The Future of an Open Academic World

"¡Madre mía!" I learned of the referendum results through a message sent in the early hours to London from my son-in-law, a Spaniard working at the European Parliament. My daughter, who happened to be in the UK on a business trip, and I were speechless for a moment. It has already been about four years since that result—a narrow margin for Brexit that surprised even the Leavers, let alone the Remainers. After Prime Minister Cameron's resignation and the May Cabinet, the UK finally left the EU at the end of January this year under current Prime Minister Johnson. Specific "divorce" terms must be negotiated with the EU by the end of this year, but the British government continues to take a hardline stance, maintaining that they will execute Brexit even if negotiations break down in a "no deal" scenario. With the terms of withdrawal remaining unclear even after two general elections since the referendum, the public—regardless of whether they were Leavers or Remainers—was suffering from Brexit fatigue. Then came the arrival of COVID-19. To be honest, at present, neither the UK nor the EU is in any position to worry about Brexit.

Having spent a total of over 40 years in the UK during my secondary school years and as a working professional, I would like to look back on the past four years since the referendum from an academic perspective. With a few exceptions, all universities here are national, but to maintain international competitiveness, they have traditionally recruited faculty from all over the world, resulting in many being from the EU. Although they are national institutions, business schools and others have moved away from the uniform national salary scale to attract talent, with an increasing number of cases offering high salaries rare in academia. Because salaries for university faculty are regulated by governments in some EU member states, UK universities have attracted many scholars from Northern Europe who are fluent in English, as well as Southern European scholars who abandoned the Mediterranean sun, drawn by British salary levels and the strong British pound prior to the Brexit vote.

Immediately after the Leave victory, it was predicted that EU nationals would return home or move to other EU countries for fear of rising anti-EU sentiment in the UK. However, there were also concerns about a brain drain as some British academic colleagues, disgusted by the government's attitude of pandering to the insular Leave camp, moved not only to EU countries but as far as Canada and Australia. On the other hand, some native British colleagues were pleased, thinking that high-paying posts held by EU nationals would open up for them. Like Japan and other developed nations, the UK faces a declining birthrate and an aging population, making the securing of student numbers—and thus tuition revenue—one of the challenges for universities. There are concerns that after withdrawal, EU students will be charged the same tuition as international students from outside the EU (three times the rate of domestic students), and if a post-study work visa becomes necessary, finding employment in the UK will become difficult. Anticipating that students might avoid studying here for these reasons, universities are putting effort into attracting international students from outside the EU.

As a result, at some universities, 90 percent of the students are Chinese international students. While this is a result of being forced to introduce market competition by British government policy, universities are now poignantly realizing the fear of relying on a single market without diversifying risk, as there is a threat that the number of overseas students will plummet next year due to the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic. While Keio University is a pioneer in international agreements, an increasing number of UK universities are also forming agreements with universities worldwide, including within the EU, as a Brexit countermeasure. They are implementing double degree programs, and some universities are establishing campuses or offices overseas to provide courses locally. Furthermore, now that all educational institutions, not just universities, have been forced online due to COVID-19, online courses that were previously underperforming may find a second life. However, since the local experience is a major factor for students when choosing a course, this may only be a temporary appeal.

Even while an EU member, the UK never joined the Eurozone or agreed to the Schengen Agreement, continuing to protect its own currency and borders. Politically, reasons cited for leaving included EU budget contributions and the surge of immigrants from Eastern European member states after EU expansion. However, behind this, was there perhaps a sense of discomfort for the UK—which is not geographically part of the European mainland—existing within an EU formed by continental nations (with the exception of Ireland)? From my second year at Yochisha Elementary School, I spent every summer traveling around the UK and the European continent by bus with my father (the late Ryozo Tanaka, Professor Emeritus at Keio University), whose research subjects were the UK and Europe. I felt firsthand the reality of European countries sharing borders and being contiguous, as well as the achievements of reflecting on a past filled with conflict to realize and maintain peaceful coexistence. Growing up in an island nation, I felt envious watching guides and drivers freely manipulate the languages of various regions. After finishing the first term of my first year at Chutobu Junior High School, I accompanied my father on his research at Cambridge University. Until I finished secondary school in the UK and entered the Department of Law, Faculty of Law as a member of the first generation of returnee students, I always thought how lucky I was to be able to live in the UK as a part of Europe.

Although the British government continues to engage in difficult negotiations with the EU, as far as one can see in ultra-cosmopolitan London, the mutual interdependence between the UK and the EU remains high. While the entire world faces the COVID-19 crisis and international cooperation is essential, I hope that voters who were born and raised as members of the EU will recognize once again that cooperation with neighboring countries is indispensable and choose the path of maintaining a tolerant society.