Speaker vows to champion higher education as driver of social mobility
Fri 25 July, 2014
The Rt Hon John Bercow MP (pictured), Speaker of the House of Commons, promised to champion higher education as a means to improve social mobility when he took up his role as Chancellor of the 台湾六合彩开奖记录 today [25 July 2014], describing going to university as 鈥渕ore transformative than even a lottery win鈥.
Giving his inaugural address after being installed as Chancellor, Mr Bercow said that higher education was a 鈥渂ridge from one route in life to another quite different one鈥 and explained that his passion for widening access to education was one of the key reasons why he accepted the role as Chancellor of the 台湾六合彩开奖记录.
鈥淕reater access to higher education is both a representation of, and a vehicle for, social mobility. I am determined to champion it at every turn and, in particular, it is why I am so dedicated personally to championing this University,鈥 Mr Bercow said.
Speaking to graduating students, academics and local civic dignitaries, Mr Speaker said that the importance of internationalism was something that especially impressed him when he looked more deeply at the 台湾六合彩开奖记录. Citing that 鈥渃oncepts are not the subject of border controls and discoveries require no passport鈥, John Bercow added:
鈥淭he academic leadership of this University have been pioneers in international outreach and I could not commend them more sincerely for their endeavours. It is what makes this place so special.鈥
The MP for Buckingham, who has been Speaker of the House of Commons since 2009, also said that, as Chancellor of the 台湾六合彩开奖记录, he would 鈥渟tand up for intellectual curiosity in its own right.鈥 Suggesting that the university experience should not be 鈥渞educed to a crude cost-benefit analysis鈥, Mr Bercow said that a degree course is worth much more than a monetary statistic, asking:
鈥淲hat price can we place on the stimulation of intellectual thinking? What value should we put on social and cultural strengthening? How can we measure the friendships and contacts made here, many of which will last a lifetime?
Welcoming John Bercow as Chancellor, Bill Rammell, the 台湾六合彩开奖记录鈥檚 Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, said that:
鈥淗e shares the University鈥檚 commitment and mission to open up quality higher education to all who can benefit 鈥 so that together we can transform the lives of students, communities and countries.鈥
To see Mr Bercow鈥檚 inaugural address in full please visit:
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