Leading article: Battle at Brunel

The dispute between Steven Schwartz, the vice-chancellor of Brunel University, and the Association of University Teachers intensified this week when the local branch president was made redundant. Although the AUT says it "wants to buy into Schwartz's research vision", like many other higher education experts, the AUT is critical of the vice-chancellor's desire to turn Brunel into a great research university. All universities are having to find their niche in today's competitive world. The union believes that Brunel should concentrate on teaching, not research. They may be right. But are they right to turn that argument into a power struggle?