Last week, by chance I came upon a slim publication about the social and academic background of extra-mural students and part-time teachers on courses delivered by the then Glasgow University Department of Extra-Mural Education collected in the spring of 1964,  the year I left school (Dees and Parsons, 1964).  Reading it prompts some interesting reflections on how much has changed in the intervening (almost) half a century.

In an earlier blog, I summarised a discussion which took place in a recent meeting of the PASCAL Advisory Board about the challenges faced by publically funded universities in different parts of the world, and the likely consequences as publically funded university institutions come to terms with the emerging funding environment in which they find themselves. 

This blog is prompted by a discussion at a recent meeting of the PASCAL Advisory Board.  Members identified a number of issues which pose real challenges to Higher Education Institutions in many parts of the world in coming years, especially those heavily dependent on public funding.  

The European Universities Association, (EUA)  ( www.eua.be )  has been monitoring the effects on higher education in Europe arising from the evolving economic crisis since 2008,  and in a recent report highlights the differential impact from country to country.

We are already familiar with the concept of 'peak oil' and the challanges that are presented  for social, environmental and economic change.   Peak oil claims we have reached the point when we have got the 'easy' oil, where what there is left is more and more difficult and expensive to extract, and it is no longer efficient to go after more as the cost of doing so outweighs the benefits.