UK higher education is constantly adapting, innovating and reshaping itself in response to the changing external context, giving the lie to the idea that what universities do hasn’t changed that much in 500 odd-years.
The university sector’s trajectory is one of continual evolution, recognising the social, economic and political needs of the time. As institutions, universities have proved to be remarkably resilient, surviving (and often thriving) through adaptation, innovation and strategic change. This is especially true when the financial outlook is tough. There’s no shortage of advice to universities: restructure; transform; diversify; grow. If every university in the country took that advice, higher education as we know it could look quite different in five years time.
There’s a version of change that looks mainly like individual institutions reacting in response to their own immediate challenges and perceptions of reality, creating a fragmented and disparate approach in which there are almost inevitably winners and losers. But the higher education sector has shown it has the capability to take part in the larger ongoing project of interrogating the political and policy environment, and institutional practices and cultures, and collectively developing and advancing ideas for change.
As the UK looks towards a General Election within the year, and a potential change in government in Westminster, there’s an opportunity to build a fresh story about what higher education is and why it matters for every citizen of the UK. But that requires anyone who thinks about and cares about higher education to be prepared to tackle the difficult questions as well as presenting the evidence in a compelling way to the public and to policymakers.
