Exhibition: Harold Wilson and The OU

In the years following the creation of The Open University Harold Wilson commented on the success of the new organisation. After receiving his honorary doctorate in 1974 he reflected on how far the University had come since he first wrote down an outline of his ideas after attending church on Easter Sunday morning in 1963.
 
"Everywhere I go in the world they want to know about the Open University and I'm very proud to be asked."
Harold Wilson, 1974
 
View first clip
 
 In 1979 during the University's 10th anniversary celebrations, Harold Wilson attended a celebration event held by the Liverpool branch of the OU Students Association. The following two audio clips were recorded at this event.
 
In the first audio clip Wilson describes being thrilled at being asked to talk about the OU all over the world, and how the example of the OU is being followed in the creation of other distance learning universities.
 
Listen to first audio clip
 
In the second audio clip Wilson describes his fascination with how OU students maintain their motivation while studying and having full-time jobs, going on to say that if he was an employer he would:
 
"be tempted to be biased in favour of recruiting Open University students, less for any technical qualifications they might even be in the process of earning, but for their proof of dedication and responsibility, their willingness and their ability to absorb new ideas and to meet new intellectual challenges in the course of each day's study."
 
Listen to second audio clip