THE radical reform of Bournemouth University that will cut 50 jobs is essential to stop it falling behind its competitors - or even being taken over.

That's the view of vice-chancellor Paul Curran, who told the Daily Echo in an exclusive interview that the university's "slide" needs to be halted now.

The strategic plan for 2007-12 that was unveiled two weeks ago has led to protests from lecturers who are concerned for their future and the quality of education.

But Professor Curran said that without the changes "we would be a merger opportunity for other institutions".

He added: "In the short term we would just carry on sliding as we are doing now."

The aim is to recruit and train more staff who can research, work in, and consult in their specialist subject - rather than people who only teach.

"Given that we focus on teaching you would expect that to be our strength - and yet there aren't any of our schools that are rated above average for teaching," he said.

He believes the changes will galvanise staff and attract more grant funding and more students, at a time when the competition to get students, and the cash they bring, is getting fiercer and fiercer.

Student applications had fallen from six per place to five, he explained.

"What we are about is recruiting students regardless of their background, giving them an excellent education and for them to go out and get jobs and become the leaders of tomorrow.

"And we have been struggling to do that," said Prof Curran.

Prof Curran said other new universities from the 1992 Higher Education Act like Oxford Brooks and Portsmouth are streets ahead of Bournemouth after making these changes last century.

They were investing money in buildings and computers, not in more and more degree courses, said Prof Curran.

"Our space per student is very low. And foreign students have to print off their application form then fill it in and post it. They can't do it online. Universities just don't do that any more."

Underpinning everything is the need to win grant money and student fees. Prof Curran said today's marketplace is a "world apart" from the pre-1992 days.

Staff have called the pace of change brutal. But Prof Curran believes you need a critical mass of staff to make the changes and "we can't do that by them dribbling in".

More than 30 staff have expressed an interest in voluntary redundancies and four of the 50 staff posts will be kept because of issues relating to contracts.

Prof Curran thinks a "silent majority" back the plan.

One of its key aims is to increase the number of staff with doctorates from 38 per cent to 60 per cent.

Prof Curran pointed to the conservation sciences department where highly qualified new staff have been getting grant applications and working on Dorset heathlands and studying birds in Poole Harbour.

"They are so enthusiastic they are galvanising the existing staff."

It will also prune the number of courses currently available. Universities of a similar size have 100 undergraduate courses, while Bournemouth has 279, he explained.

Lecturers spend 78 per cent of their time teaching, compared with a national average of 40 per cent.

"Do we really need 51 student programmes on Introduction to Research?" said Prof Curran.

"The time savings we can make are huge. A lot of staff say they don't have time at the moment to get engaged in their subject because they are working their socks off teaching."

Future students will spend less time being taught by teachers and more time learning online or through downloads - this has been a major sticking point with the objectors.

Prof Curran said this change was a reflection of the overall trend in higher education, not part of a strategic plan, and it led to more self-motivated students.

And he said the course content would not change. The emphasis would still be on vocational, professional training.

The changes were the result of the university board being asked to "dream the dream". But harsh economic reality is driving the pace of change.

Prof Curran said Bournemouth's natural advantages, the sea, the climate and the quality of life had kept it popular for years.

But he warned: "If we feel that will be enough in a much more competitive educational environment, I am afraid it won't.

"The new students walking round now will be the ones filling in their national student surveys in 2011, who are going to be influential on whether students come here in 2013," he added.

"In 2009 the government may uncap student fees. We will have to decide how we are going to compete. We should compete on the basis of quality.

"But we don't have that much time."