• Exploring a long term plan for education

    Earlier this month I attended a roundtable event on long-term education organised by Universities UK (UUK) and the Foundation for Education Development (FED). The FED are doing important work to develop a policy framework for education in the UK. As they highlight, there has never been a long-term vision and plan for education in England,…

  • Lewisham is London Borough of Culture

    Today, Friday 28 January, sees the long-awaited start of Lewisham’s year as London Borough of Culture. There will be celebrations across the borough, from music to drama and dance performances – giving a flavour of the exciting year ahead. It is recognition of the wonderful creativity this borough has to offer. This pocket of Southeast…

  • On the level: what Civic Engagement must now do for London

    This post first appeared on the HEPI blog on Friday 15 October 2021. London is in the firing line these days. At the Conservative Party Conference in October, the Prime Minister stated the Government will use the levelling up agenda to cool down parts of the ‘overheating’ south-east. There is a risk that for London…

  • Inspire Lewisham

    Last month saw the announcement of an exciting project to support young people into employment in Lewisham.  Inspire Lewisham is a two-year collaboration between Goldsmiths, the Albany, Lewisham College and Do It Now Now. The project will work with unemployed young people in our home borough, helping them to build skills and find work in the creative industries. Part-funded by the…

  • Goldsmiths degree shows 2021

    The creativity of our student community has shone through in another year of outstanding Degree Shows at Goldsmiths. With the reduced restrictions this summer, many of our students have been able to share their final year work in-person, in a series of striking shows across campus and in other South East London venues. I was…

  • For London to truly tackle climate change, we can’t forget our universities

    This blog post was first published on the HEPI blog on Friday 2 July 2021. In the run up to November’s postponed COP26, the conversation around climate change is gaining pace. This week sees the third year of London Climate Action Week, a campaign bringing together climate professionals and communities across the city to find…

  • The business world needs the arts and humanities

    Amid government talk of ‘low value’ university courses, you could be forgiven for thinking our economy doesn’t need the arts and humanities. Degrees including performing arts and media studies face a potential 50% reduction in their government subsidy from next year, as they fail to make the cut on a government list of strategic priorities.…

  • Thinking local and global on Earth Day

    Today is Earth Day, the annual event uniting people and leaders across the world to take action to protect our planet. This year’s ‘Restore our Earth’ theme will focus on the innovative thinking needed to pull us back from the brink of climate catastrophe. This year’s theme feels all the more significant as we approach…

  • Universities and the climate emergency

    This week I was delighted to speak at important event organised by Universities UK (UUK) on the role of universities in tackling the climate emergency. I was part of a panel exploring how universities can embed sustainability and create cleaner, greener campuses. Hosted by Dr Heidi Smith from Swansea University, we were joined by James…

  • Context amid crisis: Why human perspectives matter more than ever

    This post was first published on the HEPI Blog on Monday 7 December 2020. I have always firmly believed that responding to society’s most complex challenges requires a rounded, multidisciplinary approach. Science and technology will play their vital role, but as we have seen throughout the COVID-19 crisis, context matters. To craft solutions that work,…