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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Blog

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].

  • Higher education institutions’ responsibilities to students: Post-Study Work visa

    7 January 2020 by Kathy Daniels

    This blog was kindly contributed by Kathy Daniels, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor International, Aston University. The government’s announcement of a new graduate route for international students has been met with approval by higher education institutions. However, what does this mean and what responsibilities does it place on the higher education sector?…

  • Why we need to talk about life expectancy

    6 January 2020 by Nick Hillman

    There are probably lots of issues related to higher education policymaking that we don’t talk enough about. But, for me, the prime one is life expectancy. It links to almost everything. Yet, aside from the consequences for staff pensions, we seemingly never talk about it. Even on pensions, we talk…

  • How accurate were predictions for higher education in 2020?

    3 January 2020 by Rachel Hewitt

    The end of a decade offers the chance to reflect on how higher education policy has changed in the past and where it will go in the future. Higher education has been through a turbulent time in recent years and there is no reason to assume the 2020s will be…

  • Life as a higher education outreach practitioner: frustrations and solutions

    2 January 2020 by Beka Avery

    This blog was kindly contributed by Beka Avery, NCOP Pathways Project Manager. As a higher education outreach practitioner, I try to keep up with the latest research, data and academic insights our field; it is interesting and it is important. But day-to-day I am faced with the challenge and the…

  • Top of the Blogs in 2019

    31 December 2019

    For HEPI, 2019 has been the busiest year to date, not just in terms of events and publications, but also on the beloved blog. We have pulled together a list of the blogs and releases which have proved the most popular. What stands out is the variety of issues and…

  • Student residence in England: A world unto itself

    30 December 2019 by Holly Henderson

    This blog was kindly contributed by Holly Henderson, an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham. Higher education is all too often used as if it is synonymous with university, in spite of the fact that higher education is also offered in 86% of the 257 colleges of…

  • The mystery of the missing statistic

    27 December 2019 by Dennis Sherwood

    This blog was kindly contributed by Dennis Sherwood, one of the UK’s leading experts in organisational creativity, innovation, systems thinking and system dynamics. PART ONE “There’s something missing!”, he said, setting down his briar. His companion peered over his newspaper. “How interesting! Another non-barking-dog case?” “Alas, no. But something that…

  • Slipping through the net? Study abroad and student wellbeing.

    24 December 2019 by Megan Bowler

    This blog was contributed by Megan Bowler, one of our Summer Interns. Megan is in her third year at the University of Oxford studying for an undergraduate degree in Classics. Time abroad is an obligatory feature of most Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and MFL Joint Honours courses, offering students real-world…

  • We need to talk about free speech again. Sorry.

    23 December 2019 by Richard Brabner

    This blog was kindly contributed by Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP foundation. Richard has written this article in a personal capacity and they reflect his own views rather than those of the UPP Foundation. Readers of this fabulous website will generally think, as I do, that the free speech…

  • What is the future for university representation under the Conservatives?

    20 December 2019 by Jonathan Woodhead

    This blog was kindly contributed by Jonathan Woodhead, Policy Adviser at Birkbeck, University of London. One of the striking features about the recent general election, along with the breaching of the ‘Red Wall’ of former Labour northern heartland seats, was the increasing dominance of Labour in our larger cities. As…