Agenda - HEPI

Please note that the below is the up-to-date agenda (subject to change).

9.30am – Registration and coffee
Welcome and introduction by Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, Trustee of HEPI.
10.10am – Opening Keynote – The state of higher education: The view from the Opposition benches
- Neil O’Brien, Shadow Minister (Education)
- Chaired by Nick Hillman, Director, HEPI

10.30am – Questions / discussion
10.40am – The outlook for HE admissions in 2025
- Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Executive, UCAS
- Chaired by Nick Hillman, Director, HEPI
10.55am – Questions / discussion
11.05am – Before: The applicant experience. Chaired by Josh Freeman, Policy Manager, HEPI. Speakers include:
- Jenny Shaw, Higher Education Engagement Director, Unite Students
- Professor Nic Beech, Member of the Curriculum and Assessment Review Panel and Vice-Chancellor, University of Salford
- Catherine Sezen, Director of Education Policy, Association of Colleges
11.25am – Questions / discussion
11.35am – Break / networking
11.55am – Video address from The Rt Hon Baroness Smith, Minister for Skills

12.05pm – During: The student experience
Launch of the findings from the 2025 HEPI / Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey. Presented by:
- Jonathan Neves, Head of Business Intelligence and Surveys, Advance HE
- Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Advocacy, HEPI and
- Josh Freeman, Policy Manager, HEPI
Panel discussion on the student experience. Chaired by Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Advocacy, HEPI. Panel includes:
- Jonathan Neves, Head of Business Intelligence and Surveys, Advance HE
- Lewis Wilson, Education and Employability Officer, University of Sussex Students’ Union
- Cheryl Watson, Vice-President Education UK, Technology1
- Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Leicester

2.10pm – After: The graduate experience. Chaired by Mary Curnock Cook, Chair of the Dyson Institute and Pearson Education Ltd, Trustee of HEPI. Speakers include:
- Professor Dame Nicola Dandridge, Professor of Higher Education Policy, University of Bristol and author of The Benefits of Hindsight
- Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Aston University
- More speakers to be confirmed soon.

2.30pm – Questions / discussion
2.40pm – Nick Hillman ‘In Conversation’ with Susan Lapworth, Chief Executive, Office for Students