The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].
This guest blog has been kindly contributed by Jo Grady, the General Secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), who responds to this week’s series of three HEPI blogs on the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Jo is on Twitter @DrJoGrady. Pension schemes and the science of their valuation can…
This is the third in a series of three blogs that HEPI is running this week on the state of university pensions and particularly the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). The previous two blogs are available here and here. However tough the predicament faced by any pension scheme, as the title…
This is the second in a series of three blogs that HEPI is running yesterday, today and tomorrow on the state of university pensions and particularly the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Salary costs already make up 59% of the higher education sector’s operating expenditure. If USS contributions were to rise…
This is the first in a series of three blogs that HEPI is running today, tomorrow and the next day on the state of university pensions and particularly the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). In one of their recent excellent morning emails, the HE team at Research Professional declared: ‘The hole…
This blog was kindly contributed by Piers M Forster, University of Leeds and Eli Mitchell-Larson, University of Oxford. This blog builds on a COP26 UK University Network Briefing: How can carbon offsetting help UK further and higher education institutions achieve net zero emissions? The Briefing was authored by a mix…
This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Mary Bishop, MJB Consulting (Former Director of Learning ACCA Global, Visiting Chair Staffordshire University). You can find Mary on Twitter @mary2bishop . If you would like to reach out to Mary, you can find her on LinkedIn here. 2021 started with a whirlwhind…
This blog was kindly contributed by Gwen Morris, a qualified English teacher and ambassador for Teach First. She is currently studying an MA in Publishing at UCL. You can find Gwen on Twitter @MGwenMorris. As a Teach First participant, most of my training focused on addressing the attainment gap that…
This blog was kindly contributed by Nick Barker. Nick works for Warwick University doing schools outreach work. He is based in a primary school serving an area of severe social deprivation and is a member of the University’s Strategy Group. ‘I’m stuck’, said Karen, looking up at me with an…
Spending reviews and déjà vu After the recent rash of documents from the Department for Education, we must raise our eyes to the next spending review, when the Government decides how much is to be spent on different priorities over the next few years. I have a serious case of déjà…
This blog was kindly contributed by Abhishek Nakhate, Founder and CEO of Zilter & Zoom Abroad, and Bill Rammell, Former Minister of State for Higher Education and a former Vice-Chancellor. The most successful universities in terms of student recruitment devote time, money and staff to really know and understand potential…