Nick Hillman

The largest private sector pension scheme in the UK … A couple of years ago, I spent much of the Christmas break in a Reading Room at the British Library. I was investigating the history of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). It was more fun than it sounds. The report I wrote…

This is an extract from a speech delivered by Nick Hillman, the HEPI Director, to the GuildHE Council this morning. 1. Turf wars In the past few years, the pace of change in higher education policy has been enormous. Whether it has been driven by wider political upheaval, or new…

We are spoilt for choice when it comes to interesting new books on education policy at the moment, which is why HEPI’s blog has been running more book reviews than normal. One of the most thought-provoking is the new book by David Goodhart, the old Etonian son of one of…

When asked to expound on the full impact of COVID on higher education, I am tempted to say – like the supposed comment about the French Revolution – that ‘It is too early to say.’ But that has not stopped others from guessing. If you Google it, you will find…

As the pandemic has, frustratingly, made it impossible to host in-person events, HEPI has moved its events programme online. Since the pandemic began, we have: hosted a series of ‘In Conversation’ sessions with the Minister for Universities, the Shadow Minister for Universities and others; partnered with the University of Buckingham…

Below are the remarks made by Nick Hillman, HEPI’s Director, at Sunday morning’s MillionPlus / HEPI event at the (virtual) Conservative Party Conference, with the Minister for Universities, Michelle Donelan, on the theme, ‘Back in Business: What can modern universities do to support Britain’s recovery?’ The video of the session…

This guest blog by Dean Machin, Head of Policy at the University of Portsmouth, reviews David Goodhart’s thought-provoking and challenging new book. The central thesis of David’s Goodhart’s new book Head Hand Heart: The Struggle for Dignity and Status in the 21st Century is that we have privileged ‘head’ over ‘hand’…

Sixteen months ago today, on 30 May 2019, the long-awaited Augar report came out. Written by Philip Augar and a team of experts, it included 53 recommendations covering FE, HE and student funding. At the time, HEPI responded positively to the package of proposals, which were serious, coherent and wide-ranging. They were not perfect,…

I am one of that small group of people who is genuinely sad that the autumn political party conferences are (necessarily) not happening in person this year. They are eccentric affairs, but genuinely good fun and interesting for anyone with a passion for policymaking. They are also useful occasions for…