Understanding the political economy of university governance in the UK has become both an important and timely research topic in its own right. This one-day conference draws together a range of scholars from the College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham with a select group of international experts from elsewhere.

Professor David Green, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Worcester will give the keynote address.

This will be followed by a series of themed workshops with paper presentations and discussion on:

• Hollowing out the university : the impact of quality processes on university business
• Building a knowledge economy: exploring the links between university, employability and the labour markets
• University funding in hard times: looking at how funding affects what universities offer

There will be a roundtable discussion at the end of the day, chaired by Professor Helen Sullivan, University of Birmingham, with contributions from;

• Professor Miriam David, Institute of Education
• Professor Stephen Gorard, University of Birmingham
• Dr David Sadler, Higher Education Academy
• Dr Stephen Jackson, Quality Assurance Agency
• Professor Peter Davies, University of Birmingham

The wider context for this workshop incorporates the controversial questions surrounding the future share of university funding in UK public spending, the continuing evolution of the purpose of university education, the changing nature of the relationships between universities, the state, business, and society, and how excellence in scholarly research and university teaching should be evaluated.

This event is free to attend but places are limited so early booking is advised.

A full programme is available to download here: 

To reserve a place please contact: Guvinder Kaur via email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone on: 0121 414 8227