Advance HE has a big twelve months ahead under the highly regarded and respected Johns. Bringing together existing agencies Leadership Foundation, Higher Education Academy, and Equality Challenge Unit, it’s going to prove a tough road to create a compelling overall vision and strategy and membership model that can gather the support it needs in the sector.
On the one hand, merging three agencies with distinct remits, subscription models, and histories is no easy job. There have been significant staff and budget cutbacks to erase duplication and to lower the overall subscription cost of its transitional year before running new programmes from August 2019. It is to Johns’ credit that this has been accomplished without any of the public laundry airing that characterised similar mergers in HE history.
On the other hand, Advance HE needs to offer the sector real solutions to the challenges ahead – where does Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter, Fellowship of HEA or any other existing programmes fit in the new OfS-led world? How will it equip leaders and governors to manage the tougher regulatory structure? And how will it enable the sector to deal with known unknowns on the horizon – the post-18 review, Brexit, financial instability, industrial strife, and the rest of it? A lot hinges on success of Johns’ ability to make Advance HE a critical asset to the sector in these turbulent times.