This case study gives an analytical account of institutional development in induction provision. Driven by student experience concerns, a London post-1992 University set up an "enhanced induction project" to provide a more integrated, personalised approach through more coordinated processes. In a large, diverse context, university-wide…

Massification of higher education has not been able to solve societal issues in the UK to the extent originally envisaged. Whilst universities have achieved increased student numbers and widened participation from various societal groups, those coming from socially disadvantaged groups can still often have a very different experience of university…

This article presents the first part of Professor David Eastwood's paper given as the AUA Annual Guest Lecture on October 24, 2007. He begins the article with some reflections on the distinctiveness and the self-referential self-confidence of higher education (HE) because he wants to torsion his later remarks against what he takes to be its…

This is Part 2 of Professor Eastwood's paper given as the AUA Annual Guest Lecture on 24 October 2007. In Part 1 he summarised the historical development of British higher education and reflected on five topics which appear to be settled in the HE debate: desirability of mass HE; desirability of sector diversity; a mixed economy for funding;…

This paper offers observations from an Association of University Administrators (AUA) study visit to Australia at a time of considerable hostility by some Vice-Chancellors towards the radical reforms implemented by John Howard's conservative Government. The team of ten senior managers, led by Ian Creagh of the AHUA/AUA International Committee,…

Sound financial management and financial stability are crucially important for universities operating in today's increasingly competitive and turbulent environment. Freedom of action is greatly enhanced if an institution is able to act opportunistically and invest in new initiatives, while healthy financial reserves help buffer the institution…

Future historians may well find as much continuity as change in government policies towards higher education between the mid-1980s and the mid-2000s. One exception, however, is likely to be widening participation (WP), which only appeared on the policy agenda after 1997. Moreover, this commitment has been sustained. In this brief survey, the…

This paper is the second part of an edited version of a Keynote Presentation delivered at the 2006 AUA Annual Conference at Queen's University Belfast on 11 April. The first part was published in perspectives 10.3 in July 2006. In the Presentation Sir David commented on three areas of unfinished business with which New Labour has struggled; in the…

On both sides of the Atlantic, public higher education faces similar challenges in how to maintain and expand access to high quality tertiary education at an affordable cost to students and their families. These challenges undermine assumptions about the cost of higher education that were based upon conditions prevalent during the generation…

As part of the movement to greater social inclusion, a number of initiatives have been created to build bridges between the school and further education sectors and universities. In England, this kind of activity comes under the Partners 4 Progression (P4P) initiative. In Scotland, such initiatives are more regionally based: the thrust of widening…