One could quote countless other examples of largesse, mismanagement and waste. The problem is a lack not of funds but of political will. The ideology of economic rationalism and managerialism has been foisted upon institutions which, like the churches, the police or the law, have no commercial aims and therefore cannot be wholly ruled by commercial principles. True, there is a market in education, but it does not follow that all education should be turned into a market. In the past 13 years universities have quadrupled their business staff with no visible improvement in efficiency.
Real accountability remains a myth.
It did not occur to UWS administrators that they could be given away to students. As a recently retired professor I have a number of books surplus to my requirements. Thanks to Malcolm Knox's warning, the last thing I will do is donate them to a university. Professor Giovanni Carsaniga, Clovelly. The end of the financial year is harrowing enough, but to add these extra tasks set by the Government must be sending people to emotional breaking point.