Dear All,

I sent off the following email To Donald MacLeod, just before midday.

I make that 30 signatories - not up to Heinz Group levels, but still a
significant and representative proportion of the sector.

Best wishes,

Brian

--- Begin Forwarded Message ---

Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 11:53:50 +0000
From: Brian Oldham <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: University league tables
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Reply-To: Brian Oldham <[log in to unmask]>
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Dear Donald,

I'm writing yet again on behalf of concerned members of the JISC 
ADMIN-PLANNING email group.

The institutions listed below strongly endorse the comments already 
made to you by Judy Evans of the University of Brighton.

"Not only is it perfectly possible to have JACS codes assigned to 
multiple academic cost centres, but there is no reason why HEIs should
not avail themselves of the full range of JACS codes in existence when
coding their provision for inclusion in the various HESA returns.  Why
you should decide to exclude some of these legitimate codes is 
unfathomable."

This failure to correctly reflect academic activity does not only 
affect "small" subjects, as implied in your response to one member of 
the group.  Preclinical medical and dental teaching, for example, is 
often carried out under a range of HESA cost centres, such as anatomy,
pharmacology, etc.  Your method fails to take this into account.

We have previously raised concerns with you about the Guardian's 
league table methodology, and understood that genuine consultation on 
a way forward would take place. The flaws in your current approach mean
it is impossible for you to produce a league table that will give 
prospective students valid information to support informed choice. 
There is a widespread concern that your methodology leads to 
mis-representation of the performance of every institution in the 
sector. This is an unacceptable position which we would like to resolve
with you, as there is growing support for unilateral action by 
institutions which could make production of the league table untenable.
Ultimately this is of no benefit either to you or to our prospective 
students.

Bath Spa University
Queen's University Belfast
The University of Bradford
The University of Brighton
The University of Bristol
The University of Central Lancashire
University of Derby
The University of Dundee
The University of Glasgow
The University of Greenwich
University of Hertfordshire
King's College London
Kingston University
The University of Lancaster
Liverpool Hope University
The University of Liverpool
The University of Manchester
The University of Portsmouth
Queen Mary, University of London
The University of Reading
The University of St Andrews
The School of Oriental and African Studies
Sheffield Hallam University
The University of Southampton
The University of Strathclyde
Swansea University
The University of Teesside
University College London
The University of Westminster
The University of Winchester

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oo-o-o-o-o-
Brian Oldham
Management Data Analyst
Finance Department
King's College London
Room 7.22
James Clerk Maxwell Building
57 Waterloo Road
London  SE1 8WA
Tel:  020 7848 3850
Fax:  020 7848 3356