The ‘value’ of a degree has been the subject of active recent debate, but chiefly with reference to what a degree costs a student in tuition fees and maintenance loans, and what it offers by way of employment prospects. Less has been said about the competence of the providers which…
Two University academics put in a room will soon ask each other: ‘What do you do?’ This is most often a question of identity and belonging: In what discipline were you trained? To which community do you belong? It is also a question of power and status: Are they at…
Promotion for academics, especially those on teaching and scholarship (T&S) pathways, is fraught with challenges. Unlike research output, which can be easily measured through journal rankings, citations, and research income, the impact of teaching and scholarship is harder to quantify, making progression criteria poorly defined across the higher education sector.…
In today’s dynamic digital environment, the changes occurring in marketing and public relations (PR) are particularly significant and complex relative to other sectors. As businesses increasingly turn to digital platforms to engage with their audiences, the need for professionals adept in digital marketing and PR strategies is growing rapidly. This…
In the same way that opinion polling predicted how the public was likely to vote at this month’s UK general election, UCAS’s June 30 Deadline data offers a strong steer on what demand for higher education may look like come the start of term. Hundreds of thousands of students on…
The provision of support to subsidise childcare has been a salient policy topic in recent years. In 2023, the Conservative Government announced an expansion of support for workers, offering 15 free hours a week for two-year-olds. From September 2024, this expands to babies from nine months old, rising to 30…
The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and GW4 (an alliance of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities) have jointly published a report entitled Who cares? How postgraduate parents fall through the gap for government childcare grants, and how to fix it. The report shines a light on the unacknowledged gap…
At a recent HEPI Partners’ dinner, Sir Anthony Seldon cited his new book coauthored with Tom Egerton ‘The Conservative Effect 2010-2014 – 14 Wasted Years?’ He provided some thoughts on what in higher education had changed for better or worse during this period. It will not have gone unnoticed that…
What are select committees? With a new Parliament will come new select committees to scrutinise the Government. In the House of Commons, these committees are usually composed of 11 MPs. Most Commons committees are headed by a Chair elected in a secret ballot by all MPs. Committees are overtly cross-party…
At the recent Universities UK (UUK) Conference on Higher Education Regulation, I was invited to contribute to a session exploring institutional approaches to managing UK franchising. This topic is close to my heart, given my role in developing and managing our UK and global partnership network at the University of…