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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Diana Beech

  • **Why you shouldn’t miss the HEPI Annual Conference 2017**

    26 May 2017 by Diana Beech

    On 7 June, HEPI will host its 2017 Annual Conference at Regent’s University London. The conference will provide a timely opportunity for senior leaders and policymakers from across the sector to come together to reflect on what it takes to create a university for students. But why is that important?…

  • Defining student resilience

    22 May 2017 by Emily McIntosh

    This guest blog was kindly provided by Dr Emily McIntosh, Director of Student Life, University of Bolton. ‘Resilience’ has stealthily crept into higher education consciousness to become the latest buzzword.  The Teaching Excellence Framework, student mental health and wellbeing, retention, achievement, student engagement, learning analytics and employability have preoccupied us…

  • Why do academics keep getting election predictions wrong?

    15 May 2017 by Simon Goldsworthy

    This guest blog has been kindly provided by Simon Goldsworthy, Professor of Public Relations and Advertising and Head of Department of Communication & Media (Communication, Public Relations, Journalism & Film Studies), Richmond University, Kensington Campus. Shortly before the referendum on the UK’s place in the EU, the Political Studies Association (PSA) polled…

  • Scrapping tuition fees or scraping away the glue holding the sector together?

    11 May 2017 by Dr Diana Beech

    Yesterday, footage emerged of John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, announcing that Labour will scrap tuition fees if the party wins the General Election on 8 June. Speaking in Mansfield two weeks ago, the Shadow Chancellor can be seen to introduce the idea of a national education service, which is ‘free…

  • Article 50: Triggering a future full of ‘Bregrets’ for UK students?

    29 March 2017 by Diana Beech

    Today – the day that the UK Prime Minister will trigger Article 50 and begin the UK’s two-year journey towards exiting the European Union (EU) – UK students remain concerned about Brexit. As the generation that will have the longest to live with the consequences of the UK’s departure from…

  • Posters in Parliament: Lessons for the sector?

    24 March 2017 by Diana Beech

    It’s been a week since I had the pleasure of serving on the judging panel for this year’s Posters in Parliament competition organised by the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR). The competition aims to showcase the high quality of undergraduate research taking place in universities across the country, giving MPs and…

  • International Women’s Day: Tales of Success or Survival?

    8 March 2017 by Diana Beech

    Today, on International Women’s Day, it is only right that we celebrate the successes of women in higher education. After all, we live in a world where the majority of students at our universities are women. This is quite a change from the last century: the Universities of Oxford and…