University title matters. Protecting it is an important part of what David Watson called the “controlled reputational range”.
We’ve had various systems to consider who it might be awarded, at first through royal charters and since 1992 through simpler processes, at first run by the Privy Council and now, in England, through the OfS.
As has already been established, 1992 is the only truly memorable date in the history of English Higher Education policy. The granting of university title to polytechnics (and two colleges) still rankles some people. In the legislation, the process was simple; the Privy Council was given the power to grant the title and off the sector went. Looking back 30 years, you might think this was a “big bang”, but actually the process of the confirmation of titles proceeded cautiously over several months as new names were weighed and consulted on.
