New Post: Transforming higher education learning, assessment and engagement in the AI revolution: the how www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/07/14/t...

And that's a wrap! After two years as Policy Manager, I've worked my very last hour on @hepi-news.bsky.social dime. Off to the Office for Students - but not before a much-needed rest!

New Post: Beyond Hype and Fluff: Lessons for AI from 25 Years of EdTech www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/07/10/b...

New Post: WEEKEND READING: Should the seminal Robbins report inform the forthcoming post-16 strategy? www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/07/05/w...

HE events at party conferences 2025

The #PartyConference Season is approaching, so @josh-freeman.bsky.social & I have created our annual crowd-sourced listings page for all the fringe events that #HigherEd #policy #wonks won't want to miss.

Please add events to the listings, share the link, and repost: bit.ly/HEPartyConfs25

The HE sector should be following this closely, as in many ways the issue is magnified in HE (students are more experienced, have more independent time to try out tools, and a higher proportion of assessment is coursework based).

Brilliant to see my recent report on how universities can contribute to local social mobility top the @smartthinking.bsky.social leaderboard for most read think tank report in June - & great to see @smfthinktank.bsky.social take first place for most searched think tank! www.smf.co.uk/publications...

I'll be leaving @hepi-news.bsky.social in July to pursue a new challenge. That means HEPI needs a new Policy Manager. If you're even thinking of applying, you should: HEPI is one of the best organisations in HE, with a furiously hard-working team and access to a great network. Apply below ⤵️

New Post: ResearchPlus: a manifesto for a new collaborative of universities www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/06/26/r...

To explain why the photo’s ‘for me’, I once suggested to @josh-freeman.bsky.social that engineering shouldn’t always be depicted with stock pics of people in hard hats. It’s a narrow and inaccurate image. So I applaud his choice, especially as this excellent piece is about design engineering. #INWED

It's International Women in Engineering Day, and we've got an important blog up on @hepi-news.bsky.social - photo just for @johnnyrich.com

HEPI Chair Professor Dame Sally Mapstone opens #HEPIAC25 by noting the transformation in the 'traditional student experience' - and highlights the importance of UUK's Efficiency Taskforce

The stage is set, the Student Academic Experience Survey has been drafted and the AC is on - see you soon for #HEPIAC25!

SRHE Blog The Society for Research into Higher Education

Very interesting reflections from Paul Temple extending the debate on my report into student protests from February.

'What explains the concentration of encampments at “old” universities, with a particular focus on the high-tariff Russell Group ones?'

srheblog.com

#HEPIAC25 Our countdown to the HEPI Annual Conference 2025 has officially started! This year's conference will be on ‘Before, During, After: The route through higher education in changing times’. Amazing speakers lined up!

No one safe as ‘vital’ front-line campus staff targeted for ‘early exits’ Once praised as key workers, low-salaried university employees dedicated to student safety are increasingly seen as redundancy fodder, says security guard George Bass

Very thoughtful piece on by George Bass on @timeshighered.bsky.social this morning. It does a good job of showing the human side of sector cuts - from how teams function in difficult times to setting up future jobs in case of redundancy.

www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/no-one-...

New Post: Securing the Future: The case for Pension Reform in Post-92 Institutions www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/06/02/s...

Skills shortage fears as policy shifts cost universities £1.4bn - Research Professional News Universities UK models costs piled on higher education sector since Labour took power

Universities UK reckons policy changes will cost sector £1.4bn this year

Is govt shooting itself in the foot?

"There’s already a 14.5% surge in applications to engineering—a sector with massive skills shortages—but universities can’t expand to admit more engineering students" says @johnnyrich.com

New Post: UK International Education Strategy – how it began and what should come next www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/30/u...

New Post: Everything Must Change So Everything Can Stay the Same: Internationalisation at a Crossroads www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/28/e...

Thanks, will take a look

New Post: Only connect: why investing in relational infrastructure is critical for universities www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/23/o...

Delighted to have been involved in this with the wonderful Tessa Harrison from GatenbySanderson. Key stats:

➡️Half of vice-chancellors were recruited since 2022
➡️Most already held a senior role at a HE institution
➡️But those with backgrounds OUTSIDE HE perform best in league tables

Read it below:

New Post: English language requirements under the microscope: Do you have what it takes to meet your university’s English language entry requirements for international students? www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/22/e...

New Post: How prize named in honour of Tracey Bretag shows academic integrity is changing www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/21/h...

Fantastic news! Very exciting and well deserved. Looking forward to working with you in your new role.

Starmer doesn't seem to realise that, if you consistently accept the way your opponents frame a question, you'll find it hard to reject the answers that they give.

If you keep telling voters that Farage is right in his analysis, it will be hard to persuade them that he's wrong in his prescriptions.

New Post: New Government, familiar problems – By Chris Husbands www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/12/n...

New Post: Ripple effects of US DEI backlash: What should UK universities do? www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/08/r...

Advising in a time of uncertainty - HEPI Financial instability in higher education is creating major challenges for students and advisers navigating university choices and applications.

Delighted to see my piece in @hepi-news.bsky.social blog this morning, exploring the impact of HE financial issues for prospective students. Always grateful to HEPI and @josh-freeman.bsky.social for their support!
www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/04/29/a...