[Soph.Jade]

Basically I don't understand why they are doing this and how I'd feel about being part of a new University. Does anyone have more information?

Sorry for being daft I'm just really not understanding the reasoning for it

[Christine Partridg]

I just read an article on it hun dated feb 2012. It advises there that the plans have been axed. Here is the web link for it :- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wa...1466-30395500/

[Soph.Jade]

yeah, it's been back though, this one is dated today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-s...wales-18877766

[edjunkie]

The Welsh government want it for some reason. They have commissioned a report which supports their decision. The history of merging universities is not good. London Met is much mergered institution, whose constituant parts, with the exception of the university of north london, had a much better reputation. The good reputation did not transfer to resulting mergered univsersity, London Met. I believe University of North London was the largest of the merging universities and the issues that they had prior to merger appear to still exist and have overshadowed the new university. No one talks about the good parts of London Met, because the financial issues present prior to merger are still there and impacting students today. That does not bode well for UWIC, one of the smaller merger partners in Welsh merger plans (and apparently solvent), which is currently the highest ranked.

I really can't see what saving they expect to achieve if all 4 locations are kept open, so that probably means sites will close and massive upheaval will occur, as happened with Cumbria University. Just changing the name of an institution after it becomes a university can be deterimental to graduates. The termination of the University of Wales last year, forced a series of name changes, another round so soon will not be good.

[Soph.Jade]

(Original post by edjunkie)
x

Thank you for that information do you know where UWIC would stand with regards to opposing it? I can't understand why they are being forced

[edjunkie]

(Original post by Soph.Jade)
Thank you for that information do you know where UWIC would stand with regards to opposing it? I can't understand why they are being forced

The Govenors of UWIC are opposed to it, so they are apparently considering legal options to get the decision reviewed. The Welsh Education minster who is pursuing this, does not have the support of the opposition parties. This is the second time that the Welsh education minister has pursued this course of action and he had to back down before, this time round he may have done his home work better. UWIC themselves had merger talks with most of the other universities at one time or another to try to have an agreed rather than an imposed merger, but they have always withdrawn as there were not enough benefits apparently.

Since the Governors of UWIC are not in favour, then it will take sometime before any merger is resolved. It will probably come down to the court's to decide if proposed dissolution and subsequent merger is legal or not.

[ellbayy]

Basically the welsh assembly want to create financial security within the south welsh universities therefore they belive in creating a super uni to rival the size of cardiff uni. the merger between Glamorgan and Newport has gone through this year so next academic year the name of the unis will change. what alot of people at uwic dont get is that you will probably need to merge in the next year or so or the uni will face bankruptcy and have to close. although im sure neither unis students wants the merge as were pretty big rivals but it will happen as the assembly will not let it foreclose.

[chrisbontnewydd]

As a current 3rd year student at Glamorgan, I'd like to think the merger won't have too much of an effect on me, but I really don't know. I understand there's still some ongoing debate on whether current students should graduate from the old or new institutions, and I know I'd much prefer to graduate from Glamorgan than the University of South Wales (which is a terrible name!) What annoys me most is that us students weren't told anything until the merger was pretty much a certainty.

As far as Cardiff Met are concerned, the Welsh Government have almost threatened them - they're basically telling them to agree to a merger soon, or the government will dissolve the university and hand over its assets to the newly-merged university. It's not that I'm against the merger, but I do wonder what was wrong with the status quo and why the merger is being forced through so quickly with almost no students consulted.