The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].
As we enter Advent, the higher education sector is gearing up for expected new consultations from the Department for Education. Here HEPI Director, Nick Hillman, takes stock of current policy debates, the impending industrial action and the continuing impact of COVID. The calm before the storm It may seem extraordinary,…
This blog was contributed by Fiona Ellison, Director of the Unite Foundation. It is estimated that there area over 16,000 estranged and care experienced young people at university across the UK. In its latest insight brief, Office for Students acknowledges that, over the past 20 years, higher education has become…
Dear John, Congratulations on your new appointment! We don’t know each other well but I have long admired your career from afar. You clearly care passionately about learners and ensuring they meet their potential. It is a huge and brilliant job that you are taking on, in fact one of…
HEPI Director Nick Hillman delves into the biography of the most important UK civil servant of modern times, Jeremy Heywood, to search out lessons on how higher education policy is set at the centre of Whitehall. During a recent period of COVID-induced isolation, I finally got around to reading What Does…
This blog was contributed by Professor David Latchman, Vice-Chancellor at Birkbeck, University of London. After 18-months of enforced online learning, it is not surprising that most students were keen to return to onsite teaching and the unique opportunities that in-person university life presents. There are good reasons why the in-person model…
This blog was contributed for Sophie Cloutterbuck, Director of London Engagement, London Metropolitan University. As the majority of restrictions in the UK are now lifted, the push for a pre-pandemic, semi-normal festive break ensues. A period where we can see friends and family, shop on the high street, and gather…
Ashley Wheaton (@UCEM_Principal) is Principal of the University College of Estate Management. He has previously held senior roles as Director of Global Learning Services for Microsoft, and Chief Executive Officer of InfoBasis Ltd, a global talent management software company. The issue of regulatory burden is never far from the surface…
Universities’ attitudes towards recruitment indicate confidence in the future of research but their senior leaders have concerns about the impact of increased workloads on staff, writes Tom Sastry, Head of Sustainability at Research England. Summary: A recent survey undertaken by UKRI indicates that universities are not holding back on plans…
There are various important roles in English higher education that are either vacant or close to becoming so – for example, in the last few days, we’ve heard that the Chief Executive of the Office for Students will soon stand down and the new Director for Fair Access and Participation…
This blog was contributed by Chris Millward, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students. Next month I will make my final trip to meet staff and students as Director for Fair Access and Participation in England. These visits, punctuated of course by the pandemic, have crossed the…