The higher education sector had high hopes of a new government last July. Ten months on the hopes look tarnished as financial, political and policy challenges mount. As the Government prepares to deliver its forthcoming White Paper they need to set much clearer priorities for the sector, derived from a vision for the shape, size and mission of universities. How the sector collectively, and institutions individually confront the choices ahead will be a test for policy makers and institutional leaders.

Engaging staff productively against the backdrop of a rapidly changing and financially severely challenging landscape is difficult for any leadership team, however experienced, and the issues are both tactical and strategic.

As university leaders think about strategic positioning for the next decade, they need to think equally hard about how they will engage more diverse student populations impacted in such different ways by recent changes.

Scaling the funding challenges in higher education.

Making the case for greater collaboration between universities and colleges.

Increased challenges demand stronger university governance.

What will happen to England’s universities after the election?

Students are making extensive use of generative AI in increasingly sophisticated and discriminating ways.

The essay assessment is only the most obvious casualty of generative AI.