A blend of youth and experience?

By Shola Adenekan

Prof Malcolm Longair says experience should be valued

Prof Malcolm Longair is undoubtedly one of Britain's foremost scientists.

The former president of the Royal Astronomical Society has a string of awards and professorships from some of the best universities in the world.

But the Cambridge University don also represents what some see as a worrying trend in our academia.

At 64, Prof Longair symbolises the "greying" of the professoriate in the UK.

'A lot left'

"Running a university department needs quite a bit of management experience and older people can take on these roles effectively," he said.

"This leaves younger staff more time to concentrate upon research and teaching.

"I'd personally like to see schemes whereby those who still have a lot to contribute after the retirement age can contribute, whilst still not blocking positions for young academics."

The retirement age for academics at most universities is 65 and many have more professors over the age of 60 than ever before.

Between 1995 and 1996, 32% of teaching and research academics were approaching retirement age. By 2003, that proportion had risen to 38%.

Academics have always refreshed their expertise Prof Ian Lesley, Cambridge University

For professors the situation is even more acute, with about 45% nearing retirement age.

The ageing of the professoriate may be providing a wealth of scholarly experience, but critics say it is leaving the higher education system impoverished in areas like diversity and curricula.

In addition, they say, universities with low turnover may miss out on cutting-edge research and modern teaching techniques.

"It's in nobody's interest to lose the knowledge, skills and experience of older generation of academics, but at the same time we want genuine opportunities for younger entrants to build a career that is not hampered by insecure employment conditions," said Stephen Court, a senior research officer for the Association of University Teachers (AUT).

'Teaching at risk'

He is worried that the proportion of older academics, particularly in education and some science and engineering disciplines, is increasing.

"We are concerned that provision of teaching in these disciplines is increasingly at risk, not just from staff retirements but also funding pressure leading to the continuing closure of science departments in universities."

Some older professors also refuse to teach introductory courses, instead focusing on their research careers.

This, Mr Court believes, means that a lot of undergraduate teaching is left in the hands of postgraduates.

"The AUT would like to see pressure on academic staff to meet demands of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and more encouragement for academics of all ages to give high priority to teaching," he said.

The government wants to allow senior academics to continue working past the age of 65.

In America, tenured professors are currently allowed to continue long as possible.

Anti-discrimination

As Britons now live longer, many say it is appropriate that professors are allowed to carry on doing what they do best - imparting knowledge to students and nurturing new academic talent.

One of the main aims of academic recruiters is to secure the best talent pool, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

What can administrators do to re-invigorate older faculty members and how can they remain connected to the university in a meaningful way while still making room for the younger generation?

The Equality Challenge Unit was set up in 2001 to support the higher education sector by improving equal opportunities for all who work or seek to work in the UK higher education sector.

Its director, Professor Joyce Hill, agrees that finding the best balance between "new blood" and retaining valued staff is a challenge.

Some institutions could carry out a "comprehensive review" recruitment, promotion and performance management, she said.

They could then see whether "age-related misconceptions" existed and look at action to remedy them.

Prof Hill added: "To do this effectively, they need useful data on the age profiles of their workforce."

Universities admit that older academics are more likely to be white and male but they say they also have a wide range of nationalities.

Some institutions say increasing numbers of 30-something scholars are being promoted to the position of readers and professors.

Outstanding academics, they believe, are reinvigorating the profession.

"Academics have always refreshed their expertise," said Professor Ian Lesley, a pro vice-chancellor at Cambridge University.

"Age and diversity concern us but we also have a mentoring system for academics, combined with the college system, which encourages social interaction between academics of all ages and across colleges."

An Oxford University spokeswoman said: "Younger academics are bringing in gender and ethnic diversity. So, gradually, the workforce becomes more and more diverse."

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