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. 

Over two full days of sessions, we’ll debate the most pressing issues facing higher education, to hear fresh perspectives, to shape policy thinking, and to examine the latest trends, research and innovations. Over two action-packed days we’ll be tackling a whole host of existential questions and exploring areas like:

• What the incoming government might want from higher education in its first term
• The notion of tertiary – whose interests it serves, what its benefits and downsides are and how it can work in practice
• The existing assumptions around what education opportunity means across the nations and regions of the UK and think through how higher education can continue to deliver it
• What kind of world higher education institutions are designing higher education for – how universities might walk the tightrope of international relations and knowledge diplomacy to avoid getting into financial or reputational hot water
• What kind of leadership is needed to steward higher education during these times
• Workload, work-life balance, academic community, and the potential for emerging technologies to change the nature of university work for good, or ill
• What a research agenda for higher education policy should look like and how to bring that work to life
• Implications of the General Election
• Latest research findings from Wonkhe and beyond
• And much more

A programme will be launched in September, and we’ll be announcing speakers and sessions over the coming weeks and months. To get a flavour for the type of thing you might experience, you can view last year’s programme here.

Both days will run from 9.30 until 17.30 with social events and receptions in the evening so please do plan for this.

The event will be fully catered. We are not able to provide residential accommodation, but there is a good supply of hotels local to Senate House.