The HE sector is in danger of letting a major opportunity pass by due to its tendency to focus on what it does do, not what it could do.
Whatever colour of Government we have over the next five years, surely the Levelling Up agenda is here to stay. This presents a continuing opportunity for HE to improve its relationships with both the Government and the broader public. It should enable universities to reframe the debate and show the broader societal value they bring, instead of the continual focus on individuals – a message they have failed to deliver in recent years. That failure is, in part, driven by the government and the media’s presentation of issues. But it is also driven by the sector’s tendency to focus on what it is already doing, how it is already contributing, how it is already operating in left behind areas.
No doubt the level of contribution is accurate, but given the challenge of Levelling Up has arisen over many years, and universities have been doing this work for many years, it raises questions about its relevance or effectiveness. Things won’t improve by continually doing the same thing.
For any organisation, including a university, to genuinely contribute to the Levelling Up agenda, it needs to move on from a mindset of self or organisation interest to a focus on collective interest. A university needs to make sure it is not consciously or unconsciously reinforcing the situation through protecting its own interests or the way it frames issues through its mental models or inherent bias.
