In Lancaster for a while and visiting the campus yesterday. There is still a lot of building going on. The central square is almost finished but still blocked off. Bowland is next so there is no refuge.It seems like building is a news event, There has to be another one.

However the IAS seems to have vanished. No trace in the building I would expect except a notice to an upstairs meeting room. There is still a website but no new conference announced. The notice board has information on new PhD options and the new buildings may be impressive for a global audience. But I think the IAS projects help the profile also.

I also got a train the other day to Manchester and looked at Media City.Salford University will be in one of the spaces.

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1417964_200-jobs-at-risk-as-salford-university-looks-to-save-7m

Googling news finds that there are jobs at risk as well as investment in the site. Media City is very impressive though. Definitely a place to visit. The canal walk back towards Picadilly is not yet clearly marked.

More on this when I get back to Exeter. There the centre of the campus is a building site still, later to reopen with new retail features. Some peoplein Exeter just want to be able to get into the GreatHall once again.

What is the investment in web sites etc? Could be a cheaper option. There is something about the building boom that is a bit of a worry. It will take a lot of PhD fees to pay off the investment.