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Abstract
Higher education in the UK is a success story and what we do matters to society. Income is earned by delivering value – and that's clearer now in this new arena of student fees and research impact. Clarity about what we're really good at – academic programmes, learning approach and/or research theme – and communicating that powerfully is what it takes to be distinctive. Smart specialisation is a phrase we're coming to learn – perhaps we can do more to be smart as universities? We need to portray the richness of the UK sector, not vertically hierarchical but horizontally stratified around excellence with a focus on return on investment. In the global higher education landscape, winners will focus on core strengths, develop their distinctiveness, and be innovative and bold in going forward. Higher education policy adopts a largely ‘one size fits all’ approach – is this still relevant against a backdrop of an increasingly diverse sector?
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Wendy M. Purcell
Wendy Purcell, BSc, PhD, FRSA, President of Plymouth University and Professor of biomedicine engaged in transforming lives through tertiary education, research and innovation and exploring global education policy and strategy in connecting universities with society.
Julian Beer
Julian Beer, BSc, MSc, MinstKT, FIKE Pro Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University and Professor of knowledge transfer focused on connecting innovation and talent, and engaging higher education as a catalyst for change and growth.
Rebekah Southern
Rebekah Southern, BSc, PhD, Director of Southern Horizons (UK) Ltd, an independent research company with expertise in the role of higher education and its contribution to economic and social policy.