Monday 12 October 2026

Wonkhe presents · Past event

Making sense of higher education

Monday 14 February 2022 · Business Design Centre

Higher education can be a difficult place to navigate as a professional, whether you’re early in your career, joining the sector from a different industry, moving institutions, a lay governor, taking on a new role with different responsibilities or developing your partnerships with universities.

At Making sense of higher education, Team Wonkhe and friends will be on hand to help you navigate through our crash course in higher education policy, politics, and people.

We’ll take you on a tour through the histories, cultures, and external pressures shaping what universities are doing – and connect you to plenty of allies and sources of insight to help make sense of it all and inform the decisions you’re making in your professional role.

Because among all the noise of Westminster and devolved governments, regulatory requirements, media controversy, sector comings and goings, and internal battles, is a lively, fascinating and never-ending debate about the social purposes higher education serves in the contemporary UK.

And we believe that everyone working in and around higher education, whatever your role, seniority, or background, should have the opportunity to engage in and shape that conversation.

View the full programme

Speakers

  • Debbie McVittyEditor, Wonkhe
  • David EastwoodFormer vice chancellor, University of Birmingham
  • Mark LeachFounder & Editor in Chief, Wonkhe
  • Andy WestwoodProfessor of Government Practice, University of Manchester and former Labour adviser
  • Smita JamdarPartner and Head of Education, Shakespeare Martineau
  • Mary StuartDirector of Leadership Development at Minerva, UK and former Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln
  • Jonathan GrantAuthor, The New Power University
  • Mark CorverFounder, dataHE
  • David KernohanAssociate editor, Wonkhe
  • Jim DickinsonAssociate editor, Wonkhe
  • Sunday BlakeAssociate Editor, Wonkhe
  • Mike RatcliffeFormer Academic Registrar
  • Nora ColtonDirector, Global Business School of Health, UCL

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