There is no shortage of commentators on higher education. Academics and administrators, students and parents, politicians and union leaders, regulators and employers, all have points of view that they want to share.
With so many voices already speaking, hearts might sink at the idea of yet another one. Nevertheless, the list above leaves out the group who are legally responsible for the higher education institutions that make up the sector. That means their Chairs and boards, who annually sign off the accounts, assert that the institution remains a going concern, and approve all significant investment and policy decisions.
Put like that it seems obvious that this group of people have a legitimate interest in higher education policy. But I would go further and assert that, in two important respects, they have a distinctive perspective to offer.
First, Chairs and Board members are “well-informed outsiders”. We know our own institution, and we all have some general interest in higher education, or we would not be around the table. But most of us have also spent successful professional careers elsewhere – in companies large and small, professional services, government, public administration, the voluntary sector. Hence, while our experiences vary greatly, we basically have an outsider’s perspectives. That gives us a certain objectivity, that others may lack. For example, if questions about appropriate regulation come up, around our board tables will be people who have experienced or exercised regulatory powers in a very wide range of fields. If they suggest that a regulatory regime is working sub-optimally, it comes from personal knowledge of different regimes, that they believe work better. They know whereof they speak, and their views will be worth hearing.
