The U word

I just learned that the esteemed Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University wrote to Merlin John telling him that he can't use the word Ultralab on his most excellent website: 21st Century Learning Unlocked. The VC stated that the Ultralab brand is the intellectual property of Anglia Ruskin University, which of course it is.

OK, Anglia Ruskin University, we respect that you own the Ultralab brand. But does that mean that nobody can write about Ultralab? We can and (many thousands of us do) write about Apple's excellent Macintosh computers, which are mentioned in 857,703 blogs. McDonalds tasty burgers appear in 1,327,133 blogs. Nike gets a mention in a huge 7,757,501 blogs. I don't see them going into a hissy fit because people write about them.

So what should Anglia Ruskin University do? Well they could go after Merlin John, who, back in December 2006 was merely asking reasonable questions about the future of the Ultralab unit when it was undergoing a reorganization, and more recently reporting on the success of the first graduating cohort of the Ultraversity online degree. They could also go after the writers of the other 5,564 blog entries that mention Ultralab!

Alternatively they could do what Apple, McDonalds and Nike, do – concentrate their energy on making better computers, trainers, burgers or degree courses.

I used to associate the Ultralab brand with a track record of wonderful pioneering research work carried out by a dedicated team under the inspired leadership of Stephen Heppell and Richard Millwood, that helped change the way we think about learning in Britain and around the world. Thanks to this recent sillyness, I now associate it with churlish, petty, controlling behaviour.

When Anglia Polytechnic University re-branded to Anglia Ruskin University I'm sure they took on the values of the great man himself. Perhaps I might respectfully offer a little reminder or three?

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do." - John Ruskin

"When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package." - John Ruskin

"I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful." - John Ruskin

Oh and by the way... I see that the old Ultralab website (www.ultralab.net) now hosts a website branded INSPIRE, on which they say "Anglia Ruskin University's Centre for Learning and Teaching (UCLT) has become INSPIRE as of March 2007." So, forgive me but now I'm confused. Er... what happened to Ultralab?

Merlin, keep up the good work. Tell it like it is.