Warwick University - V-c explains exit from 1994 Group

Warwick University is leaving the 1994 Group at the end of this academic year. It is the only university that is currently a member of both the 1994 and Russell groups. Nigel Thrift, the vice-chancellor, said: "When interest groups such as the 1994 Group and Russell Group first formed, the sector's collegial spirit meant that there were a number of institutions like ourselves who found value in working in, and with, more than one such group. Since then," he added, "the mission groups have expanded their numbers and have become more active in terms of lobbying and analytical work ... Each group now requires a significant investment in senior staff time, and we have now decided to focus our efforts on just one." The rising influence of the mission groups has accompanied a decline in the authority of Universities UK, according to one vice-chancellor who asked to remain anonymous. "The Government would probably rather have a single group to deal with, but the increasing differentiation in the sector makes it difficult for institutions to agree on anything other than the lowest common denominator."