Across the tempestuous past decade, higher education has weathered, with increasing frequency, a barrage of “perfect storms,” to the extent to where universities can now be considered to have their own particular microclimate.
Navigating these perilous conditions equally becomes progressively more challenging due to increasing public, political, and populist scrutiny; while like global warming, there are few signs of any relenting from the scrutiny of fees, culture wars and changing expectations from students and regulators.
In such circumstances when trying to maintain a high-quality portfolio of academic programmes, the challenge becomes particularly acute. The continual scrutiny from metrics, alongside the moral imperative of simply wishing to provide students with the best possible experience, when they themselves face challenges of wellbeing, a cost-of-living crisis, alongside personal needs and trajectories, contributes to a blizzard of demands and expectations.
