And to dismiss all new universities misses a vital point. It is often the new institution that pushes back the boundaries of convention, and finds new ways to use new technology and new ideas to open up access to education for all, that finds the frontier, and generates new ideas and innovations.

The problem, and the need, is to separate wheat from chaff. And that isn't easy. Rules for setting up Universities, the legal and quality-control frameworks world-wide, are as diverse as languages. Even within one country, the USA, there are major differences from state to state; what passes in Hawaii will fail in Maine. And if, like me, you need to know what quality control framework is in place not just in Spain or Switzerland, but in Hawaii and Hong-Kong, Bahamas and British Virgin Islands as well, you rapidly find out that it is virtually impossible to find out.

Even in this country, where the University sector is long established and firmly regulated, problems still arise. Look at all the well-publicised difficulties QAA is having establishing a widely accepted quality regime for UK Universities. Look at the many press stories casting doubt on the ability of Universities to control the quality of provision in thier name. But whatever the truth, or scaremongering, behind such stories, they do little to build confidence. Overseas provision, even for UK Universities, is a minefield.