Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by UK HE News

Ronald Hartz @ronaldhartz.bsky.social · 2h

Staff on strike for several weeks. VC away in India. UK HE in a nutshell, I presume.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 2h

Oh good, public discourse in the UK is about to become marginally more in touch with reality!?

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 7h

💷 With over £140 billion lost from the economy, more than 2 billion pieces of paperwork, and tens of thousands of business stopping trading with our largest economic partner - is it any surprise?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-wes-streeting-european-union-b2844451.html

I’m glad we can now talk about Brexit damage, says Wes Streeting

The prime minister is gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the November Budget

www.independent.co.uk

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 2h

The reason this is so is because there is now a nationwide consensus that the ONLY reason to attend a university is to get a higher-paying job immediately upon graduation. Otherwise, degrees are 'not worth it'.

Who has perpetuated this idea and profited from it?

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12h

'A “challenging” graduate labour market in the UK could further erode trust in the higher education sector, with the “bad times” showing little sign of ending.'

All the more reason to have a serious, nationwide discussion of what universities do and what they are for.

Faith in universities ‘at new low’ as graduate jobs dry up

Challenging economic conditions may have led to bump in student recruitment numbers this year but experts fear long-term damage after institutions pegged futures to employability agenda

www.timeshighereducation.com

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 2h

Mergers are just another example of an idea that might make sense ... *IF* university leadership were competent, transparent, and accountable.

Until this is seriously addressed, all other 'solutions' will be mostly pointless and compound existing problems.

Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 1d

Will superuniversities save UK HE?: The quasi-merger of the universities of Kent and Greenwich has raised questions about how many other institutions might see an opportunity – or necessity – to team up as financial pressures bite ever harder. Six experts share their views
https://ow.ly/P2Cy50X9MOP

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 4h

If two disastrously mismanaged entities merge, what does this accomplish exactly?

Sure, it is a way for senior managers to further blur responsibility for their failures.

But will the new entities use these pooled resources to further research reputations and/or degree value?

Doubtful.

Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 5d

Without oversight of university mergers, the UK risks “sleepwalking” into a homogenised and “disconnected” higher education sector, it has been warned. Helen Packer reports
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/universities-risk-creeping-death-unsupervised-mergers

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 5h

A good indicator of whether your university is in serious trouble is whether an academic department's 2025 recruitment performance is being used as a significant factor in determining restructuring plans.

If so, the death spiral has probably passed the point of no return.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 7h

There are two assumptions that individual and collective strategic planning in UK HE should make:

First, the Government is happy to see most universities out of the business of research.

Second, uni senior managers are concerned about their own careers, not their universities.

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 7h

How long does the anglosphere have left in credible HE leadership on its current trajectory?

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 9h

US HE is the new UK HE

Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 1d

University leaders: [terminate programs, close campuses, cave in to political pressure from demagogues]

Faculty, students, staff: you’re killing the university

Management consultants: looks like you got a real comms challenge here

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 9h

It is true that the signalling value of degrees has declined.

And, management deliberately contributed to this in exchange for short term income.

So 'unis' (against the will of staff) did contribute to graduates' loss of advantage in a shrinking job market.

William Carruthers @williamcarruthers.bsky.social · 12h

And, fwiw, how is the labour market universities’ fault? It isn’t, and it would be very useful if people understood this.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12h

'A “challenging” graduate labour market in the UK could further erode trust in the higher education sector, with the “bad times” showing little sign of ending.'

All the more reason to have a serious, nationwide discussion of what universities do and what they are for.

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 9h

What's noteworthy about the UK HE model of successive cash grab schemes that they never seem to grab much cash.

Managers capitalise on the mere idea of such initiatives, not the results.

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Reposted by UK HE News

21 Group @21group.bsky.social · 12h

Lancaster University is “tremendously excited” to expand into India — while back home it’s cutting staff & “restructuring” to survive

It's chasing global prestige & new markets while hollowing out the academic community that built its reputation in the first place

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Lancaster University 'excited' over Indian campus plan

The announcement was made during Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first trade mission to India.

www.bbc.com

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 10h

If you work in UK HE and were to resign, would your role be filled with a permanent staff member at the same or higher pay level?

This is a good indicator of whether managers see your role as important to uni operations.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 10h

In fairness, UK HE was dismantled so rapidly, new PhDs can hardly be blamed for assuming universities would still exist as academic research institutions in the near future.

Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 10h

The tighter researchers’ identities are bound to the university, the less prepared they often feel for life beyond it. Embracing both depth and outbound modes of working can help bridge the employability gap, says Alys Kay: www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/why-e... #EduSky #HigherEd #AcademicSky

Why employability gaps widen as academic identity deepens

The more tightly researchers’ identities bind to the university, the less ready they often feel for life beyond it. Naming two modes of working, depth and outbound, can help universities close the emp...

www.timeshighereducation.com

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 10h

Yes, but we can't talk about that!

Alexandra Wilson @amwilson.bsky.social · 10h

Most administrators (barring those focusing specifically on research admin and impact) are so disconnected from research that they couldn't care less about it and probably don't even know what it is.

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 10h

On one hand, the notion that UK HE leadership needs even less academic influence seems comically out of touch.

On the other hand could they do any worse than the the current lot of buffoons?

(The answer is yes, they could)

share.google/jofpP6X498ll...

Universities must become more open to non-academic talent

Both within management and the professoriate, the need for a wider range of experience and skills is only getting stronger, says Marcus Munafò

share.google

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 10h

Rinse, repeat, and laugh all the way to the bank.

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 10h

They consult HE research sometimes.

First the VC decides on a policy to supposedly cut costs or increase income based on anecdotal information and whether it weakens academic influence.

Then their cronies try to find 'HE research' supporting it.

Regardless, it is forced through and backfires.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12h

'While researchers typically publish in academic journals and books, the authors found, higher education managers are more likely to consult practice-oriented journals, newsletters, conference inputs and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.'

Physician, heal thyself.

HE research ‘rarely informs administrators’ decisions’

Knowledge transfer should include the university itself, says thinktank after identifying disconnect between managers and those who study them

www.timeshighereducation.com

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 20h

Every senior manager will publicly claim to care about the students, teaching, research, etc.

Judge them by their actions.

21 Group @21group.bsky.social · 22h

Job losses at Staffordshire University for third year running while the senior management claim “student experience remains paramount”

We note the precision of cutting 66.7 people to “save” education

The remaining 0.3 of a person picks up all the extra workload?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

University of Staffordshire proposes to cut nearly 70 jobs

The university says the proposed reduction in staff comes are in response to financial challenges.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by UK HE News

UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 1d

The core financial problem facing UK HE is not the 2025 budget shortfalls.

It's the fact that management killed the engine for future income.

Cutting costs won't solve that. It will actually make things worse.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 1d

If they fear this, they will change course.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 1d

So what do VCs care about if not the reputation or financial stability of their unis?

Just one thing: public embarrassment so bad that it would lead them to resign and also never hold any lucrative post again.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 1d

The core higher education debate between Labour, Conservatives, and Reform UK is about whether the UK HE should be reduced to 15, 7, or 2 universities, respectively.

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Reposted by UK HE News

QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 2d

The VC of Leicester has been announced as the new Chair of UCEA.

He's been VC of Leicester since 2019. He's the one responsible for forcing out scholars in ways that employment tribunals showed was not permitted.

The the kind of guy UCEA values.
www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/o... #UKHE

book cover of 'shaping for mediocrity': The cancellation of critical thinking at our universities.

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UK HE News @ukhenews.bsky.social · 1d

Supporting universities was never going to score populist points.

But the reputation of the sector did not have to be as politically toxic as it is.

Maybe HE staff and students need to regain control over sector leadership from the VC cabal at UUK?

QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 3d

*FIFTEEN THOUSAND JOBS LOST*.
If this were in a sector in which the PM could go and do a photoshoot looking like One Of The People, we’d have had a government intervention by now.

LopaLeach @lopa.bsky.social · 3d

Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...

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