‘Don’t underestimate value of the arts’

I WAS dismayed to read about the financial troubles facing Goldsmiths, University of London, reported in a recent Times Higher Education article (Deficit-hit Goldsmiths ‘at sharp end of financialisation of HE’, Jan 11, 2022).

Although the financial challenges facing many universities are nothing new, this comes at a time when governments seem to be prioritising science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the expense of arts and humanities – areas where institutions such as Goldsmiths are largely focused on.