Principal appointed to Commission of Future of HE

Professor Sir Rick Trainor, Principal of King’s College London, has been appointed to the Commission on the Future of Higher Education in England, which will address how the sector can respond to the challenges it will face over the next 20 years.

Launched on Thursday 9 February 2012 by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the independent Commission will take a strategic look at the role Higher Education plays in our society and on our economy and will develop a policy framework to strengthen the position of Higher Education institutions.

Professor Trainor, alongside fellow members of the Commission, will scrutinise the purpose of Higher Education in the 21st century. It will examine a range of issues facing the sector including how world-class teaching and research can be funded, particularly in an age of austerity, and what role the sector can play in promoting sustainable economic growth across the country.

Professor Trainor said: ‘I am delighted to have been invited to play a part in examining the challenges facing the Higher Education sector but also the many opportunities to be exploited over the coming decades.’

Members of the Commission will meet throughout the year and visit a number of different Higher Education institutions, taking evidence from stakeholders across the sector and from across the political spectrum, publishing their final report of recommendations in February 2013.

The Commission is chaired by Professor Nigel Thrift, Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick and its members are drawn from other university leaders, academics, business experts and student representatives.

Professor Thrift said: ‘This is a time of profound change in our Higher Education system so we are very pleased to announce the formation of this Commission. Just as the Robbins, Dearing and Browne Reports took a step back to look strategically at the future of Higher Education, so this Commission will examine the role Higher Education plays in our national life and will address the key challenges it faces over the next 20 years.’

Other members of the Commission are Professor Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter; Professor John Sexton, President of New York University; Hugh Morgan Williams OBE, Chairman of the Canford Group plc; Sandra McNally, Director of the Education Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance; Dame Jackie Fisher, Chief Executive of NCG which comprises of Newcastle College, West Lancashire College and the Intraining Group; Professor Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University and Thom Arnold, President of the University of Sheffield’s Students’ Union.