ABSTRACT
Introduction At the start of the 21st century Peter Scott, Vice Chancellor of Kingston University, wrote about Britain’s move to a mass higher education system in his aptly entitled chapter ‘Triumph or retreat’ (Scott, 2001a). He described this mass system as retaining ‘many of the admirable qualities of an elite system’. Scott believes that Britain is possibly unique in attempting to increase participation in higher education through a system that retains ‘traditional academic attributes in nearly all institutions, and not just in a segregated elite sector’. He regards this ‘experiment’ as a success. He also poses a question: ‘Is Britain’s elite-mass system capable of further extension and reform without damaging its essential academic culture?’ Scott finds no compelling evidence to suggest that the successful experiment cannot be sustained.
