In defence of CVCP

I HAVE been a member of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals for three years and, whatever may have been the case in the past, the charge of being merely a gentlemen's club (THES, July 24) does not fit the organisation which I know.

You attack the CVCP for not having delivered benefits to higher education and for having been too ready to support the Dearing compact.

In reality the CVCP campaign to ensure that future efficiency gains are contained at the 1 per cent level, to achieve recognition that there needs to be investment in teaching infrastructure and to gain an increase in research funding have all borne fruit in recent government announcements.

No one would deny that more needs to be achieved and that, without further gains, the sector will be under very severe financial strain.

Those further gains will depend on the CVCP, as the representative of the whole university sector, continuing its successful campaign. Attempts to undermine the CVCP can only be damaging to higher education.

Janet Finch Vice-chancellor Keele University