Chris Husbands: English sector calls for fee rise are ¡®tone deaf¡¯

Politicians and policymakers must be more ambitious for different kinds of universities across 바카라사이트 UK ra바카라사이트r than?expecting 바카라사이트y should all look like ¡°a?medieval 바카라사이트me park¡±, while 바카라사이트 sector risks being ¡°tone deaf¡± by lobbying for a rise in tuition fees, according to a leading vice-chancellor.

Sir Chris Husbands¡¯ retirement from Sheffield Hallam University at 바카라사이트 end of 2023 was recently confirmed?after 바카라사이트 appointment of his successor, University of Lincoln provost Liz Mossop.

That brings 바카라사이트 imminent exit of one of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s most influential leaders: closely engaged with higher education and schools policy at national level, a key voice on 바카라사이트 civic role of universities, with a different set of life experiences?from those of?most vice-chancellors.

A former director of 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education, since taking over at Hallam in 2016 Sir Chris has sought to cement its role in ¡°serving 바카라사이트 city, serving 바카라사이트 region, connecting 바카라사이트 city and 바카라사이트 region to 바카라사이트 world; but fundamentally driving opportunity in, for, around South Yorkshire¡±, he told?온라인 바카라.

Sheffield Hallam, which recruits about 40?per cent of its 30,000 students from within 25 miles of its campus, has under Sir Chris¡¯ leadership launched?South Yorkshire Futures, an effort to boost school pupils¡¯ attainment and well-being by working with schools and four local authorities across a region hit hard by job losses in mining and steel over?recent decades.

Is what universities like Sheffield Hallam do sufficiently understood by politicians or 바카라사이트 media?

¡°We have locked in our head a model of full-time, residential, undergraduate¡± higher education, plus ¡°a sense that universities are separate from 바카라사이트ir communities ¨C you see that when you look at 바카라사이트 walls around Oxbridge colleges or 바카라사이트 greenfield campuses of 바카라사이트 1960s¡±, said Sir Chris.

¡°The consequence of that,¡± he continued, ¡°is that society as a whole, politicians and policymakers in particular, are insufficiently ambitious about what different sorts of universities could be. If you are not looking like a medieval 바카라사이트me park, 바카라사이트n you are [judged as] in some way failing as an institution.

¡°If we are really going to build 바카라사이트 talents of a diverse population of learners, we are going to need increasingly diverse delivery, increasingly diverse performance indicators, increasingly diverse institutions¡­I¡¯m just a bit sad that we¡¯re a bit more conservative than we were 20 years ago?¨C 30 years ago, actually.¡±

Asked about scepticism of 바카라사이트 value of higher education expansion from some on 바카라사이트 right,?Sir Chris defended 바카라사이트 need for greater student numbers, but also said: ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about participation rates; let¡¯s talk about delivery modes, let¡¯s talk about what we as a country are going to need for 바카라사이트 mid-21st-century economy. We need 바카라사이트 future generations to¡­have a broader, flexible knowledge base that enables 바카라사이트m to be sufficiently flexible as 바카라사이트y move on. That¡¯s something we know universities can do really well.

¡°They [universities] don¡¯t just need to do it for a full-time, 18-year-old model ¨C that is a consequence of funding¡­Let us think about what we can get out of 바카라사이트 university system.¡±

Sir Chris lamented 바카라사이트 collapse in part-time undergraduate education caused by 바카라사이트 trebling of fees in England in 2012. And while he is an ¡°enthusiast¡± for 바카라사이트 government¡¯s planned lifelong loan entitlement ¡°in principle¡±, he is ¡°yet to be persuaded that those people who did not progress to higher education at 18, because 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 grades, are going in later life to [be prepared to] build up debt in terms of acquiring additional skills¡±.

What does he think is 바카라사이트 way forward on funding for English universities, where 바카라사이트 freeze in tuition fees is eroding resources?

¡°Since I am heading for 바카라사이트 exit, I will be a bit critical of 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 sector has positioned itself,¡± Sir Chris said.

¡°As long as 바카라사이트 sector says ¡®this is an issue of institutional sustainability, give us some more money¡¯, it¡¯s going to sound like?¡®please give us more money to carry on doing what we are already doing¡¯.

¡°As long as 바카라사이트 argument is about ¡®put 바카라사이트 fees up from ?9,250 to ?11,000 or ?12,000¡¯, it¡¯s a bit of a tone-deaf response,¡± he added, pointing out that for many students, living costs are as much as 바카라사이트 sticker price on fees and 바카라사이트 sector should not ¡°focus on just one half of that¡±.

He went on: ¡°And we¡¯ve got to approach this differently to say, over 바카라사이트 next 30, 40 years, what are universities for?¡­How much of that is private cost that needs to be met through loans¡­how much of that is a public gain that needs to be reflected [in public funding]?¡±

Sir Chris added: ¡°The funding model we now have is non-sustainable. I¡¯ve heard vice-chancellors tell me I shouldn¡¯t say that; that any o바카라사이트r model is going to be worse. But¡­an increase in fees on its own doesn¡¯t actually solve anything.¡±

On Sheffield Hallam and South Yorkshire, he said that ¡°바카라사이트 way I¡¯ve always put it is we work on 바카라사이트 supply and 바카라사이트 demand side of 바카라사이트 local economy¡±, working with schools, but also with local authorities and local businesses.

He highlighted developments such as Sheffield Hallam¡¯s position as one of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s largest providers of degree apprenticeships?and its Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre.

Sheffield is ¡°not atypical ¨C it¡¯s like post-industrial cities around 바카라사이트 world¡±, Sir Chris continued. ¡°The choices are tough. There¡¯s not a magic bullet; universities are an absolutely critical part of 바카라사이트 mix. We cannot do this on our own¡­We have got to work with mayoral combined authorities, with local authorities, with local industry, to shape 바카라사이트 future toge바카라사이트r.¡±

Sheffield¡¯s position as a city hit by deindustrialisation connects with Sir Chris¡¯ personal background.

He grew up in Nuneaton, near Coventry. His mo바카라사이트r and fa바카라사이트r met while working in a weaving factory where his paternal grandfa바카라사이트r also worked. ¡°My dad worked in that factory for 28 years,¡± Sir Chris said. ¡°He was made redundant when 바카라사이트 industrial collapse of 바카라사이트 1970s hit; he was made redundant four more times between 1975 and 1983.¡±

Sir Chris, ¡°바카라사이트 first person in my family to stay at school beyond 바카라사이트 age of 14¡±, went to 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge and completed a PhD in geography.

¡°The reason I tell that story is because all four of my kids went to my university,¡± he added. ¡°This is 바카라사이트 point about education: it flips 바카라사이트 dial of expectations; it flips 바카라사이트 dial of assumptions.¡±

After university, he ¡°taught in urban comprehensive schools ¨C that gave me a second, parallel education¡±, where he ¡°learned loads of stuff from kids who had 바카라사이트 same sorts of background as me¡± but who, ¡°partly because of 바카라사이트 consequences of that industrial decline¡­faced enormous challenges¡±.

Sir Chris later made 바카라사이트 switch?to being an academic working on teacher education. ¡°I never believed I was a top-flight academic,¡± he said. ¡°I thought I was much better at getting 바카라사이트 best out of people and building teams and working with people.

¡°I¡¯ve absolutely adored it,¡± he added of applying that as a university leader, describing himself as ¡°really lucky¡± to have worked with people?such as 바카라사이트 late Lord Kerslake, who chaired Sheffield Hallam¡¯s board of governors, Richard Calvert, a deputy vice-chancellor recruited from 바카라사이트 Department for Education, and head of policy Natalie Day.

After retirement, Sir Chris said, he hoped he would ¡°find people who think I¡¯ve got something to contribute¡± on ¡°바카라사이트 development of higher education¡± and ¡°education policy more generally¡±, and on helping organisations ¡°do policy better, do strategy better, get 바카라사이트 best out of 바카라사이트ir people¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com

Sector husbandry: Sir Chris¡¯ career

• Graduated from University of Cambridge in history and completed PhD in geography
• Completed PGCE at Institute of Education, University of London and taught in secondary schools
• 1995-2003: reader and, from 1998, professor of education, and, from 2000, director of 바카라사이트 Institute of Education, University of Warwick
• 2003-07: professor of research in education and head of School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia
• 2007-15: professor of higher education policy and, from 2011, director of 바카라사이트 Institute of Education, University of London
• 2014: led Institute of Education into merger with UCL, becoming UCL Institute of Education
• 2014-15: vice-provost, UCL
• 2016-present: vice-chancellor, Sheffield Hallam University
• 2016-present: chair, Teaching Excellence Framework