Scottish Catholic Observer

Archbishop Mario Conti has warned Glasgow University that it must not lose sight of its ancient Christian traditions despite ‘the winds of change’ that are battering British academia.

The archbishop’s comments came as the university—the sole provider of training for prospective Catholic teachers in Scotland—faced a barrage of protests over planned funding cuts. However Professor Robert Davis, the head of the School of Education, confirmed to the SCO that Catholic teacher training in Scotland would not be directly affected by the cuts.

Archbishop’s message

Archbishop Conti delivered his hard-hitting message during Mass at the university’s memorial chapel last Sunday (right).

“Your task as teachers and scholars is to push forward the barriers of knowledge without losing sight of the context in which you work as inheritors of a proud Christian and academic tradition,” the archbishop said during his homily for the annual choral Holy Mass. “You do so, however, in challenging times. The university is not immune to the winds of change which are whistling through the corridors of academia all over the country.”

Referring to proposed cuts in funding that would see the university slash its budgets by £20 million over the next three years, the archbishop said these measures should not be allowed to damage its sacred mission established by the Papal Bull of Pope Nicholas V in 1451.

“I am conscious of widespread anxieties, among many members of staff and students that change may lead to a loss of appreciation for those areas of study that are not economically attractive,” he said. “It may be permitted to me, on account of ancient ties and an enduring sense of ‘pietas’ towards Glasgow University, to voice my concern and that of many lest something of the ‘studium universale’ character of the university be lost.”

Broad education call

The archbishop added that the work of the Great Cardinal John Henry Newman provided a valuable lesson modern educators would be wise to heed during a period when the Scottish and British Governments are pushing the higher education sector to drastically reduce their running costs.

“[Newman] voiced concern, a concern that many will share today, lest ‘education should be confined to some particular and narrow end, and should issue in some definite work, which can be weighed and measured.’” the archbishop said. “Society has to be on guard lest in our very commercially minded and market-conscious society this view should prevail. We need to remind ourselves and others that a university exists above all so that young men and women may learn wisdom… To paraphrase greater words still: the university was made for students, not the students for the university.”

Catholic education

The archbishop’s concerns echoed a recent protest by more than two thousand students over the proposed funding cuts. However the SCO has been given assurances by head of the university’s School of Education that Catholic teacher education at the university will not be directly affected by the plans.

Professor Robert Davis said he foresaw no direct cuts to the budget for Catholic teacher education in the immediate future.

“I suppose the best reassurance I can offer is that the changes to come will not have a direct substantial impact on Catholic teacher education,” he said. “The university has said that it is not one of the areas that is being consulted on.”

Professor Davis said there had been cuts to the department last year however. “We did see a reduction last year when the government abruptly announced a reduction in the number of places for new teachers, and we lost staff, though thankfully it was all voluntary,” he said. “We do not anticipate any further cuts in that area and it is even possible the sector may expand in the medium term.”

Though the formation of Catholic teachers at Glasgow University is not directly under threat Mr Davis admitted that they would be hit by the hard times ahead.

“Regrettably the proposed funding cuts for higher education will affect us,” he said. “We use the same resources, the same facilities as everyone else, so if they are cut that affects us and that is a source of great concern.  Everyone who works in universities will face this challenge going forward.”

Monitoring

Michael McGrath, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said he was satisfied by Professor Davis’ response that Catholic teacher education would not be unduly affected by the proposed budget cuts.

“However we closely monitor these issues through the board of Catholic education, at the university, which has a mechanism for offsetting any impact on the teacher education budget that may arise,” he said. “For example if the university was to cut in half admission to teacher education we would be able to challenge them on that, to ensure Catholic teacher education was not adversely affected compared to any other university course.”

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Pic: Paul McSherry