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Good morning. The dust isn't anywhere close settling around the Green Paper and so the debate continues in earnest. The Indian PM is visiting the UK this week to much fanfare. Today the Science & Technology Committee calls on the government to invest more in science, HEFCE plan to release new good practice on course closures on Wednesday and on Thursday, the Centre for Global Higher Education gets to work.
Green Paper continues to send shockwaves
For UK higher education, the world changed on Friday. Although there is plenty up in the air and vast amounts of detail are still to follow, we now have some appreciation of the scale of the government-directed changes coming to the sector. The Spending Review on the 25th November will be the other key piece of the puzzle, alongside with the forthcoming Nurse Review of research councils. Collectively, all of this will amount to the biggest change to UK HE since 1992 - the implications of which we are only just starting to get our collective heads around. We'll be doing our best on Wonkhe to help progress thinking as the consultation moves forward. And we have a lot of interesting new analysis and commentary on the site that does just that, with fourteen articles and over 20,000 words of analysis and much more in the pipeline. Here is just a selection:
We've got the power! No, you've got the power. Hang on, who's got the power? NUS VP for Higher Education Sorana Vieru gives her verdict on the Green Paper and the mixed messages it sends to students.
The Incredible Machine? We devised a full visual model of the TEF which includes a guide to everything we know about the new framework and how it will work.
Remember, Remember, the TEF of November - Martin McQuillan brilliantly skewers the TEF also arguing that this is something that the sector has brought on itself.
10 things you might have missed about the Green Paper - from Andrew McGettigan.
Green Paper calls in the architects - Gordon McKenzie on the Office for Students and the future shape of the sector's architecture.
Can the TEF survive the arguments made against it? - Emran Mian looks at the case for and against the new framework.
Nurse will see you now - James Wilsdon on the complex interactions between the Green Paper and intense politics of research funding right now.
Anthony Seldon's producer interest and bad history of HE - Tom Bailey responds to Anthony Seldon's recent piece in The Times to mark the publication of the Green Paper, which contained a broad lack of understanding about the recent history of HE.
On Policy Watch we covered the student response to the Green Paper as well as the Green Paper's impact on devolution and devolved governments in the UK.
For all our other Green Paper coverage, including the live blog, visit the Green Paper tag on the site which will be updated as we add more leading commentary and analysis in the days and months ahead.
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Modi rolls in to town
Just a month after Xi Jinping's visit, the red carpet is being rolled out for another head of state. This time it's the turn of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. Unlike the Chinese state visit, Mr Modi does not appear to be visiting any UK universities whilst he is here (although timing and security reasons could prevent us from knowing about it at this stage if he is). The visit will be very much be focused on trade and manufacturing and the 'Make in India initiative': reinvigorating manufacturing base in range of areas: aerospace, defence, automobiles etc. To those ends, Mr Modi will be visiting the Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) factory. With India sending around 20,000 students to the UK (second only to China's massive c. 90,000), good relations are critical for UK universities. Expect points on the government's immigration rules to be raised in the press timed with the visit, also watch for some clever public affairs wonk ensuring their vice chancellor is photographed with the Indian PM. Wonkhe pin badge will go to the first person that spots a Modi/VC handshake this week. Two badges to the individual that arranges the photo.
Centre for Global Higher Education opens
On Thursday, the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) gets to work, and not before time. The Centre is a £6.1m project funded by ESRC and HEFCE based at the UCL Institute of Education in collaboration with a number of other universities. The opening of the Centre comes at a critical moment for UK higher education at home, and in a global context; it is a massive boost to the UK's infrastructure of research in to HE. Wonkhe is proud to be one of CGHE's associated organisations. CGHE's Director Simon Marginson writes on the site today: "The new centre, which will be the largest unit in the world devoted to research on higher education, will provide opportunities for six or more full-time postdoctoral researchers, draw in existing social science researchers to work on higher education problems, and mount a lively programme of seminars, national/international conferences and research impact-related events in London and at centres across the country." Read Simon's full piece which sets out the plan for CGHE here.
Science & Tech Select Committee Report
In a report out this morning, the House of Commons Science & Technology Select Committee has called for an increase in science funding. Pointing out that the UK’s science spending has fallen below the OECD average, it claims the country risks losing its prestigious research status if the Spending Review does not include a pledge to boost science funding. Calling spending on science “a strategic investment that creates and increases productivity”, it urged the government to raise research and development investment from 1.7% to 3% of GDP. Germany (who are leaders in science spending) along with the US spend 2.9% and 2.8% of GDP respectively. Universities UK today backed the committee’s recommendations, saying that “continued underinvestment” would undermine Britain’s international reputation for excellence. The Committee hopes to make a splash with the report which is being published close to the Nurse Review of research councils and the Spending Review.
You might have missed on Wonkhe
Rob Behrens reviews Sir Alex Ferguson's latest book on leadership and asks what it has to say to university leaders. Registrarism starts selling a 'University in a Box' (terms apply). Everything else was focussed on the Green Paper and can be found here.
Let me know what I missed or what else you'd like to see in the Monday morning briefing. Have a great week.
Mark
The rest of the week's HE agenda
Monday 9th November
REPORT: Science & Technology Select Committee Report on science funding
EVENT: Pearson Policy Breakfast Seminar, London
EVENT: CBI Annual Conference, London
EVENT: Chartered Association of Business Schools Conference, Manchester (until 10th)
EVENT: Academic Registrars Council Conference, Leeds (until 10th)
Tuesday 10th November
PARLIAMENTARY: MPs questions to BIS
PARLIAMENTARY: November Recess House Rises
EVENT: UUK 5th Annual Access to Higher Education Summit, London
EVENT: Universities Scotland Reception, Scottish Parliament
Wednesday 11th November
REPORT: HEFCE statement of good practice for course closures
EVENT: UKCGE Supporting Supervisory Practice workshop, Bournemouth
EVENT: LFHE Introduction to Head of Department programme, London
EVENT: Westminster Briefing International Student Immigration in New Gov, London
EVENT: LFHE GDP: Roundtable 2 - Lessons for good governance, Manchester
EVENT: QAA Quality Enhancement Network: Embedding Digital Literacies, Birmingham
EVENT: Education Investor Awards
Thursday 12th November
The Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) starts work
EVENT: CIPR Education Journalism Awards
EVENT: ARMA Post Award Finance workshop, London
EVENT: LFHE Leading Research Leaders programme, Birmingham
EVENT: QAA Quality Enhancement Network: Embedding Digital Literacies, Southampton
EVENT: HEFCE Annual Meeting, London
EVENT: AHUA Midlands Regional Meeting
EVENT: UCU Equality Conference, Sussex
Friday 13th November
EVENT: AHUA North Regional Meeting
EVENT: LFHE GDP: Being an effective governor conference, Edinburgh
EVENT: Japanese higher education delegation visit to the UK (until 14th)
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