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Augar’s implications for international student recruitment

Jun 07, 2019
The instinctive reaction for many universities when there is a threat to domestic fee income (whether triggered by a reduction in price, a demographic dip or some other factor) is to look to international student recruitment to ‘plug the gap’. There are no caps on numbers and no caps on fees to worry about. But it’s important for leaders to take a step back and ask some searching questions rather than launch into a ‘knee-jerk’ international student recruitment drive.

A balanced approach to portfolio reviews

Jun 06, 2019
We aren’t the only ones to notice the Augar Review’s attempt to redraw the lines over institutional autonomy. There is now an expectation that universities will no longer have complete freedom over their own portfolios, but instead be expected to focus on courses that create valuable outcomes. Given that much of the sector’s income is funded one way or another by taxpayers, this is probably inevitable.

Augar inadvertently reveals HE’s failure in marketing on access and participation

Jun 05, 2019
We are spending more than £1,000,000,000 pa on highly local campaigns run by individual universities, often with a focus on teenagers and with Access Agreements that are to be polite, thin on the ground when it comes to KPIs and real achievements.

The Augar Report reveals the failure of marketing in universities

Jun 04, 2019
Amongst the many analyses, insights and recommendations in the Augar report, the evidence of the sector’s failure to adopt professional marketing practice becomes all too clear. Many universities appear to think that marketing is about short-term promotional tactics designed to fill places. Reputation. Reputation. Reputation. It’s (nearly) all that matters. Slow to build, quick to destroy.

Augar Review - 7.5 is the new 9

Jun 03, 2019
Whilst the details and potential ramifications of the recommendations in the Augar Review are fascinating, I fear there is only really one simple piece of news: £7.5k.

Are your family policies reinforcing stereotypes?

May 29, 2019
Whilst changes in leave entitlements and family structures have taken place, can the same be said for the diversity of policies and procedures, or are universities reinforcing stereotypes of an outdated nuclear family? If so, is that practice unintentionally inhibiting institutional culture and inclusivity?

Kindness - the perfect guide to fundraising?

May 24, 2019
What if we reimagined fundraising using the guiding principle of kindness? Kindness means we can trust one another, and that trust will allow us to try new things and challenge the norms. Our profession needs to regain trust and we have to start with one another.

When is an interim the right answer to a vacancy?

May 22, 2019
Vacancies give you an opportunity to stop and think, and to probe into an area that you won’t get once you have filled that post. When might it be the right time to pause, and use interim resource to analyse and keep the show on the road?