A quiet revolution: post-pandemic UK university system is refocusing itself around local social and economic needs over league tables and national policies

PA Consulting launches results of its 11th survey of higher education leaders Key findings include: Ian Matthias, head of higher education at PA Consulting, says:  "A picture is emerging of vice-chancellors and institutions differentiating their missions and strategies to be more relevant and responsive to changing social and economic needs. "Vice-chancellors are building on the unexpected capacity for rapid innovation, adaptability and agency that universities discovered through...

Key findings include:

Ian Matthias, head of higher education at PA Consulting, says: "A picture is emerging of vice-chancellors and institutions differentiating their missions and strategies to be more relevant and responsive to changing social and economic needs.

"Vice-chancellors are building on the unexpected capacity for rapid innovation, adaptability and agency that universities discovered through COVID-19. This will secure their futures, better deliver for students and further strengthen the links between universities and the people they serve."

Mike Boxall, higher education expert at PA Consulting, says: "The movement towards direct engagement with local and regional economic and social ecosystems opens the prospect of a very different higher education sector. This will be more relevant, more open and more valuable to fast-changing societal needs. It brings with it new challenges, but we are seeing vice-chancellors taking the bold decisions needed to ensure their university can make a sustainable living in what will be a radically changed sector."

Download a copy of 'A Differentiated Future: PA's 2021 Survey of Heads of UK Higher Education Institutions'

Notes to the editor

About the report

Our survey ran in 2021 through an online questionnaire sent to the heads of UK universities and other higher education institutions, supplemented by additional written commentary and in-depth telephone interviews. Our findings are informed by more than 40 responses.
Note: within this report, reference to 'universities' and 'institutions' covers all recognised higher education institutions (HEIs); and 'vice-chancellors' encompasses the diversity of titles among the heads of HEIs.

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