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Nick Hillman

  • Australia, Germany and students’ perceptions of value-for-money

    16 May 2014

    Yesterday, the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Staffordshire, Professor Michael Gunn, said: “Too many politicians and political advisers look to the US where many students do not complete or default on their loans and to Australia to provide answers to what they hope will be some higher…

  • Nadine Dorries versus the University of Bedfordshire

    15 May 2014

    Nadine Dorries has just tweeted: @NadineDorriesMP: Written to former Labour Minister, now head of Bedfordshire University since 2012 to ask why university has done so badly in league tables It’s an interesting way for an MP to hold a local university to account. It doesn’t seem inherently unreasonable for an…

  • Higher Education and the 2015 general election

    30 April 2014 by Nick Hillman

    In a new book published today by Bright Blue, I argue: that tuition fees are probably here to stay; that higher education is unlikely to be a major election issue in 2015; and that the Coalition should change course on international students. The chapter is written in a personal capacity,…

  • HEPI Policy Briefing, April 2014 (and April 2022)

    30 April 2014 by Nick Hillman

    This publication summaries recent research in higher education for HEPI University Partners and comes out three times a year. It is not usually published on our website, but this edition is being made freely available so that institutions which do not currently support HEPI can see the benefits we offer.

  • Are career advisers wrong?

    29 April 2014 by Nick Hillman

    Yesterday I spoke to a careers guidance conference. It was very good to interact directly with those who are in charge of giving advice to young people on their futures. As I said in my speech, my own experience as a secondary school teacher running a pre-university course showed me…

  • Australia…and North Korea?

    26 April 2014 by Nick Hillman

    Having travelled a lot over the last few weeks, I’ve been musing on HE in other countries. Perhaps nowhere are the differences so stark as in two of the countries I’ve visited: Australia and North Korea. In 2012, Australia removed student number controls for undergraduate places at public universities. With…

  • Getting some HELP from Australia

    24 April 2014 by Libby Hackett

    As Chief Executive of University Alliance I am often asked to talk about the value of higher education, why we need more graduates in the economy and the need for smart investment in teaching and research. But I don’t always get to look at the detail of how this funding…