After rumours of a ministerial desire for leadership from outside the sector, the appointment of Universities UK Chief Executive Nicola Dandridge as head of the Office for Students was met with relief among traditional university vice chancellors, though those outside of the public system were perhaps less vocal in their congratulations. The sector’s chief lobbyist will now be its chief regulator in perhaps the ultimate ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ move.
With a very active and influential chair like Michael Barber making the strategic running, the role of CEO is likely to be focused more on implementation and delivery. The creation of a new regulator on top of an old funding body will require a great deal of work, ranging from implementing the many requirements of HERA to implementing an unpopular new subscription model, the continued development of the Teaching Excellence Framework and negotiating the transfer of existing HEFCE and OFFA staff to the new body.
Like OfS deputy chair Martin Coleman, Dandridge has a legal background – his in competition law, hers in trade union and equalities law. And it is the legal scaffolding of the new regulatory environment – for competition and equality – that will likely keep the new OfS Chief Executive busy once the regulator is brought into being early next year.