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| US buyers to protect ethos of AC Grayling's London college | US buyers to protect ethos of AC Grayling's London college |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The New College of the Humanities, founded in London by the philosopher AC Grayling, is being bought by a US university, Northeastern. | The New College of the Humanities, founded in London by the philosopher AC Grayling, is being bought by a US university, Northeastern. |
| In the college's Bloomsbury building, the pennants of both universities are flying side by side, and their two leaders are planning their joint future. | In the college's Bloomsbury building, the pennants of both universities are flying side by side, and their two leaders are planning their joint future. |
| Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern, says: "It's not an acquisition, it's a marriage." | Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern, says: "It's not an acquisition, it's a marriage." |
| There's an element of politeness about this, because in a deal announced last month the Boston-based university is becoming the owner. | There's an element of politeness about this, because in a deal announced last month the Boston-based university is becoming the owner. |
| But it means the New College of the Humanities (NCH) is now financially secure, it can take a not-for-profit status and can push on to get its own degree-awarding powers. | |
| Keeping the faith | Keeping the faith |
| Prof Grayling says it also protects the original ambition to offer something distinctive, with an emphasis on individualised learning. | Prof Grayling says it also protects the original ambition to offer something distinctive, with an emphasis on individualised learning. |
| "Right from the very beginning, the conversation was about, 'Let us create something remarkable, let's do something really good.'" | "Right from the very beginning, the conversation was about, 'Let us create something remarkable, let's do something really good.'" |
| But he says when any new institution is burning through its start-up cash, the temptation is to dilute the good intentions. | But he says when any new institution is burning through its start-up cash, the temptation is to dilute the good intentions. |
| "If you start losing your nerve, you start lowering the quality, you drop the entrance requirements and then you just become another high-volume, low-cost college. | "If you start losing your nerve, you start lowering the quality, you drop the entrance requirements and then you just become another high-volume, low-cost college. |
| "You really have to keep going and keep faith," he says. | "You really have to keep going and keep faith," he says. |
| When the college was launched in 2012, it headed straight into a storm. | When the college was launched in 2012, it headed straight into a storm. |
| Tuition fees | Tuition fees |
| Students were rioting about tuition fees going up to £9,000 and it seemed like a brash and provocative move for the New College of the Humanities to set fees at £18,000. | Students were rioting about tuition fees going up to £9,000 and it seemed like a brash and provocative move for the New College of the Humanities to set fees at £18,000. |
| Claims about it being a rival to Oxbridge also irritated the academic establishment. | Claims about it being a rival to Oxbridge also irritated the academic establishment. |
| "It was an unlucky moment," he says. | "It was an unlucky moment," he says. |
| "But when I first started this I had two unconquerable things on my side: enthusiasm and ignorance. | "But when I first started this I had two unconquerable things on my side: enthusiasm and ignorance. |
| "The ignorance was manifold. I didn't have a complete idea what would be involved with the labyrinth of regulatory bodies. | "The ignorance was manifold. I didn't have a complete idea what would be involved with the labyrinth of regulatory bodies. |
| "Nor that we were just about to have a change in visas, nor of the reaction that students would have to the rise in fee levels." | "Nor that we were just about to have a change in visas, nor of the reaction that students would have to the rise in fee levels." |
| The setting of such high fees wasn't a deliberate plan, he says, but a last-minute change when tougher visa rules made it harder to recruit overseas students. | The setting of such high fees wasn't a deliberate plan, he says, but a last-minute change when tougher visa rules made it harder to recruit overseas students. |
| Defying the odds | Defying the odds |
| That had "blown a hole underneath the waterline" of the business plan, which Prof Grayling says, left them with the choice of either scrapping the launch or increasing fees. | That had "blown a hole underneath the waterline" of the business plan, which Prof Grayling says, left them with the choice of either scrapping the launch or increasing fees. |
| When the college opened it was expected to be the pioneer of a wave of new higher education providers, including from the US. | When the college opened it was expected to be the pioneer of a wave of new higher education providers, including from the US. |
| But starting a university from scratch is far from easy, when reputations are built over many years - and the New College turned out to be one of the few rather than the first of many. | But starting a university from scratch is far from easy, when reputations are built over many years - and the New College turned out to be one of the few rather than the first of many. |
| What made it even more against the odds was to create a college dedicated to the humanities, at a time with so much emphasis on science and technology. | What made it even more against the odds was to create a college dedicated to the humanities, at a time with so much emphasis on science and technology. |
| Prof Grayling, famous as both author and philosopher, proved to be a pragmatic entrepreneur and dogged defender of his college. | Prof Grayling, famous as both author and philosopher, proved to be a pragmatic entrepreneur and dogged defender of his college. |
| Not 'academic tourism' | Not 'academic tourism' |
| So what will Northeastern do with the college? | So what will Northeastern do with the college? |
| "The last thing we want is to say that this is going to be a franchise," says President Aoun. | "The last thing we want is to say that this is going to be a franchise," says President Aoun. |
| Northeastern already has a network of campuses, across the US and Canada. | Northeastern already has a network of campuses, across the US and Canada. |
| He wants to keep the independence and the ethos of NCH - and to avoid the habit of US universities replicating their own culture when they move abroad. | |
| "Universities in general in the US, when they establish themselves overseas, they base it in an export model. | "Universities in general in the US, when they establish themselves overseas, they base it in an export model. |
| "I am exporting my campus, my knowledge, my approach." | "I am exporting my campus, my knowledge, my approach." |
| President Aoun says he wants the New College of the Humanities to work on joint projects with Northeastern students, but to offer them an authentically English educational experience. | |
| "We don't want academic tourism," he says. | "We don't want academic tourism," he says. |
| 'Robot-proof' | 'Robot-proof' |
| The New College of the Humanities will remain a UK-regulated institution - and if it gets its own degree-awarding powers, these will be UK qualifications. | |
| He says there are no plans for any big expansion. "We're not chasing the numbers." | He says there are no plans for any big expansion. "We're not chasing the numbers." |
| Northeastern has about 20,000 students - while the New College of Humanities has about 200 students. It's like a big chain buying a boutique hotel. | Northeastern has about 20,000 students - while the New College of Humanities has about 200 students. It's like a big chain buying a boutique hotel. |
| President Aoun's annual pay, not the highest in US higher education by any means, would start another riot in the UK, with a package worth about $1.45m (£1.13m). | President Aoun's annual pay, not the highest in US higher education by any means, would start another riot in the UK, with a package worth about $1.45m (£1.13m). |
| He says the challenge for universities is to make students "robot-proof" for an era in which artificial intelligence will take away many existing jobs. | He says the challenge for universities is to make students "robot-proof" for an era in which artificial intelligence will take away many existing jobs. |
| He thinks NCH's way of teaching the humanities will provide some answers. | |
| Alongside subjects such as literature and history, students have to learn about science and study entrepreneurship. | Alongside subjects such as literature and history, students have to learn about science and study entrepreneurship. |
| President Aoun says universities will have to get over their own resistance to change. | President Aoun says universities will have to get over their own resistance to change. |
| "We want to change the world, but we don't want to change ourselves," he says. | "We want to change the world, but we don't want to change ourselves," he says. |
| With the deeper pockets of Northeastern, it also means that the New College has a much better chance of becoming an old college. | With the deeper pockets of Northeastern, it also means that the New College has a much better chance of becoming an old college. |
| More from Global education | More from Global education |
| The editor of Global education is Sean Coughlan (sean.coughlan@bbc.co.uk). | The editor of Global education is Sean Coughlan (sean.coughlan@bbc.co.uk). |