Bridget Phillipson has been clear in her communications to the sector that civic engagement and supporting local economic growth should be key priorities for universities. So what is our sector’s role here, and how can we make this a reality? Well the answers may lie in a recent essay collection published by the UPP Foundation in memory of former Sheffield Hallam University chair and public servant Bob Kerslake, who in 2018-19 chaired the UPP Foundation’s Civic University Commission. The collection includes around 30 essays from over 40 public intellectuals and sector leaders. During this session UPP Foundation executive chair Richard Brabner will be joined by contributors to the collection and others to assess Bob’s legacy, new ideas from the essays, and the role universities play in their local communities.

It’s often said that UK HE promotes itself with North American stylings of student experience – but on European budgets and quality expectations. Drawing on his detailed knowledge both of Canadian and wider global HE, in this session we’ll be around the fireside with Alex Usher, who runs Canada’s Higher Education Strategy Associates, to learn lessons, swap observations and generally chew the strategy and politics fat.

Over the past year or so, Wonkhe and student insight specialists Cibyl (a part of Group GTI) have partnered with students’ unions across the UK to find out what’s really going on both on campus and in students’ wider student lives. In this session we’ll explain some of our latest findings – focussed on students and employment. Who are they working for? How much time do they spend at work? What do they get out of it? Plus insights on food, belonging, wider time pressures and more.

Team Wonkhe digests the biggest stories of the moment and how the HE news ecosystem works.

Ask not what you can do for the humanities, ask what the humanities can do for you! Humanities teaching and research in higher education are under huge pressure. Facing major challenges in student recruitment, financial sustainability, the loss of specialised knowledge and skills, the expectation to show clear research impact, the challenge of preserving and reinventing humanities for the 21^st century is real and urgent. Yet the humanities are an inheritance from the earliest formation of the university, are part of its essence, and must play a role in ensuring the universities of tomorrow have the breadth of understanding needed to fulfil their purpose in a complex world. How can universities make sure that they are themselves getting full value from the knowledge and methods developed through the humanities?

The wonks of UCAS break out their spreadsheets to answer your questions about demand for HE, admissions trends, applicant demographics and experiences, and whatever else you want to know about the 2025 cycle. Find out more and vote for your favourite here: https://wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/your-chance-to-ask-ucas-anything/

Higher education retains a deep power to transform lives. But there are limits to university influence in conquering cultural prejudice and redressing systemic economic inequities, particularly as the UK continues to suffer from regional economic inequality and lagging productivity. The new Labour government has adopted “opportunity” as one of its five core missions and the structuring theme of its education policy. But as students struggle with meeting the costs of study and with their mental health, we’ll interrogate the existing assumptions around what education opportunity means and think through how higher education can continue to deliver it.

Economic growth is the centrepiece of Labour’s mission-led approach to government, and much of that growth will depend on the UK’s ability to realise the benefits of the knowledge capital developed in universities. How can higher education, research and innovation be more joined up with regional and national industrial and public services strategies to convert aspiration into reality?

The Wonkhe Show is your weekly way in to this week’s higher education news, policy and analysis. Join us for a live recording of the show, where we’ll be getting across the week’s policy developments and reflecting on highlights from the festival. Bring your lunch, and feel free to dip in and out. It’s all coming up!

The difficult decisions that institutional leaders and governors are making right now will determine the future shape and activity of the higher education sector including what courses are on offer, and what research is prioritised. Their ability to oversee change, build organisational capability, sustain external partnerships, and maintain the morale and motivation of their staff will determine whether the sector continues to thrive or whether it flounders in the years ahead. Our panel will assess whether the sector’s decision-makers have the right mix of skills, evidence, and values to make the best possible calls in challenging times.