THANK you for your recent coverage of the Salisbury RSA Fellows Network's draft proposal Towards a University for the 21st Century: Strengthening Science, the Economy, Culture, and Education in Salisbury and South Wiltshire.

We believe the case for increasing higher education's presence in Salisbury and South Wiltshire and in the longer-term for a university in Salisbury becomes ever more urgent as we seek ways of ensuring the future prosperity of the city and its region.

Our recently revised proposal sets out not only the longer-term vision of what a university in Salisbury and South Wiltshire could be, but adds further practical steps that can be taken in the interim to achieve that aim with all the near-term benefits that it could bring to the economic, social and cultural well-being of our city and district.

We are not starting from scratch. Salisbury is already the home of a significant community of practitioners and scholars particularly in the life sciences and specialist engineering, and has a growing international profile as a city. Furthermore we are blessed with a strong cultural tradition and educational institutions, and some pre-existing links with universities on which we can build.

We are engaged in a consultation on the draft proposal and welcome further thoughts from members of the public and interested organisations.

Copies of the proposal are available from John Potter chair of the Salisbury RSA Fellows Network email: jbpotter.sarum@ntlworld.com.

In brief we hope we can stimulate united support from the people of Salisbury for increasing Higher Education's current engagement in the local area and in the longer-term for a regional university that other cities such as ours have already achieved.

Neil Beagrie and John Potter

On behalf of the Salisbury RSA Fellows Network