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Nick Hillman

  • What were people reading in 2021?

    31 December 2021 by Nick Hillman

    Here, on the last day of a year that many people will be pleased to see the back of, is our Top 40 most popular HEPI website pages of 2021. (The list is restricted to blogs and news stories so excludes, for example, our ever-changing home page.) I am struck…

  • Choosing student accommodation? What do you need to know?

    21 December 2021 by Nick Hillman

    At HEPI, we’ve published lots of work on student accommodation in recent years – sometimes in conjunction with accommodation providers and their charitable foundations – including: a history of student accommodation over the decades by the Reverend Professor William Whyte; a compendium of facts about student accommodation by Martin Blakey and Sarah Jones; and…

  • Is the culture war destroying ‘the central purpose of universities’?

    13 December 2021 by Nick Hillman

    the main burden for resisting the slow destruction of a cultural and educational heritage lies with academics themselves, but it is they – some of them, at least – who pose the main threat. They pose it, not because of any particular position they hold, or thoughts they are thinking,…

  • Who owns online lecture recordings

    30 November 2021 by Dr Alexis Brown

    As universities gear up for a new round of strikes, taking place from 1 December to 3 December 2021, they may wish to reuse online teaching materials recorded during the pandemic to limit the impact on students.  But a new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute reveals confusion over who…

  • All I want for Christmas is a consultation paper (or two) – by Nick Hillman

    29 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    As we enter Advent, the higher education sector is gearing up for expected new consultations from the Department for Education. Here HEPI Director, Nick Hillman, takes stock of current policy debates, the impending industrial action and the continuing impact of COVID. The calm before the storm It may seem extraordinary,…

  • An open letter to the new Director for Fair Access and Participation

    24 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    Dear John, Congratulations on your new appointment! We don’t know each other well but I have long admired your career from afar. You clearly care passionately about learners and ensuring they meet their potential. It is a huge and brilliant job that you are taking on, in fact one of…

  • Who controls higher education policy?: A review of the biography of Jeremy Heywood

    23 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    HEPI Director Nick Hillman delves into the biography of the most important UK civil servant of modern times, Jeremy Heywood, to search out lessons on how higher education policy is set at the centre of Whitehall. During a recent period of COVID-induced isolation, I finally got around to reading What Does…

  • Who might be England’s new free speech champion?

    16 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    There are various important roles in English higher education that are either vacant or close to becoming so – for example, in the last few days, we’ve heard that the Chief Executive of the Office for Students will soon stand down and the new Director for Fair Access and Participation…

  • The Lifelong Learning Century

    11 November 2021 by Nick Hillman

    Yesterday, the Learning and Work Institute celebrated its centenary at CityLit college in Holborn in the presence of their Patron, HRH the Princess Royal. Nick Hillman, HEPI Director, spoke at the event. Your Royal Highness, ladies and gentlemen, it is a huge pleasure to speak at this important event marking your 100th anniversary…