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Message from Professor Howard Colley, Director (Institutions), Higher Education Academy Dear Colleagues My attention has been drawn to the concerns being expressed through this list about continuing support for personal tutoring. As mentioned in an earlier email from Professor Hixenbaugh, the Academy has organised and provided support for three conferences on personal tutoring working closely with a planning group of interested individuals drawn from several institutions including the University of Westminster. The funding for this has historically come from that provided for a much broader Academy programme of work on Diversity and Widening Participation in recognition of the importance of personal tutoring in supporting students entering HE under widening access programmes (we have never had a separate project and budget devoted to personal tutoring). Unfortunately there are many demands and pressures on Academy budgets, including that for our work on the Diversity and Widening Participation agenda where we already have commitments this year to a number of strands of activity. Having successfully incorporated an international dimension into the conferences held in 2006 and 2007 by working with US colleagues from NACADA, and following discussions with them, it was agreed that the Academy would promote - but could not support in any material way due to funding constraints this year - an international conference in 2008 to be held in Pittsburgh and hosted by one of their regional organisations. This would offer UK colleagues once again the opportunity to attend and present at a conference devoted to personal tutoring at which international policy and practice would be debated. There was, however, no agreement that the Academy could support a conference on personal tutoring beyond 2008 as we are not able to commit to supporting events beyond the current operational year at this stage in our funding round. We are very aware of the success of the previous conferences and when the Academy develops its next operational plan we can consider increasing support for personal tutoring as a component within the broader area of our work on diversity and widening participation. However, I do need to point out that this would be one strand of activity competing for support and funding with other priorities identified and raised by the sector for our consideration. I hope that this brings some further clarity to the Academy's position. Howard Colley Jane Berry Adviser for Widening Participation +44 (0)1904 717549 The Higher Education Academy Innovation Way York Science Park York YO10 5BR +44 (0)1904 717500 P Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this e-mail? ____________________ This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please accept our apologies. Please do not disclose, copy, or distribute information in this email nor take any action in reliance on its contents: to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Please inform us that this message has gone astray before deleting it Please note that views expressed in this email are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Higher Education Academy Please note that this e-mail has been created in the knowledge that Internet e-mail is not a secure communications medium. We advise that you understand and observe this lack of security when e-mailing us Although we have taken steps to ensure this e-mail and attachments are free from any virus, we advise that in keeping with good computing practice the recipient should ensure they are actually virus free The Higher Education Academy Registered No 4930131