英国退欧对华威大学主要有三方面影响。

首先关系到的是华威来自欧盟国家的学生。很多人都非常关心学费的变化。我们目前有1260个来自欧盟国家的本科学生，每年还有将近700个学生参与华威和其他欧盟院校之间的Erasmus交换项目。关于学费，我们保证已经注册的学生的学费将不会受到任何新政策的影响，对于今年秋天即将入学的新生也一样。就算学费有所改变，也需要至少两年的时间去谈判和沟通。因此理论上来说，2020年之前，华威是不会由于退欧而产生任何学费变化的。

其次这可能会关系到我们的教师职工。我们有将近500个来自欧盟国家的教职员工，他们也很关心退欧是否会影响他们继续留在英国工作。考虑到公投活动中产生的一些消极言辞，我充分理解他们的担心。当然，政府也一定不希望看到高技术人才的流失，所以最大的困难只可能是签证费用。来自欧盟国家的教职员工是我们华威大家庭中最重要、宝贵的一部分，我也想让他们知道，他们为英国高等教育带来的价值是不可估量的。

第三，许多人也很关心英国退欧对于大学研究资金的影响，目前每年华威会从欧盟国家地区得到1300万镑的资助。这个资金来自于政府、工业和慈善，会用于科研项目、学生奖学金，以及学校的校园设备和活动设施。目前已经签署的所有合同都将如期进行。即使退出欧盟，英国也会是欧洲科研中心的重要一员，就如同现在的挪威和瑞士。与世界各地的其他志同道合的机构合作，实现我们的研究和教学目标仍将是华威的当务之急。

我可以不掩饰地说，投Remain（留在欧盟）会更加契合华威大学目前的发展方向，但即便是Leave（退出欧盟），也不会影响我们的发展前景。无论是对于英国还是世界各地的学生而言，我们仍然是一个非常具有吸引力的就读院校，而我们学生和老师的国际化也是密不可分的一部分。

所以，尽管英国将要离开欧盟，华威大学也会保持在国际教育界的地位。

我也在此向大家保证，我个人会尽可能地保持英国高等教育免受政府退欧政策的负面影响。

June 24, 2016

Reaction to the EU Referendum result

So, the voters have spoken; the next few years will see the result of that vote translated into policy reality. Across the University of Warwick, although some will be celebrating, there is, I know, much concern. Let me try to put some of that concern into context.

There are three issues that could impact directly on people. 

The first concerns our students who are citizens from other EU countries. Many are concerned about their fee and immigration status. We currently have some 1260 such students registered on undergraduate degrees, as well as around 700 students who participate each year in Erasmus exchanges between Warwick and other EU institutions. Regarding fees, we have said confidently that those already registered will not be affected by any fee changes the government might subsequently impose; and that will hold also for those seeking to join us this Autumn. There will be a two year window at least for the negotiations. Therefore, logically, any fee change would not occur until 2020. That is not to accept the principle of a change to the fee regime; it is a worst case analysis.

The second is the impact on our staff. We have nearly 500 colleagues who work here from other EU countries. And I know many are concerned with the implications for their right to stay in this country. I can understand why, given some of the unpleasant things said during the Referendum campaign. It is not in the interest of any government to lose highly skilled workers, and so the main challenge is likely to be visa costs. This is something that will need careful monitoring. However, our European staff are an important, valued, part of our community, and I intend to make the case wherever I can that such staff are incredibly valuable to UK HE, and should not be disadvantaged in the new world. 

Third, many at Warwick will be concerned about the impact on the university's research income, currently over £13m a year from EU sources. That funding comes from government, industry and charitable sources, and translates into posts and studentships, as well as equipment and activity. All currently signed contracts will be honoured. I will be arguing that even without membership of the EU, the UK should be a part of the European research family, as Norway and Switzerland currently are. In this work, we will be much helped by being inside a Europe wide body of research intensive universities - the Guild that we recently announced - which has, as its chair, the President of a Norwegian university. Working with other like-minded institutions around the world to progress our research and teaching aims will continue to be a priority for Warwick. 

There is much, complex, work for us to do in the new environment, but much is already being prepared here at Warwick to enable us to understand how the University and our community might be impacted.

There will be, if the referendum campaign has been anything to go by, plenty of apocalyptic language greeting this result in the media. We will be told that the economy will collapse, that it's the end of civilisation as we know it. 

I have made no secret that, in my view, the University's future would have been more certain with a Remain vote. But it is still secure with a Leave vote. We still are a very attractive place for students to study, whether they be British or from around the rest of the world, and part of that attraction is precisely because of the cosmopolitan nature of our student and staff body. We must maintain this. And seeing our growing research income over the past few years, we should remain confident in the quality of our research in the global competition for the funding our research needs and deserves. 

So, although we will leave the EU, Warwick will remain a strong, confident, global institution.

There is one last point. Clearly the business of government will be dominated by the many processes required by exit. Once there is clarity on who is charged with translating this for higher education, I will be writing to them to call for a delay in the Higher Education Bill while this work is carried through. To add the demands of that Bill to those of EU exit, at the same time, will be an intolerable burden for universities that, frankly, threatens to rock our very capacity to do everything we do to promote and extend the UK’s reputation globally. This, at a time when that reputation matters more than ever. I hope that much will be self-evident to the minister.