This time last year UUK’s President, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, addressed the Members’ Annual Conference as the new man in post. This year the newcomer is Greg Clark, new Minister of State for Universities and Science, and here in Leeds this evening Sir Christopher and UUK members welcomed him warmly to the conference.
The UUK Annual Conference is the largest annual gathering of university vice-chancellors, and the president took the opportunity to outline to them the pre-General Election priorities that UUK is promoting through its Back Universities campaign.
Sir Christopher Snowdon, President, Universities UK
Sir Christopher began by celebrating higher education’s ‘strength in diversity’, the conference theme. He explained that UUK’s focus for the next eight months is going to be on using this strength of leadership to urge politicians and policymakers that from May 2015, any incoming government must address three key areas: research and innovation; internationalisation and immigration; and student funding.
Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister for State for the Cabinet Office (Cities and Constitution) and Minister of State for Universities and Science
With this call to action no doubt ringing in his ears, Greg Clark MP took to the lectern and began by thanking UUK members for everything they have done and continue to do for higher education. The audience were delighted to hear him praise universities as the UK’s ‘most important, most exciting national asset’.
Turning to the conference theme of ‘strength in diversity’, the minister endorsed the strides that higher education has made over the years to become more diverse in the make-up of its student body. But he also reframed ‘strength in diversity’ as an ambition for the sector – and pledged to support future ‘measures that opened up higher education still further’.
Since his appointment in July, many will have been curious to see how Greg Clark’s other portfolio – that of Minister for Cities – will marry up with his new higher education brief. Anticipating this, he went on to speak about how universities sit at the heart of city and regional economies. With a nod to UUK’s April 2014 work in this area, he praised universities’ vital contribution to ‘lifting regional economies’ through innovation and the development of the skills base.
Going on to discuss how employers increasingly value students with international experience, Clark then announced the launch of the Go International website, a collaboration between BIS and the UK Higher Education International Unit, which aims ‘to help students gain skills through studying abroad’.
The minister closed by reiterating his belief that higher education is ‘in a good place’, and his intention to ‘be [our] champion in government’ – music to the ears of the assembled vice-chancellors here in Leeds, and an encouraging starting point as UUK encourages him and his fellow parliamentarians to back universities now, in May 2015 and beyond.
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