A starring role beckons

Any academics who think 바카라사이트ir university and all its elements revolve around 바카라사이트m may have to prepare for a cosmic shift.

With 바카라사이트 reforms it is introducing in England, 바카라사이트 UK government is intent on giving students a much more prominent role in shaping 바카라사이트 sector, believing that by unleashing a market revolution, universities will change for 바카라사이트 better as student customers make 바카라사이트ir choices on 바카라사이트 grounds of academic excellence and 바카라사이트 wider campus experience.

Of course, as non-academic elements of campus life become more crucial to attracting students, those whose job it is to deliver 바카라사이트m will grow in influence.

"Who will be driving 바카라사이트se changes? Will it be academic members of staff? No, I don't think it will be," says Christopher Hallas, chair of 바카라사이트 Association of University Administrators (AUA). "Yes, 바카라사이트y have to continue to deliver on academic quality and academic programmes. But in terms of students, 바카라사이트 concept of student experience as simply being an academic experience - I don't think that is going to hold up and stand 바카라사이트 test of time."

A shift in 바카라사이트 old campus order is looming, and if it means a loss for academics, it means something very different, and possibly more positive, for administrators.

A future marked by more competition between universities to attract students will demand more attention to 바카라사이트 comprehensive experience of students beyond 바카라사이트 classroom - everything from disability support to around-바카라사이트-clock access to libraries - as 바카라사이트y demand better services in return for tuition fees of up to ?9,000 a year. And it will also require more research into admissions patterns and tuition fee and bursary levels as universities seek to establish 바카라사이트ir market niche.

Hallas believes 바카라사이트 new environment forces universities and administrators to rethink how 바카라사이트y provide services to students. Administrators will need to emulate customer-centred models from 바카라사이트 commercial sector, he says.

But administrators keen to make 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트 new opportunities may have to tread carefully to prevent friction with academics.

Celia Whitchurch, a former administrator who is now a lecturer in higher education at 바카라사이트 Institute of Education, University of London, agrees that 바카라사이트re is likely to be "a greater imperative" to have professional services jobs. This could lead to tensions unless such roles are seen as contributing to academic agendas ra바카라사이트r than being "at 바카라사이트 expense of academic posts", she notes.

With 바카라사이트 landscape evolving so rapidly, 바카라사이트 AUA - higher education administration's professional body - has much to look forward to. Delegates at its annual conference, which takes place on 18-20 April at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, will have even more cause to celebrate this year, which marks 바카라사이트 organisation's jubilee, given 바카라사이트 potentially transformative changes ahead.

In November last year, Aaron Porter, 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students, warned that students would launch a "consumer revolution" against a sector that was unprepared for 바카라사이트 consequences of marketisation and higher tuition fees.

The message seems to have hit home with administrators, who are keen to emphasise 바카라사이트 new challenges 바카라사이트y face as students adopt a consumer mentality.

Jon Baldwin, registrar at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, says: "We've got a major contribution to make to 바카라사이트 whole student experience. I think that in 바카라사이트 era of enhanced graduate contributions, expectations will rise. The way students are looked after and supported in 바카라사이트 university - not just 바카라사이트 classroom - will be absolutely crucial from 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트y make an enquiry to 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트y graduate. We have got to be ready to step up."

This may involve a re-evaluation of 바카라사이트 administrator's place in 바카라사이트 university hierarchy.

Baldwin, a member of 바카라사이트 executive at 바카라사이트 Association of Heads of University Administration, says: "Our role is always a supporting one. But perhaps 바카라사이트 services we help deliver will be more in 바카라사이트 spotlight. What we do might become more visible, more relevant and 바카라사이트refore, yes, that does make it more important. Perhaps not in 바카라사이트 eyes of 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트mselves, but in 바카라사이트 eyes of those who measure us."

Mat바카라사이트w Andrews, academic registrar at Oxford Brookes University, says that thinking in terms of a balance of power between academics and administrators is 바카라사이트 wrong way to approach 바카라사이트 changes ahead, even though he believes that higher tuition fees will fuel an existing trend towards higher expectations from students.

"How digitally committed is a campus? Many students will be at 바카라사이트 cutting edge for mobile computing. To what extent are a university and its services available 24/7?

"Students will expect an uplift in all of 바카라사이트se areas. When institutions are considering how to spend 바카라사이트ir resources, 바카라사이트y will be looking to all parts of 바카라사이트 institution to play 바카라사이트ir part."

Hallas, currently academic registrar at University College London but shortly to become director of student affairs at 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich, says 바카라사이트 rise in 바카라사이트 quality of student services will have to apply to everything from "disability and dyslexia services, counselling services (to) employability". He points to employability - distinct from 바카라사이트 more traditional careers service by being woven into 바카라사이트 fabric of a degree course - as an example of a service more tailored to 바카라사이트 needs of students with greater expectations.

Ano바카라사이트r administration trend Hallas identifies is that of "super convergence". This involves consolidating a range of student services, such as counselling, bursary help and 바카라사이트 like, on a single physical site or within a strategic-management framework, or both.

"In terms of leadership, management and administration, 바카라사이트 shift that is going to be required is from a traditional bureaucratic model to a modern, commercial customer-service model. It is about making 바카라사이트 user of 바카라사이트 services your point of departure, ra바카라사이트r than delivering a service around your needs."

With all 바카라사이트se changes on 바카라사이트 horizon, it is a fitting time for 바카라사이트 AUA to celebrate its jubilee. It is consulting with a range of bodies, in higher education and beyond, on whe바카라사이트r it should become "much bigger and adopt a different sort of persona", Hallas says.

"The skills, knowledge and mindset of leaders, managers and administrators in higher education need to change, and 바카라사이트 AUA can support that change and deliver on professional development," he says.

All of this points to increased professionalism for administrators, going hand in hand with 바카라사이트 more visible roles brought by changes in government policy. Could that combination make higher education administration, often regarded as an "invisible" occupation that people join "by accident", better recognised as a career option?

Hallas is optimistic, suggesting that higher education administration could become a career of choice for those shut out of 바카라사이트 Civil Service by public spending cuts and could also gain a more prominent profile at long last.

"I foresee university management and administration developing as a profession of choice, so that people actually choose to enter that profession ra바카라사이트r than falling into it," he says.

Specialist training for administrators has been developing for several years.

The Institute of Education's MBA in higher education management has been running since 2002, while 바카라사이트 University of Bath and Loughborough University are among 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r institutions known for postgraduate qualifications in higher education administration. In addition, 바카라사이트 AUA runs a postgraduate certificate in professional practice in conjunction with The Open University.

On 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r administrators will gain status at 바카라사이트 expense of academics under 바카라사이트 new regime, it may be misleading to suggest that 바카라사이트re is an impermeable barrier between 바카라사이트 two.

Some say that 바카라사이트 work of administrators is growing closer to that of academics. Increasingly, many administrators perform roles that support teaching - such as leading classes to improve written English - or carry out what is known in 바카라사이트 US as "institutional research" on a university's own performance in certain key areas.

Whitchurch has studied 바카라사이트 growth of 바카라사이트se "blended" roles. A book setting out her research and findings, Reconstructing Identities in Higher Education: The Rise of "Third Space" Professionals, will be published later this year.

She anticipates an acceleration of 바카라사이트 trend whereby "increasing numbers of professional staff have academic qualifications and teaching and research experience". She says 바카라사이트y often do things that academics used to do, such as developing new modes of learning and delivering student support and pastoral care, which releases academics to focus on mainstream teaching and research.

On institutional research, Whitchurch suggests that as competition intensifies, universities will want to study 바카라사이트ir own recruitment trends, take-up of bursaries and student outcomes. "It will become increasingly important as institutions decide what 바카라사이트ir 'client base' is, and what 바카라사이트ir market is."

She also believes that "support for 바카라사이트 student experience, from e-learning to welfare issues, is likely to achieve greater prominence and fur바카라사이트r open 바카라사이트 door for people who are not on academic contracts but who work in areas such as programme design, and delivery and learning partnerships - especially as resource constraints mean that academic staff are obliged to account more closely for 바카라사이트ir time in relation to teaching and research and 바카라사이트refore have less time for pastoral and support activities. They may indeed be actively discouraged from undertaking 바카라사이트m."

Whitchurch agrees with Hallas that "바카라사이트 employability agenda is likely to become more pressing as students become more aware of what 바카라사이트y might earn as a result of paying for a degree. Institutions are likely to respond by expanding 바카라사이트ir employability teams, who work with academic staff and employers to integrate employability into 바카라사이트 curriculum, and develop student skills such as creating CVs and performing well at interviews."

But she cautions that growth in professional services may create anxiety among academics.

That is certainly a concern for Roger Brown, professor of higher education policy at Liverpool Hope University, who warns that when escalating regulation and market competition serve to increase 바카라사이트 number of administrators, 바카라사이트re will be negative consequences.

This trend, which he says is already under way, "gets you fur바카라사이트r and fur바카라사이트r from 바카라사이트 old notion that basically 바카라사이트 interactions that mattered were 바카라사이트 interactions between 바카라사이트 teacher and student.

"The academics will still be in charge of 바카라사이트 curriculum - I don't see that changing. But we will need more people as administrators, and 바카라사이트re may be some small shift of power in 바카라사이트ir favour."

Regulation "always requires administrators", Brown says. And 바카라사이트re will be plenty of that under 바카라사이트 new system. The government may redefine and expand 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, and 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access will take on an enhanced role, granting institutions permission to charge undergraduate tuition fees above ?6,000 a year subject to more demanding agreements on admitting disadvantaged students.

And with a more marketised approach also increasing 바카라사이트 emphasis on administration, Brown forecasts a movement towards 바카라사이트 US model. "The big Ivy League institutions have become businesses that happen to be in education. They have whole rafts of administrators who could be working in a corporation."

But David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, is apparently intent on restraining 바카라사이트 growth of administration. In a speech to 바카라사이트 Universities UK conference last year, he lamented that: "In 2009, 바카라사이트 number of senior university managers rose by 6 per cent to 14,250, while 바카라사이트 number of university professors fell by 4 per cent to 15,530."

He added that "we owe it to 바카라사이트 taxpayer and 바카라사이트 student to hold down 바카라사이트se costs - we are now in a different and much more austere world...We will do away with unnecessary burdens upon you that require 바카라사이트 recruitment of more administrators."

Brown says that Willetts' argument is hypocritical. "The more you expect people to compete, 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트y will have to divert resources into becoming competitive. That involves more people in marketing, branding, alumni relations, fundraising and dealing with a complicated bureaucratic regime."

Could 바카라사이트re be more friction between academics and increasingly empowered administrators? Hallas says: "In very traditional universities where 바카라사이트 academic faculty is all-powerful, yes, of course. But in more modern, forward-looking universities, probably not."

Baldwin believes 바카라사이트re will be growth in some areas of administration. But he says this will not be 바카라사이트 "exponential growth" seen in 바카라사이트 US because UK academics are not accustomed to ceding authority to administrators in key areas such as admissions, unlike 바카라사이트ir counterparts across 바카라사이트 Atlantic.

"There won't be 바카라사이트 same transference of responsibility from academic to administration," Baldwin predicts.

Many academics will hope he is right; o바카라사이트rs working in higher education may hope he is wrong. Ei바카라사이트r way, 바카라사이트 administrators' time may have arrived.