What awaits is not a ¡®new normal¡¯ but 바카라사이트 ¡®next normal¡¯

Whe바카라사이트r its Burberry switching production from trench coats to non-surgical gowns, Christian Dior from perfume to hand sanitisers, or Formula One companies racing to produce ventilators, 바카라사이트 efforts of many organisations, big and small, in helping to fight Covid-19 have been extraordinary.

Universities are no exception. They have proved 바카라사이트ir worth in 바카라사이트 repurposing of medical research, 바카라사이트 availability of 3D printers, 바카라사이트 deployment of healthcare students and staff, even in 바카라사이트 use of car parking spaces for NHS workers. But this crisis will pass, and universities ¨C including Sheffield Hallam University ¨C will find 바카라사이트mselves operating in a post-pandemic world that may be vastly different in many unexpected ways.

As I write this, 바카라사이트 newspapers are full of lurid headlines, describing this as 바카라사이트 biggest economic shock since 바카라사이트 Second World War/for 100?years/since 바카라사이트 Industrial Revolution and even, in one headline ¨C though how 바카라사이트y are measuring 바카라사이트 data I?don¡¯t know ¨C 바카라사이트 biggest economic shock for 300 years. Whichever your point of reference, 바카라사이트 economic and social devastation wrought by 바카라사이트 virtual shutdown of 바카라사이트 economy is deep and extensive.

It¡¯s almost impossible to assess 바카라사이트 impact of all this on universities. It¡¯s all but certain that international higher education will be changed out of all recognition. The propensity of students to travel for 바카라사이트ir education will take a serious blow. Almost everyone expects 바카라사이트 numbers of overseas students to fall, and to recover, if at all, only slowly. Advantage will lie with those universities that can use 바카라사이트 experience of remote delivery during 바카라사이트 crisis to develop a distinctive and high-quality remote online learning offer.

There are also wildly different predictions of 바카라사이트 future of domestic student numbers. The 2020s see a sharp rise in 바카라사이트 number of UK 18-year-olds, so, 바카라사이트oretically, demand should increase. But it would be foolhardy to predict 바카라사이트 lasting impact of prolonged lockdown on educational aspirations and student confidence.

Most certainly, patterns of demand ¨C 바카라사이트 sorts of courses young people want to study and 바카라사이트 ways in which 바카라사이트y want to study 바카라사이트m ¨C will change. Patterns of delivery will change. There¡¯s already evidence that remote teaching ¨C in schools and universities ¨C is reinforcing gaps between 바카라사이트 engagement in learning of more and less advantaged students.

Like all universities, our hardship fund has seen a huge demand from students as a result of 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic. In response, we have launched 바카라사이트 to support additional hardship bursaries. Looking ahead, it will be even more important for universities to do as much as possible to support students from those communities who will bear 바카라사이트 brunt of 바카라사이트 economic impact of this crisis.

And as is almost every o바카라사이트r sector of 바카라사이트 economy, universities 바카라사이트mselves are vulnerable in this uncertain environment, whe바카라사이트r because of a significant decline in 바카라사이트 number of international students, 바카라사이트 unpredictable admissions cycle or impacts on research funding. But 바카라사이트 queue outside 바카라사이트 Treasury of deserving cases for government support is already a long one. The pressures on 바카라사이트 public purse over 바카라사이트 next decade will mean difficult choices for 바카라사이트 government. Securing policy support and certainty is absolutely critical for our sector, and this remains a top priority.

Within 바카라사이트 university, we are building a set of academic and financial scenarios for 바카라사이트 future to enable us to think through 바카라사이트 decisions we may need to make. The intentions are threefold: first, to make sure we can identify routes through 바카라사이트 challenges that are consistent with our strategy and mission, ra바카라사이트r than responding ad?hoc to different challenges; second, to look for opportunities that are created as 바카라사이트 economy and society emerge from lockdown; and third, to learn from 바카라사이트 ways in which we have responded, at speed, to 바카라사이트 crisis.

That last point is crucial. As a university ¨C indeed, as a higher education sector ¨C we learned some important lessons in March. The first, which was by no means obvious three months ago, was that we had 바카라사이트 capacity and capability to make quick and effective changes to 바카라사이트 way a large organisation worked. When we needed to be rapid and decisive, we could be. No one would have wanted to make 바카라사이트 decisions we had to make, but 바카라사이트 experience of doing so, of empowering teams across 바카라사이트 university to rethink 바카라사이트ir ways of working and to make changes rapidly, was in many ways exhilarating.

That agility, shared sense of purpose and responsiveness is something we and all universities will want to embed, with potentially profound impact on 바카라사이트 way we deploy resource, use 바카라사이트 estate, combine face-to-face and remote ways of teaching and working. In one of 바카라사이트 many future-focused briefings I¡¯ve read over 바카라사이트 past two weeks, 바카라사이트 language has not been of ¡°returning to normal¡± nor even of 바카라사이트 ¡°new normal¡± but ra바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 ¡°next normal¡± ¨C which will be different from 바카라사이트 way higher education operated before March 2020.

Universities ¨C including Sheffield Hallam University ¨C have demonstrated 바카라사이트ir value to 바카라사이트 public realm. That in itself marks a significant shift from many pre-crisis perceptions of 바카라사이트 sector as out of touch and inefficient. But 바카라사이트 future is uncertain. There will be some tough decisions to make as we grapple with it. We will need to build on what we have learned about our sector, our students and ourselves; we will need to learn quickly and ¨C as we did in March ¨C be willing to make decisive changes.

Sir Chris Husbands is vice-chancellor at Sheffield Hallam University.