Warwick’s University House, Image: ‘Necrothesp’
There are many notable things about the University of Warwick. Its commitment to linking the academy with industry has attracted strong criticism, most famously in E.P. Thompson’s Warwick University Limited, but it is undeniable the approach paved the way for a different sort of university compared to its redbrick predecessors. Remarkably for a university founded just 50 years ago, Warwick has consistently featured in the top 10 in yearly nationwide university rankings. This year, Warwick has hit its stride by being declared ‘University of the Year’ in The Times and Sunday Times ‘Good University Guide’, lauded for its “business-focussed research.”
In a university press statement, Warwick’s vice-chancellor, Professor Sir Nigel Thrift, outlined the central components of Warwick’s ‘genetic code’, foremost of which is its “commitment to outstanding teaching.” What he neglected to mention is that an increasing proportion of this teaching is carried out by casual, ‘non-permanent’ staff – often postgraduate research students or early career academics on hourly rates. This scenario is common across the university sector, and an investigation by the Times Higher Education found wages fail to reflect the hours worked by graduate teaching assistants.
