When the summer term began I wrote to you to say that we were about to publicise the draft goals proposed as the core of our draft strategy and vision designed-to take us beyond 2015, and to ask you all to take the time to consider those proposals and then give us your feedback.

A political push is clearly under way worldwide to get universities to demonstrate value for money by ensuring that graduates are not just employable but that students actually finish their degrees. But this will never be easy.