...notes on stewardship, accountability and doubt A quiet news item caught my attention this summer. Brightstar Capital Partners announced plans to acquire a 50% stake in Arden University with...
When university investors join the Board:
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A group, not just a merger
It’s been hard to miss the flurry of posts about the proposed Greenwich - Kent arrangements this week. Headlines have tended to refer to it as a “merger.” However, the details suggest something...
Making meaning without a map
A reflection on governance, leadership and direction at the start of the academic year There’s something oddly unhurried about the first weeks of September. Not in terms of workload; diaries are...
Following the Signals, Maintaining the Compass
The latest HEPI commentary on international student demand makes for an interesting read, not just for its data points, but for what it implies about the evolving relationship between students,...
Beyond the clearing phone call…
...what students actually need in their first weeks The weeks following A-level results day bring a familiar rhythm to higher education providers: successful clearing conversations, relieved...
The case for collaboration (even when it’s hard)
There’s a scene that plays out in many institutions around this time of year. The exam boards are done. The graduation gowns are just about returned. There's a brief window, before everyone...
Everything’s Fine (Except Where It Isn’t)…
... Reading Between the Lines of the 2025 NSS It’s not often that the higher education sector gets to celebrate good news. So, when the Office for Students released this year’s National Student...
The courage to tell the truth: what student representatives…
...really need from senior leaders As a new group of student representatives assumes office this summer, I've been reflecting on what we owe them. Not the simple platitudes about student voice and...
On the institutional memory problem…
...and why universities keep learning the same lessons. The Quality Assurance Agency was established in 1997 to settle what were then described as "increasingly vexatious questions" about quality...
The Governor’s Dilemma
or, what I'm hearing about boards under pressure It's the summer solstice as I write this, the longest day of the year. In university corridors, this marks the quiet intensity of exam boards...
The unplanned transition…
...what I wish I'd known before going independent. Two years ago, if you'd told me I'd be writing this from my home office with my lovely dog Tessa on my lap overlooking a back garden that looks...
On reframing professional development
As a sector, we often define professional development quite narrowly and this constrained view might be limiting us, particularly when budgets are under pressure. What immediately comes to mind when...
On the irreplaceable value of in-person conferences
I've been wrestling with a question that has become increasingly personal since establishing my consultancy practice a couple of years ago and that is, what is the continuing value of in-person...
Beyond the Immigration Headlines
What International Student Policy Means for Institutional Strategy The immigration white paper landed with the predictable mix of sector relief and alarm. Relief that the Graduate Route survived,...
Reconceptualising value in higher education
The recent coupling of vice-chancellor pay with narrow student outcome metrics reflects a troubling pattern in England's higher education policy. This reductive approach, highlighted in the skills...
The May Leadership Challenge: Strategic & Operational Pressures
I find that May presents a distinctive challenge for university senior executives. As exam periods dominate operations, the imperative for forward planning becomes increasingly pressing. This dual...
From “Consumers” to Partners: Learning from Portuguese HE
From "Consumers" to Partners: What UK Higher Education Might Learn from Portugal The recent study tour of Portuguese universities by UK Students' Union representatives reported in Wonkhe this week...
On Student Agency in HE
Are HE providers really listening to their students? This is a question that has come up in sector media over the last couple of weeks and higher education appears to be at a moment of reflection in...
Unseen assets? First Generations in HE?
This morning, Damien Page's LinkedIn post caught my attention. He shared reflections on research about first-generation academics, noting how it "rings true” to his experience as first generation...
Regional Disparities in HE Access
The UPP Foundation's newly announced inquiry into widening participation in England shines a light on some critical and recurring questions about the persistent regional inequalities in access to...
Block Teaching & 30-Credit Modules: Rethinking HE Delivery
Introduction Imagine a typical university day for a student: rushing between various classes, mentally shifting gears from one subject in the morning to another later in the day, juggling multiple...
Beyond survival – principled approaches to strategic change
Financial pressures are creating difficult choices for providers across the UK higher education sector. Many institutions find themselves caught between immediate cost imperatives and longer-term...
On why HE providers cannot afford to pause digital transformation
The financial outlook for UK higher education providers appears to have shifted from challenging to critical. As numerous universities implement redundancy programmes and cut costs across various...
Creating conditions for authentic student communities
When we discuss student engagement in higher education, we might often focus on metrics, initiatives and programmes designed to increase participation and/or attendance. Yet the most vibrant student...
On Doctoral Supervision & Bridging the Educational Leadership Gap
One of my previous leadership roles was Faculty Research Degrees coordinator. During my time in this role, I observed a curious divide. While universities invested significantly in developing...
Universities working together: beyond the rhetoric
Understanding the challenge The question of how HE providers might work together more effectively is under renewed scrutiny. As changes in public funding create new pressures, institutions face...
Student Protection Questions & Proposed Regulatory Changes
The Office for Students’ latest consultation discussed in the sector media this week raises some intriguing questions about the future of student protection in English higher education. The...
Evaluating Interventions for Commuter Students
Reflections on Evidence and Practice Commuter students have figured high in sector media reports this week. I’ve also been thinking about this student group lately - I am currently in the process of...
Reflections on “Higher” and “Tertiary” Education
I’ve been thinking more and more lately, as I establish myself as an independent consultant in this sector, about how I describe my work. Am I an education enhancement consultant specialising in...
The hidden labour of conformity and what education misses…
...about neurodivergent students Last week, my fourteen-year-old son had to take a day off school, not because he was physically ill or lacked ability or interest in school, but because even getting...
Mutual advocacy in HE – moving from aspiration to practice
The current challenge Recent sector commentary has raised an intriguing question about mutual advocacy in HE - whether HE providers could and should do more to champion each other's contributions....
The January Paradox in Higher Education
As the calendar year turns and social media fills with resolutions and fresh starts, many higher education providers find themselves at their busiest point in the academic cycle. This paradox -...
HE’s Christmas Closure. A time of universal pause?
The festive period is upon us and most universities are preparing for their annual Christmas closure, an institutional pause that offers a rare moment of collective stillness in the sector. Unlike...
Understanding network value through member voice.
Professional networks in higher education require sustained investment - of time, resources and goodwill. For senior leaders, justifying and directing this investment demands clear evidence of value...
Reflecting on network value through career transitions
After two decades in various roles within universities, latterly senior ones, my transition to independent consultancy has prompted fresh reflection on the role of professional networks in academic...
Avoiding the “Zombie” Effect: Keeping HE Networks Relevant
A recent LinkedIn post piqued my interest and captured a phenomenon familiar to many in HE - the emergence of "zombie networks," those collaborative groups that persist without clear purpose,...
When geography meets bureaucracy. A view on university mergers.
It’s apparently National Absurdity Day (is that really a thing here?) and that’s a coincidence because I'm increasingly struck by the peculiarity of the British higher education system with its four...
Reflecting on the new government’s stated priorities for HE.
With the recent tuition fee update, the government has laid down a few markers on its plans for HE in England. Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson didn’t mince words in a letter to...
What’s the real cost of the tuition fee rise for the HE Sector?
So, the long-anticipated inflationary rise in tuition fees has finally been announced. The first since 2017, this change is bound to spark debates around university finance, student experience, and...
On the value of Half-Term.
There’s a certain beauty to the October half-term. As the clocks change and daylight hours shift, we’re gifted a bit of time to step away from the routine. For many of us with school-age children,...
On the role of HE Providers in regional growth
Universities are sometimes considered standalone institutions, remote from their local community, where an insular and inward looking academic community grapples with a combination of its own...
A new student safety measure: a game changing league table?
HE league tables have always been a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they serve a clear purpose for institutional reputations - helping universities demonstrate their strengths and...
HE Franchising – are we just sticking a logo on the problem?
In my post from September 11th, I talked about HE franchising and the tension between financial necessity and maintaining educational quality. As more sector media reports come in, the discussion...
Efficiency in Higher Education: can we really do more with less?
The word "efficiency" is one of those terms that can set off alarm bells, especially in higher education. The common mantra is that universities need to “do more with less.” And while that sounds...
On workload and burnout in Higher Education
There’s something about higher education that draws people into overwork like moths to a flame. It might be the passion for a subject, the dedication to students, or the endless stream of emails...
HE Franchising – balancing opportunity with responsibility
HE Franchising has gained significant traction in recent years, offering HE providers a way to expand their reach and influence without the need to deliver every course themselves directly. It seems...
September beginnings – strategies to start the new academic year
As September rolls around again, there’s a familiar buzz in the air. Students are returning, staff are (hopefully) refreshed after a break, and the academic year is about to kick off. It’s a month...
Why start preparing for the next TEF round now?
I know it’s a long way away—we’d perhaps wish it was even further—and we are not expecting another TEF round for at least four years, but it’s not too early to start planning. This is the perfect...
Why choose an independent consultant for your next HE project?
When a higher education provider considers commissioning external support for a consultancy project, the decision-makers and budget holders often face a choice: Do they go with a large consulting...
Case Study Series: The benefits of bringing in an external consultant to conduct a governance review
Governance reviews are an essential part of good governance practice for HE providers. They assess how well an institution’s governance structures and processes function and whether they align with...