Scotland's Universities

As an amendment to motion S4M-14596 in the name of Liz Smith (Scotland's Universities), leave out from “the recent international success” to end and insert "the autonomy of Scotland’s higher education institutions is a fundamental part of what makes them successful on the world stage, helps them to attract students and staff of the highest quality and enhances their international competitiveness and reputation for exemplary teaching and research; further believes that the provisions to enable more modern and inclusive governance in the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill will enhance the reputation of the country's institutions, present no threat to their financial wellbeing and ensure that all parts of the campus community, including students, staff and trade unions, are better included in the strategic decisions that guide the future path of Scotland's excellent and highly-valued higher education institutions; recognises the commitment that the Scottish Government has made to higher education by investing over £4 billion in the sector in the last four years to enable universities to lever in money from other sources and help Scotland maintain its reputation as a leading nation in higher education; notes that the Scottish Government has no intention of advancing ministerial control over the higher education sector and would always seek to avoid any risk of the reclassification of higher education institutions as public sector bodies by the Office for National Statistics, and further notes that the Bill’s provisions do not increase that risk and that the Scottish Government continues to listen carefully to the views and constructive suggestions made by all higher education stakeholders on the provisions in the Bill, including ideas for potential amendments that can enhance the positive and beneficial impact of this legislation."