Introduction by Advance HE Chief Executive Alistair Jarvis
Higher education institutions are operating in a period of sustained pressure. Financial constraint, changing student expectations, technological disruption, geo-political instability, regulatory scrutiny and wider public debate about the role and value of higher education are combining to make leadership and institutional decision-making more demanding than at any point in recent years. In that context, questions of inclusion, institutional resilience, student success, leadership, governance and public trust are becoming increasingly interconnected.
This report from the University of East London’s Office for Institutional Equity is therefore timely and important. It makes a valuable contribution to a set of issues that many institutions are grappling with: how we understand sustainability, how we define student success, how leadership and governance shape institutional culture, and how equity and inclusion are embedded in the core business of higher education rather than treated as peripheral to it.
One of the report’s strengths is that it brings together issues that are too often considered separately. It connects equity with continuation, attainment, progression and belonging; it links leadership and governance with accountability and institutional design; and it asks how innovation, digital change and partnership working can support more inclusive outcomes – or, if handled badly, work against them. One of the report’s central arguments is that institutions need to think in a more joined-up way about what will enable them to succeed in a changing environment.
Many of the themes explored here resonate strongly with Advance HE’s work. Advance HE supports institutions across the UK and internationally to enhance teaching and learning, student success, governance, leadership development and inclusion, with a focus on helping members respond to challenge in ways that are both ambitious and sustainable. Through that work, we see every day the importance of connecting these agendas rather than treating them in isolation.
The report is intentionally challenging in places. Not every reader will agree with every formulation or recommendation, nor should it be read as a blueprint for every institution. Higher education is diverse, and - rightly - institutions operate in different contexts and with different missions. But that is part of the report’s value. It sharpens and provokes debate. It raises difficult but necessary questions. And it invites leaders, governing bodies, educators and practitioners to reflect honestly on where their own systems and approaches are working well, where they are not, and what more may be needed to ensure that equity and student success are addressed with seriousness and intent.
Advance HE’s role is not to prescribe a single model for institutions facing complex choices. Our role is to support institutions, leaders and governing bodies to engage critically with these questions, to build the capability, culture and confidence to respond well, and to translate ambition into effective and durable practice. That means helping institutions strengthen governance, develop leadership, enhance teaching and learning, improve the student experience, and embed inclusion in ways that are meaningful, evidence-informed and appropriate to their own context. That non-prescriptive, capability-building approach is consistent with how Advance HE publicly frames its role in supporting institutional improvement and change.
I am pleased that Advance HE contributed to the development of this report and is hosting its publication. It is an important contribution to a wider sector conversation about the future of higher education and about the kind of institutions we need to build in order to serve students and society well. I hope it will prompt thoughtful discussion, constructive challenge and practical reflection across the sector. At a time when higher education is being asked to adapt, improve and demonstrate its value in new ways, contributions such as this can help us think more clearly about both the choices ahead and the responsibilities they bring.
Alistair Jarvis CBE
Chief Executive, Advance HE
