My Imaginary University

S3 Ep1: Episode 1: Serious Study at the Real University of Life

Everyone works very hard at this institution To kick off the third season of the My Imaginary University podcast we have Higher Education Consultant Hugh Jones who gives us an idea of what it would be like to study at a very serious institution, the University of Life. No, not that one that people down the pub claim to have been to but a real (ok, not actually) university founded on the idea of the power of education to transform the individual. Teaching and learning are very different from the norm and highly tailored to individual needs and the learning and living facilities are outstanding in the traditional Manor House campus environment It is a small but perfectly formed university with a very big endowment and, while there is some collective activity, much of the responsibility for working hard sits with each student who is driving their own learning journey. It is then a serious place with a high level of applicant demand and little in the way of frivolity for learners, unless it is related directly to your studies. No-one is allowed to coast and, if there is any idling then the Vice-Chancellor will be on to you - he likes to wander around to ensure staff and students are all working hard. It is certainly a disciplined and focused environment but one where every student is supported with outstanding teaching and facilities to achieve their goals. And it has a distinctive high brow anthem too. Welcome to the real University of Life.

S2 Ep11: Episode 11: Global Scale Research at World Multilateral U

Everything has gone global at the Olympic-style university This episode of My Imaginary University was, excitingly, recorded live in front of an audience at the recent Wonkhe Festival of Higher Education. Many thanks to Wonkhe for inviting me and special thanks to Jim Dickinson for all the help with making the recording happen. Our creative force on this occasion is Graeme Wise who is Director of Strategic Programmes and Engagement at University of London who has imagined a big and bold institution operating on a genuinely global scale. World Multilateral University - also known colloquially as Olympic University - is a worldwide research institution operating under a treaty which brings the world’s best academics together in focused groupings to address the biggest research challenges there are for four years at a time. There’s a well-staffed permanent secretariat based in a pleasant city and all staff enjoy some special privileges, including magic passports which get them through all borders without delay. Every four years the University has a two month long in person plenary session to review progress and plan the next round of research - it sees itself as the opposite of the Davos experience. Our audience chip in with some excellent questions for aspirant president Graeme covering topics ranging from strategic planning to IP to secret handshakes, We also learn that the University’s theme tune leads staff to imagine they are running along a beach whenever they hear it played. Or maybe not. Anyway, it is a terrific proposition and a really good discussion.

S2 Ep10: Episode 10: Rejoicing at Enlightenment

Let us Rejoice at the Scottish Institute for the Enlightenment In the latest episode of My Imaginary University Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, shares his vision for a Scottish Institute for the Enlightenment, a body focused on advancing human reasoning for purpose of improvement.  Working closely with the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow and based in both cities this largely postgraduate and research institution is fundamentally international in outlook and covers a broad range of subjects. Embodying an interdisciplinary approach, the institute delivers high quality research and real policy impact, engaging directly with governments and big organisations.  As a light touch vice-chancellor, broader issues like the food offer really matter to Anton as does the range of cultural activities on offer, from Bonnie Tyler-focused karaoke to arts festivals, and there is a strong sense of the importance of community engagement too. It is, of course, a largely rational institution which really helps with management operations and there are few concerns with controversial speakers thanks to the enlightenment ethos. The institute's anthem is a traditional one and its Latin lyrics are no obstacle to celebrating the joys of work and study.

S2 Ep9: Episode 9: Life's Just Fine at BIVB University

Fine, fine, fine This latest episode in the My Imaginary University podcast series stars Ben Vulliamy, Executive Director at AHUA, the Association of Heads of University Administrators.  [https://www.ahua.ac.uk] Ben creates an interesting and distinctive Yorkshire-based university which is busy connecting with everyone and everything but has no time for mission groups. It enthusiastically partners with organisations and agencies across the country to deliver education and research in novel ways and places, from Grimsby to East London. Good citizenship is central to every part of student life and, working closely with the students' union, the aim is to have the healthiest students around. There are also some novel approaches to hotel-style student accommodation and food and beverage provision. Ben, unsurprisingly perhaps, sees himself as Registrar rather than Vice-Chancellor of this new university and, having a culture which fosters constant reflection among the student population is confident that everything will be just fine.

S2 Ep8: Episode 8: Climbing Every Higher Ed Mountain in Nairobi and Nuneaton

This episode of the podcast stars Professor Sir Chris Husbands, latterly Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University and now founder and Director of Higher Futures [https://higherfutures.co.uk/what-we-do/] a consultancy, strategy and policy advice company. In dreaming up his imaginary university Chris made the wise choice not to worry at all about finances but rather focused on a set of core precepts drawing on his own diverse experience to ensure that every part of higher education is reflected in his institution. Chris presents us with a genuinely global university which is embedded in the community and embraces co-operative and lifelong learning. It is a university of scale and based on a federal model with its first campuses in the landmark locations of Nuneaton and Nairobi.  Distinctively, students are expected to return no sooner than 10 years after graduation to undertake a fourth year of study to round off their learning journey, responding to the notion that university is wasted on the young. Education is immersive and full-service from 18 onwards and students can expect to graduate at whatever level being able to climb every mountain. There are no single subject degrees and all programmes are genuinely interdisciplinary with all students also undertaking 25% of their degree in the community or in practice or research settings. Although this inevitably creates timetabling challenges the broad-based comprehensive model is arguably a return to more traditional approach and bears more than a passing resemblance to the California State system. The legacies of George Eliot, Ken Loach and Larry Grayson, notable Nuneaton residents are also reflected in the offer as the university looks to promote access, diversity and encourage everyone to think locally and act globally. It's a bold and distinctive model for a global university, led by academic design and with a very benign president for life overseeing all.