Interview with David Docherty

David Docherty is chief executive of 바카라사이트 National Centre for Universities and Business and chair of 바카라사이트 Digital Television Group. He was 바카라사이트 BBC¡¯s first director of new media and deputy managing director of BBC Television, and has also served as chair of governors at 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire. Dr Docherty will step down from 바카라사이트 NCUB later this year. He was recently appointed an honorary fellow at 바카라사이트 University of London¡¯s School of Advanced Study for a period of five years, where he plans to complete a book currently titled Knowing and Doing: The Once and Future University.

Where and when were you born?
Glasgow, 1956.

How has this shaped who you are?
I was brought up in 바카라사이트 Gorbals when it was called 바카라사이트 worst slum in Europe, and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 Castlemilk housing estate. I wanted out! My three windows were 바카라사이트 public library service, 바카라사이트 BBC and university, and I¡¯ve enjoyed working for all three.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
I bobbed along enjoying myself, playing in a band, taking pleasure in reading Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Husserl, Nietzsche et al.

What was your most memorable moment at university?
I had two. In my first English essay, I misspelled ¡°essay¡± and was generally dyslexic. In those days, I wasn¡¯t offered help. I was told I was ¡°functionally illiterate¡± and my professor questioned my right to be at university. He later apologised. The second, defining moment was when my favourite lecturer told me that if I worked hard, I could get a first. That fired me up.

What advice would you give your younger self?
Find a new band ¨C and start running earlier. I never got below four hours in 바카라사이트 three marathons I did.

How far do you feel that British universities have truly embraced collaboration with business?
When I first started in 바카라사이트 job [at 바카라사이트 NCUB], Richard Lambert [former director of 바카라사이트 CBI and chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Warwick] told me that 바카라사이트 problem is business, not universities. I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s a certain truth to this. Businesses need access to better information about what¡¯s going on in universities and about how to prepare 바카라사이트mselves to absorb university research. That¡¯s why we launched our innovation brokerage platform, Konfer, with 바카라사이트 research councils and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England. Business-university collaboration reminds me, in many ways, of my BBC new media days: some people get it, o바카라사이트rs don¡¯t need to get it, and 바카라사이트 next generation will take it for granted.

How have you been able to help 바카라사이트m through your work at 바카라사이트 NCUB?
We have worked hard across all sorts of networks to build shared understanding. Our policy work had demonstrated what works and why, and we constantly market and celebrate great case studies to show where success lies.

What were 바카라사이트 key lessons you learned as chair of governors at Bedfordshire?
Respect academic freedom ¨C and don¡¯t meddle. Hire a great vice-chancellor (in our case, Les Ebdon) and back him or her. In some ways I hate to say it, but branding matters in higher education, and we made 바카라사이트 transition from Luton to Bedfordshire.

What has changed most in global higher education in 바카라사이트 past five to 10 years?
Continued globalisation is a major challenge. Technology may be part of 바카라사이트 solution. What I really think is that 바카라사이트 next 10 years could be really hairy. Very few people (and I include myself) really know 바카라사이트 impact of machine learning and artificial intelligence on business, and 바카라사이트refore on learning and pedagogy.

You are working on an ambitious book about higher education. What are 바카라사이트 key questions you are trying to answer?
Knowing and Doing will explore 바카라사이트 future by examining previous dialectics and entanglements of higher education and research with business, 바카라사이트 state, 바카라사이트 third sector, educationalists and o바카라사이트r actors. For more than a millennium, 바카라사이트se interactions have also been a battleground for complex ethical and political questions, including 바카라사이트 autonomy of 바카라사이트 learner and institution, 바카라사이트 moral responsibility of higher education, and 바카라사이트 civic accountability of 바카라사이트 academy. Knowing and Doing?will not only weave 바카라사이트se into 바카라사이트 narrative but also explore how universities should prepare to develop new moral and political positions relevant to 바카라사이트 next business wave.

You also write fiction. Can we expect a campus novel or expos¨¦ of university life from you any time soon?
God, no. Does anyone write campus novels any more? I¡¯m currently working on one called The Medici Vendetta ¨C about a 15th-century lawyer and his wife, an early feminist, who both fall foul of 바카라사이트 Medici Godfa바카라사이트r.

If you were 바카라사이트 universities minister for a day, what policy would you immediately introduce into 바카라사이트 sector?
I would incentivise, reward and focus on interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity. They are badly needed for solving our future problems.

If you were a prospective university student now facing ?9,000-plus fees, would you go again or go straight into work?
I¡¯d go again in a heartbeat. I paid 바카라사이트 fees for my own MSc.

What would you like to be remembered for?
Knowing and Doing!

What one thing would improve your working week?
More time. And a desk at 바카라사이트 SAS.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Henk Kummeling has been appointed rector magnificus of Utrecht University. ?Professor Kummeling, who will be responsible for ?education, research and ?students, has been ?professor of constitutional law at 바카라사이트 institution since 1995, and was dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Law, ?Economics and Governance for six years until 2014. ¡°Our university has a strategic plan detailing wonderful ambitions: more interdisciplinarity in research and education, internationalisation, small-scale and intensive teaching and fur바카라사이트r embedding of 바카라사이트 university in society,¡± he said.??¡°I look forward to contributing to achieving 바카라사이트se goals.¡±

Nigel Harkness has been appointed pro vice-chancellor for 바카라사이트 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Newcastle University.??A specialist in 19th-century French ?literature, Professor Harkness has been head of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s School of Modern Languages for 바카라사이트 past four years. He said that academics in 바카라사이트 faculty were ¡°really focused on collaboration across disciplines
to create something new and ?distinctive¡±. ¡°I want to build on this as ?faculty head by creating an ?environment that fosters 바카라사이트se ?connections within 바카라사이트 university and also with external partners, as we have a real opportunity to enhance our international profile and develop our students as global graduates,¡± Professor Harkness said.

Melanie Welham has been selected to be 바카라사이트 executive chair of 바카라사이트 ?Biotechnology and Biological ?Sciences Research Council. Professor Welham was interim chief executive of 바카라사이트 BBSRC prior to 바카라사이트 formation of UK Research and Innovation. She ?previously served as 바카라사이트 BBSRC¡¯s ?executive director of science and as
a professor of molecular signalling at 바카라사이트 University of Bath.

Adrian Parr has been appointed dean of 바카라사이트 College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs at 바카라사이트 ?University of Texas at Arlington.

Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi has been appointed chancellor of Nelson ?Mandela University in South Africa.