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, Rose Stephenson, at [email protected].
As new legislation on free speech and academic freedom continues its passage through Parliament, HEPI Director Nick Hillman takes a look at one recently published book on the issue. Andrew Doyle has studied at three British universities but he became famous under the pseudonym Titania McGrath, who sends out a…
This blog was contributed by Professor Mark Sterling, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Staffing) and Beale Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham. There has been much debate of late over academic careers and even the rewards associated with them. Whichever side of the debate you land on, we can probably all…
This blog was contributed by Ben Moore, Policy Manager at the Russell Group. Here he responds to the new HEPI report, What’s next for national security and research?, out today, and reflects on the National Security and Investment Act (2021). The strength of the UK’s R&D sector was underlined in…
HEPI’s Policy Manager, Dr Laura Brassington, reviews Sharon Mallon and Jo Smith (eds.). 2022. Preventing and Responding to Student Suicide: A Practical Guide for FE and HE Settings. With a foreword by Rosie Tressler, OBE. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 978-1-78775-418-8. 400pp. £40.00. The publication of Preventing and Responding to Student Suicide: A…
This blog was contributed by Dr John Cater, Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University. Throughout the past decade, and to some extent for the 15 years that preceded it, politicians, the media, families, graduates and aspiring graduates have obsessed about student tuition fees and maintenance grants and loans. And for good…
This blog was kindly contributed by Dr Kostas Kollydas, Research Fellow at City-REDI/ WMREDI, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham (@KKollydas, @WMREDI). Introduction University graduates comprise a special subgroup of the workforce, as they accumulate high levels of human capital and can improve a region’s skills base. They can make a positive impact on…
This blog was kindly contributed by Saskia Loer Hansen, Interim Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University, and Professor David Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University and Chief Executive of LSBU Group. While it was a disappointment that higher education funding was left out of the autumn budget, it was…
This blog was kindly contributed by Dr Giles Carden, Chief of Staff at Lancaster University. The Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper was finally launched on 2 February 2022. It sets out a complete ‘system change’ of government working, with the aim of levelling up the UK. Central to the new…
This post by HEPI Director Nick Hillman: considers the arguments for and against the use of big data in higher education; looks at the reasons behind the growing use of metrics; and ends with a discussion on the increasing demands to contexualise metrics before using them for important decisions. The…
This blog was contributed by Joanne Patterson, Head of Marketing & Communications, Education & Employer, EMEA at Handshake (@JoinHandshakeUK). Despite the backdrop of COVID-related uncertainty, there is reason to be optimistic about the future of student and graduate recruitment. A combination of technological advancement, reflection and the mass change in…