Professor Michael Brown: Forget 'old' and 'new' labels

A recent graduate wrote to a newspaper this week: "To claim, as many do, that a degree from a new university lacks a certain quality undermines the efforts of students and staff who work hard to compete with older institutions."

I could not agree more, but perhaps we need to call a halt to this whole idea of simplistic competition between the "old" and the "new". Actually, the majority of the universities in the UK are new if you take 1950 as the critical date. An older university is not necessarily better; the post-1992 universities are simply different.

We all have to recognise that we live in an increasingly consumer-led market, and universities, whether they were formed post-1992 or before, have to offer people what they want. Nowadays, what students want, is the chance to gain the experience and personal development that enable them to hit the ground running.

Quality is not an issue. All universities are measured by the same academic criteria, but it is the post-1992 universities that have introduced innovative courses suited to the new economies. Introducing flexibility in the timetable is one solution but there are other, more practical ways to help. Ten years ago the idea of a university being open 24 hours a day would have been ridiculous, but it is more convenient for students.

Many students have to work while they study. They know that in the long term, the benefits of a university education will be worthwhile. We must make sure that graduates get a good return on their investment.

The writer is Vice Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University