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Read blogs from members across the University Alliance and from the UA policy team

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  1. We must support the diversification of academia’s media face

    (Originally printed in Times Higher Education on 22nd August 2021) An initiative by the University Alliance to offer training and support to BAME scholars is an important step in the right direction, says Professor Vini Lander  The recent appearance on the BBC’s Newsnight programme of Stanley Johnson, the prime minister’s father, as an “environmentalist” caused quite a stir. […]

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  2. Alliance universities are fulfilling a civic role within their communities

    University Alliance institutions are supporting their local communities through encouraging volunteering, bolstering social enterprises and designing projects to help local people.  Our universities’ deep roots in their communities, stemming from partnerships with local organisations, businesses and charities, mean that we are established as a significant source of support within the region. Through volunteering initiatives, social […]

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  3. Alliance universities play key role in regeneration and investment in local communities

    Alliance universities have a deep roots in their local communities, stretching back hundreds of years, with strong links to local industry, businesses and cultural institutions. Their anchor status in the local region provides opportunities not just for those attending the universities, but for the cities and towns in which they are situated. It’s an important […]

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  4. Harnessing the power of university-sponsored Multi Academy Trust partnerships

    This blog was written by: Professor Debra Humphris, Chair of University Alliance and Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton; Dr John Smith, Chief Executive of Brighton Academies Trust; Ian Dunn, Provost, Coventry University; and Uly Lyons, Chief Executive of the Better Futures Multi Academy Trust.  This article first appeared in HEPI.  In a speech to the school sector in […]

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  5. ‘A solution can always be found and we are on your side’ – Kingston University Clearing student turned hotline operator says

    When Veronica Oprisan decided to change paths from musical theatre to business psychology, she felt nervous about having to reapply for university.  But after securing a place at Kingston University through Clearing she is at peace with her choice and, one year later is now working as a hotline operator where she hopes to reassure […]

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  6. Addressing a lost opportunity in the NHS workforce crisis: higher education’s future role in clinical placement management

    This blog first appeared in HEPI on 3 August 2021 The National Health Service is enjoying a unique moment in its 73 year-old history as its value is brought into sharp focus by the COVID pandemic. After months of weekly doorstep claps for NHS workers and NHS rainbows – a once ubiquitous sight on British streets […]

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  7. Sexual consent education at Oxford Brookes University

    Rachel is also project manager for the Sexual Consent Education project the University. University Alliance recently held a seminar for members to share institutional approaches to policies and practice on sexual harassment and misconduct. Rachel Payne, Principal Lecturer in Student Experience, shares the lessons learned from Oxford Brookes University. In the wake of the horrific […]

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  8. High tech facilities at Alliance universities are helping to power the NHS

    University Alliance institutions are at the forefront of training the UK’s future health and social care workforce, training 25% of all nursing and midwifery students and 18% of all social work students. This is due in large part to the superb learning and training provision afforded by our universities’ high tech facilities. Allowing students to […]

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  9. UA institutions play important role in action against climate change

    Some of the world’s most influential leaders are convening in Cornwall this weekend for the G7 summit, with discussions on combatting the climate crisis high on their agendas. With this in mind, we’ve pulled together some of the ways that Alliance institutions are instrumental in the UK’s response to the climate crisis, and how work […]

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  10. How volunteering for the NHS helped me become a pandemic-resilient PGR (and introduced me to the Queen!)

    As a doctoral researcher, I found myself in a lonely place at the beginning of the pandemic, wallowing in self-pity about the impact the pandemic was having on my research, including the struggles of studying at home as a parent. As a DTA researcher, I had imagined that I was future-proofed for any disruption to […]

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