Available to Advance HE Members only
Higher education is at a crossroads, student needs are evolving rapidly, technology is disrupting traditional models and financial pressures demand innovative approaches.
Our (Re)Designing Higher Education programme connects you with global educational leaders through three focused sessions on students, workforce and institutions. You’ll gain access to cutting-edge case studies, evidence-based strategies and opportunities to collaborate with peers to help your institution not just survive but thrive in this transformed landscape.
Bookings for the sessions are now open.
Higher education at a crossroads
The landscape is changing faster than ever.
Student needs and expectations are rapidly evolving. Digital natives demand personalised, flexible learning experiences that traditional models struggle to deliver.
AI and emerging technologies are challenging established assessment models while creating new opportunities for educational innovation.
Institutions must diversify income streams and improve efficiency while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.
International recruitment, reputation management and the need for global perspectives have never been more critical.
Changing job roles require new approaches to workforce development and institutional capacity.
The imperative to improve student success rates directly impacts both financial sustainability and institutional reputation.
About the programme
What You’ll Gain
Evidence-based strategies that deliver real results
- Global Perspectives – Learning from diverse approaches to common challenges.
- Evidence-Based Strategies – Move beyond gut instinct with actionable change to embed into educational excellence strategies.
- Peer Collaboration – Build lasting networks with education leaders who understand your challenges and share your vision.
- Resources – Access to a repository of case studies and recommendations informed by participating teams built from the sessions.
Key programme elements
Three Sessions, Three Transformations
Join global education leaders in reimagining the future.
Each session combines global case studies, expert insights, and collaborative planning opportunities with institutions facing similar challenges worldwide.
Sessions
Session 3: Institutions
(Re)thinking structure, strategy and sustainability in higher education
Date: 16 June 2026
Time: 14:30-16:00 BST
Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure to rethink how they are organised, governed and sustained. This session explores how institutional models must evolve in response to financial constraints, technological disruption, and changing expectations from students, staff and regulators.
Through provocations from sector leaders, participants will examine:
- The future shape and purpose of the university as an institution
- New organisational and governance models to support agility and resilience
- How institutions can balance financial sustainability with educational quality and mission
- The role of partnerships, globalisation and diversification in institutional strategy
The session will combine insight, peer exchange and structured reflection to support leaders in reimagining institutional design over the next 3-5 years.
Chair: Alistair Jarvis CBE, Chief Executive, Advance HE.
Speaker: Professor Nic Beech, Vice-Chancellor, University of Salford and Professor Zoe Radnor, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Aston University.
Workforce: Making deliberate but good organisational choices in conditions of constraint
Took place on 18 March 2026
Higher Education is facing unavoidable workforce trade-offs amid sustained financial and operational constraints. This session creates space for open discussion of the difficult design choices shaping roles, structures and institutional capacity across academic and professional services. Moving beyond incremental efficiency, it focuses on how deliberate workforce design can strengthen delivery, resilience and the ability to deliver the core mission. Participants will leave with clearer insight into how workforce configuration can better support institutional priorities amid ongoing reform.
Chair: Charles Knight
Speakers: Professor Sam Grogan, Lisa Mann and Emma Bates
Student Needs: (Re)thinking support, success and belonging in higher education
Took place on 21 January
Higher education is experiencing significant shifts in who students are, what they need, and how they experience learning and institutional life. This session invited institutional leaders and practitioners to step back and critically reflect on how well current approaches are aligned with today’s realities.
The session included short provocations from senior sector leaders, offering perspectives on:
- The changing nature of student needs and expectations
- Persistent challenges around access, wellbeing, belonging and progression
- Where sector responses may need to evolve over the next 3-5 years
Speakers
Alistair Jarvis CBE
Chief Executive, Advance HE
Alistair was a Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of London from 2022 to 2025. As a member of the senior executive team his responsibilities included communications, fundraising, marketing, legal, governance support, student recruitment, diversity and inclusion, regulatory compliance, quality assurance and supporting partnerships with federation members.
Professor Nic Beech
Vice-Chancellor, University of Salford
Nic is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford and was previously Vice-Principal at the University of St Andrews, Provost of Dundee University and Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University. He is Chair of the Quality Council for UK Higher Education and Treasurer and on the Board of Universities UK.
Professor Zoe Radnor
Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor -Academic, Aston University
Professor Zoe Radnor is a leading scholar in performance and process improvement and service management in public sector organisations, with over 100 published articles, book chapters and thought pieces to her name. She has previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Academic Hubs and Pro Vice-Chancellor for the College of Business and Social Sciences.
Jim Dickinson
Associate Editor, Wonkhe
Jim Dickinson focuses on students, governance, and higher education regulation. Former NUS director and SU CEO, he also serves as a Governor and contributes to leadership programmes.
Sammy Li
Assistant Director of Student Affairs (Postgraduate and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), University of Birmingham
Charles Knight
Director, Leadership, Governance & Management, Advance HE
Charles is an academic leader with a proven track record of delivery in the areas of learning teaching and enterprise. Before joining Advance HE, he was Associate Dean (Student Experience) at Salford Business School where he worked with colleagues to introduce a series of innovative practices including short technical qualifications, block teaching and an increased emphasis on the use of simulations and experimental learning.
Professor Sam Grogan
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience, University of Salford
As Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience at the University of Salford, Sam holds oversight for quality and standards of the academic portfolio, executive responsibility for the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Centre within the university and executive responsibility for developing the learning philosophy underpinning the student journey.
Lisa Mann
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Office, Arts University Bournemouth
Lisa Mann assumed in January 2025 following the retirement of Professor Paul Gough. Her appointment reflects a distinguished career in higher education, marked by innovative leadership and a commitment to advancing creative disciplines.
Dr Jummy Okoya
Associate Professor and Dean of the Office for Institutional Equity, University of East London
Jummy leads the University’s strategy for equity, inclusion and student success as a core driver of institutional sustainability and social justice. A scholar-practitioner with over 25 years’ experience across higher education, her work focuses on intersectional leadership, racial equity, belonging and the emotional labour of advancing inclusion.
Is this programme for you?
- Designed for educational leaders driving institutional transformation
- Institutional leadership teams
- Heads of Learning and Teaching, Workforce Development, and Digital Transformation
- Senior staff responsible for educational strategy, curriculum design, and student success
- Teams leading innovation or transformation projects in higher education.
