The Wonkhe Show

This week on the podcast we examine the bombshell merger announcement between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent, set to create the London and South East University Group – one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK.With a memorandum of understanding signed and contracts expected by Christmas, this "super university" is being hailed as a potential blueprint for sector transformation. But what does this new multi-university model really mean for students, staff, and the future of higher education consolidation?Plus we discuss the recent government reshuffle and its implications for the sector, as Angela Rayner's departure triggers ministerial changes across departments with direct links to higher education – from Liz Kendall's appointment as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to questions about skills policy under Pat McFadden's expanded brief at the newly configured Department for Work and Pensions.With Ben Vulliamy, Executive Director at the Association of Heads of University Administration, Emma Maslin, Senior Policy and Research Officer at AMOSSHE, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe. The first multi-university group arrivesBack to the future for the TEF? Back to school for OfS?The former student leaders entering Parliament Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anton Muscatelli, Principal at the University of Glasgow, Dani Payne, Head of Education and Social Mobility at the Social Market Foundation, and James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, dive into the pressing challenges facing UK higher education. They discuss potential tuition increases and the tightening immigration landscape for international students. The conversation highlights the impact of financial strains, the need for better governance practices, and the importance of addressing the gap between international students' expectations and reality.

This week on our final podcast before the summer break, we unpack the mounting panic about graduate jobs – is AI really to blame, or are today’s students simply paying the price for a sluggish economy, a stalling skills strategy, and shifting recruitment practices?Plus we discuss new figures from UCAS that show a record number of 18-year-olds applying to university, and we look at a major new report on how provider closures are affecting students, and what the sector should do next to avoid chaos when courses collapse.With Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, Head of Public Affairs at Jisc, Hugh Jones, independent consultant and higher education postcard maestro, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.You can subscribe to the podcast on Acast, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, RadioPublic, Podchaser, Castbox, Player FM, Stitcher, TuneIn, Luminary or via your favourite app with the RSS feed.UCAS applications and offer making by June deadline, 2025Student protection through market exit is not a compliance exercise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining the discussion are David Jarley, Head of Student Engagement Advocacy at Middlesex University, and Chris Millwood, Professor of Practice and Education Policy at the University of Birmingham. They delve into proposals for a Student Rights Bill to reshape higher education and discuss Labour's Lifelong Learning Entitlement for better modular provision. The guests also tackle the issue of universities possibly retreating from civic commitments due to funding cuts while emphasizing the need for enhanced student participation in governance and support systems to improve overall engagement.

Duncan Ivison, President and Vice Chancellor at the University of Manchester, and Vicki Stott, Chief Executive at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, delve into the controversial debate surrounding international student recruitment. They challenge the notion that universities are prioritizing immigration over education and discuss implications of potential new policies. The conversation shifts to student leaders’ manifestos, touching on their proposals for enhanced student support. They also explore the exciting developments in metascience aimed at transforming research funding practices.

This week on the podcast we examine the government’s new industrial strategy and what it really means for higher education – from regional clusters and research funding to skills bootcamps and spin-out support.Will the plans finally integrate universities into the UK’s economic future, or is this another case of policy promises outpacing delivery?Plus we discuss the franchising scandal and the damning case for urgent reform, and ask whether new research on social mobility challenges the sector’s claims about access, aspiration, and advancement.With Katie Normington, Vice Chancellor at De Montfort University, Johnny Rich, Chief Executive at the Engineering Professors’ Council and Push, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Higher education and the industrial strategy priority areasThe cashpoint campus comeback franchising, fraud, and the failure to learn from the FE experienceOn the move: how young people’s mobility responds to and reinforces geographical inequalitiesInequalities in Access to Professional Occupations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students' new free speech guidance as controversial requirements prepare to take effect from August 1st. What do the "deeply disturbing" YouGov findings about academic self-censorship really tell us, and how should universities navigate campus protests and challenging research topics?Plus we discuss outgoing UKRI chief Ottoline Leyser's stark warning about "inevitable consolidation" in university research.With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in Education at King's College London, Arti Saraswat, Senior Policy Manager for Higher Education at the Association of Colleges, Livia Scott, Partnerships Coordinator at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Will guidance on freedom of speech help the staff who fear physical attack for expressing their views?Prevent data, 2023-24We need a better quality of conversation about education and the skills agenda for the screen industries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we examine the government's spending review and what it means for higher education. How will the £86bn R&D commitment translate into real-terms funding, and why was higher education notably absent from the Chancellor's priorities?Plus we discuss the Post-18 Project's call to fundamentally reshape HE policy away from market competition, the startling new REF rules, and the striking rise in student term-time working revealed by the latest Student Academic Experience Survey.With Stephanie Harris, Director of Policy at Universities UK, Ben Vulliamy, Executive Director at the Association of Heads of University Administration, Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Tooling up: Building a new economic mission for higher educationInvesting for the long term often loses out to pensioner powerWhat’s in the spending review for higher educationThe student experience is beyond breaking pointHow to assess anxious, time-poor students in a mass ageREF is about institutions not individuals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week features Jess Lister, Director at Public First, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe SUs, and Rille Raaper, Associate Professor at Durham University. They dive into the challenges facing UK higher education, including a critical review of the three-year degree model and its toll on student wellbeing. The discussion also highlights the need for collaboration among universities and explores the implications of Research England's new EDI action plan in tackling equity and diversity in research. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation!

This week on the podcast we examine the OfS penalty imposed on Leeds Trinity over subcontractual partnerships oversight. What does the £115,000 fine and a new proposed code of “ethical” governance tell us about decision-making at the top? Plus we discuss the government's decision to axe level 7 apprenticeships from levy funding, and explore incoming OfS chair Edward Peck's ten trends shaping the future of campus universities.With Alex Stanley, Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students, Pam Macpherson Barrett, Head of Policy and Regulation at the University of Leeds, David Kernohan, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Poor quality teaching and student outcomes. But where?The new OfS chair identifies ten trendsA code of ethical university governance is overdueShould governance reform be horizontal or vertical? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.