'Creativity, Collaboration and Complexity' - Association of University Administrators (AUA) Annual Conference
By Ian Hamley, Operations Manager
The AUA is the main professional body for professional services staff working at all levels in universities. The AUA run a series of events, workshops and CPD activity throughout the year and the Annual Conference brings over 400 delegates together to hear from leading figures from the HE sector and to hear directly from practicing professional services colleagues via a series of talks, seminars and workshops. This year the Conference was held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds and here are some of the highlights. On social media it has regularly been confused with the American Urological Association who hold their conference in far more exotic places!
The Conference formally opened in the form of a plenary from Dr Ben Goldacre, an academic in epidemiology who writes and talks eloquently about the use and misuse of data, science and ‘facts’ by journalists and politicians. The essence of his talk was a ‘call to arms’ for us all to look beyond the headline figures and statements and to look sensibly at data and what it really is telling us – not what we want it to tell us in order to spuriously support a political or ideological position. The preceding ‘Q & A’ session at the end of his talk focussed around how (un)reliable the NSS actually is as a means of measuring the quality of the student experience. Needless to say that he was rather sceptical and invited the AUA to work with him to look closer at some of the possible flaws of the much loved questionnaire! Watch this space to see what happens…..
The first session I attended was a talk by a Partner at Weightmans on “Students as consumers – how has the HE landscape changed post the CMA”? The presenters talked through various strands of consumer rights and case law to argue that HEIs need to be fully compliant with the CMA or risk significant financial outlay, court fees, fines and irrecoverable negative publicity. This was an accessible session which presented the key points of the CMA to a non-specialist audience.
The second session was run by colleagues at Oxford Brookes University and the University of Sussex and was entitled “Complying with Tier 4, Challenges and Opportunities”. This was an interesting overview of the journey two different universities have been on since the introduction of the Points Based System both in terms of the additional administrative load on academic and professional services staff and various cultural and technological changes which were needed in order to retain the ability to recruit international students. The presenters were both from ‘central’ roles and it would have been a little more balanced if they had included the perspectives of those in Schools who have to deliver on this on a daily basis. However, it was a well delivered session which articulated the benefits of monitoring student engagement and attendance along with the difficulties.
Next, there was a very passionate panel debate on the counter-terrorism duties which are being placed at the door of universities and the impact it can have on academic liberties. Two PVCs and two senior administrators presented arguments for and against the role that universities should play in addressing ‘radical thoughts’ with the majority of the audience voting that the Government’s Prevent strategy was detrimental to academic liberty. This attracted the Times Higher’s attention who have covered it here:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/prevent-stopping-students-speaking-out-in-class.
The third session was a fascinating talk by two higher education ‘Wonks’ (a ‘wonk’ is a term used to refer to the specialist cadre of university staff who have the pleasure of interpreting government policy and advising and informing senior leadership teams on its implications) from the University of Essex and the University of Exeter. They talked the audience through the Teaching Excellence Framework and what this may mean for the sector when it comes into effect from September 2017. If you are interested in finding out more there is a very accessible website (http://wonkhe.com/) which provides analysis and commentary on everything relating to HE policy making.
The final highlight I’ll include in this overview is the Closing Plenary – a talk delivered by Professor Sir Anthony Seldon, VC, University of Buckingham. The Closing Plenary is a tough slot to have. Delegates may still be feeling a little ‘sensitive’ following the previous night’s gala dinner and/or thinking about making the journey back home and the presenter has to work hard to keep the momentum and energy going right through to the end of the Conference. Professor Seldon – a Board Member of http://www.actionforhappiness.org/ - did this in a most entertaining way by talking through the concept of ‘mindfulness’ and the ‘10 keys’ to happier living. The Plenary closed with Professor leading a dance to ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams. How many VCs have you seen dancing in front of 400 delegates (sober)?
This Leeds Conference was the first one I have been to in over 4 years and it was a really valuable 2½ days talking with and meeting a diverse range of colleagues from across the sector. The AUA may not be to everyone’s taste, and it does come with a monthly membership cost; but for me it is a valuable resource, especially during increasing times of complexity!
If you want to know more about the AUA, come have a chat with Ian Hamley or Margaret Jelleyman. Alternatively, details can be found at http://www.aua.ac.uk/