though I believe that Britain is much the stronger for an independent sector in education¡­Those who are independent should not mimic what the state-funded institutions are doing but use their freedoms to offer alternatives.¡±

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Seldon has written or edited about 40 books, many on recent prime ministers, and believes that those running universities should ¡°carry on offering academic leadership in their disciplines¡±. This is reflected in his vision of Buckingham as a prestigious not-for-profit university, strong in research and focusing on ¡°programmes which are deeply academic, not quick degrees in accountancy¡±.

He also wants it to be a place that dares to ¡°look at and challenge orthodoxy. That¡¯s a passion of mine, because government, the London and academic establishments have orthodoxies that need to be probed.¡±

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While happy to welcome thinkers of all political stripes, Seldon acknowledges that ¡°our particular contribution is more likely to be in the free-market, libertarian, liberal traditions in which this university was founded than in, say, the study of Marxism or central control systems. I¡¯m very open to having outstanding academics with those interests, but the centre of gravity is more likely to be on the liberal side.¡±

Plans to grow

Although it is still early days and Seldon is not putting forward detailed proposals for the university¡¯s future until next March, he is definitely keen to expand the university: ¡°Two thousand students is not big enough. I¡¯d like to see us increase to 5,000 on different campuses within 10 years.¡±

He points to scope for growth in medicine ¨C Buckingham launched the UK¡¯s first private medical school this year ¨C with the development of a ¡°medical hub¡± that could bring in disciplines such as dentistry.

Seldon also likes the idea of a centre for liberal economics to examine how markets work and perhaps a Thatcher School of Government, although ¡°that wouldn¡¯t be a right-wing school of government any more than the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard is a centre for Kennedyesque thinking¡±. It was recently announced that the long-mooted Margaret Thatcher Centre, incorporating a museum, library and research facilities, is going to be housed at Buckingham.

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As ¡°a deep internationalist¡± who was ¡°a key champion of the International Baccalaureate¡± while at Wellington, Seldon envisages ¡°an IB-style liberal arts degree¡± that would be validated by the organisation. He has also brought with him from Wellington an interest in well-being, creativity and leadership. A Mindfulness in Medicine conference is planned for early next year and an MA in positive psychology may be a longer-term option.

He stresses that he has ¡°a huge admiration for the university sector ¨C there¡¯s a great deal about it that is utterly remarkable and world-class¡±, yet there are two areas in which Seldon has already voiced strong criticisms and hopes that he ¡°now has a platform where people may be more willing to listen¡±.

On the question of teaching quality, Seldon believes that universities can learn much from schools about ¡°the science of teaching¡±, instead of ¡°just assuming that because you are outstanding in your subject you can convey it to students¡±.

The other issue that worries him is pastoral care. ¡°As a leader of a university,¡± he suggests, ¡°you are negligent if you are not taking the mental health of your students and staff very seriously.¡± Furthermore, students away from home for the first time often need far more ¡°care and thought and adult supervision¡± than is currently on offer.

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In both these areas, Seldon sees himself as something of a whistle-blower. He found it ¡°utterly disgraceful¡± when he was ¡°trashed by universities¡± for speaking out about the prevalence of drinking cultures.

As a further means of influencing the rest of the sector, he is planning a Higher Education Festival, similar to one he ran at Wellington, which he claims is ¡°now the biggest event on the schools calendar, with 350 speakers and thousands of delegates last year¡­Higher education will change massively over the next 10 years and the festival will be in the vanguard of discussions about those changes.¡±

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matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com