Edinburgh is set to host a major debate on the future of higher education.
Senior leaders from across the UK, including the principal of the University of Edinburgh and the chancellor of the University of Cambridge, will take part in a student-led panel on March 30.
The discussion, hosted by the Edinburgh Union, will take place in the newly reopened Teviot Debating Hall and explore whether universities have drifted from their core mission.
Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, will appear alongside Chris O'Donnell, chair of University and College Union Scotland.
They will be joined by Chris Smith, chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Finn Tyson, president of the Edinburgh Union, said: “This debate is a landmark moment for the Edinburgh Union. Securing a public exchange between the vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh and the chair of the UCU is rare, allowing for the kind of open dialogue this Union was founded to facilitate.
“To have national figures like Lord Chris Smith and Baroness Natalie Bennett joining the panel elevates this from a local discussion to one examining higher education across the UK.
“Concluding the year with a panel of this calibre, especially as we welcome students back to Teviot, is a milestone for the Union.”
The event comes at a time of financial strain across the UK higher education sector, with the University of Edinburgh proposing £140 million in cuts.
The University and College Union has also announced strike action in Edinburgh from March 30 to April 3 as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.
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Similar challenges are being reported elsewhere, with the University of Cambridge considering potential changes to its veterinary school and the University of Dundee warning that insolvency is “a real possibility”.
The debate forms part of the Edinburgh Union’s inaugural year and will be the first public event held in Teviot Row House since its reopening.
Organisers hope the discussion will spark meaningful dialogue about the future direction of higher education in the UK.
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