A conversation on the future of tertiary education
With new technology, leadership styles, and access to education, where does that leave the future of higher education?
What will tertiary education look like in ten years? What about 20 years from now? How can the tertiary system adapt to better meet the needs of learners and society at large? These are just some of the questions posed by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Young Academy of Scotland Tertiary Education Futures project. On Friday 3 March, the Tertiary Education Futures project will launch its final report.
The last five to ten years have seen many big developments impact Scotland’s tertiary education system. The Tertiary Education Futures project aimed to reflect on these changes, stimulate debate across a range of stakeholders and take a forward-looking and holistic approach to considering how the tertiary system is likely to transform to keep pace with shifting societal expectations and demands. Sectoral engagement was at the heart of this project. Actors from across the broad remit of tertiary education joined, including staff in colleges and universities; current learners; non-traditional education providers; business and skills agencies; international tertiary education representatives joined a series of roundtable discussions. Their reflections and insights are captured in a series of key themes to provide a sector-informed view of the future of tertiary education.
Join us on Friday 3 March for an open and participative conversation on the future of tertiary education, including a panel of eminent speakers and a fireside chat with Professor Anne Anderson FRSE, Tertiary Education Futures Chair, and alumni of the Young Academy of Scotland Dr Alice König, Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews, and Peter McColl, Senior Associate at The Consultation Institute.
CHAIR
Professor Anne Anderson FRSE
Chair, Tertiary Education Futures
Professor Anderson, MA, Ph.D., FRSE, OBE was Vice Principal at the University of Glasgow and led the College of Social Sciences until 2019. She is a psychologist whose research explored how people communicate and collaborate and how IT systems do and do not replicate the advantages of face-to-face interactions. Anne was a member of The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) between 2008 – 2015 which is responsible for £800 million annual investments in research. She was awarded an OBE in 2002 for her services to social science.
SPEAKER
Dr Alice König
Senior Lecturer, University of St Andrews
Alice König is Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of St Andrews. She enjoys running interdisciplinary research projects which tackle real-world challenges. Some of her work focuses on the history of science and attitudes towards expertise. She also studies cross-cultural interactions, especially the ways in which practices and ideas get shared across linguistic, religious and cultural boundaries. Her third area of research is intertextuality: the ways in which textual, oral and visual narratives interact with each other across time and space, shaping belief systems and cultural discourses. Focusing particularly on representations of war, she studies the feedback loop between narrative and reality, whereby war stories not only reflect but also help shape prevailing mindsets and behaviours.
SPEAKER
Peter McColl
Senior Associate, Consultation Institute
Peter is The Consultation Institute’s Senior Associate in Scotland. He has a range of interests including public participation in policy, climate change, consultation and digital. Previously he was Head of Policy and Futures for the Snook design agency, Head of Policy for Nesta in Scotland and Rector of the University of Edinburgh from 2012-15. He was a member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland 2016-22.
SPEAKER
Marielle Bruce
Youth Work & Schools Manager, YouthLink Scotland
Marielle Bruce is a Community Learning and Development Professional, with an extensive range of experience across local authority and third sector youth work. Currently Youth Work and Schools Manager at YouthLink Scotland, she leads the organisation’s work across the education, skills and employability system. This includes managing one of the Scottish Attainment Challenge national programmes – helping to improve outcomes for young people impacted by poverty. Marielle is passionate about promoting why every young person should have access to youth work as part of their learning journey.
SPEAKER
James Dunphy
Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes
James Dunphy is the Scottish Funding Council’s Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes. He is responsible for SFC’s work on all aspects of learning provision, including widening access and inclusion; equality and diversity; skills and learning quality; and student experience.
James joined the Scottish Funding Council from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in November 2020. He held a number of roles at RGU and was its Director of Enhancement of Learning, Teaching before leaving.
From 2017 to 2020, James was a member of the board at Scotland’s national Centre for Work Based Learning. He has also served as a member of the Policy Council of Aberdeen’s Chamber of Commerce and also served on SFC’s Access and Inclusion Committee.
SPEAKER
Eve Lewis
Director, student partnerships in quality Scotland (sparqs)
Eve is responsible for managing the agency on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. She provides strategic direction and management support to the sparqs team, and maintains close links with other sector agencies in Scotland, across the rest of the UK and internationally.
Eve took up her post within sparqs in July 2010. Previously, she was Education and Welfare Manager at Heriot-Watt University Students’ Association for eighteen years, managing their non-commercial activities including their extensive work on academic representation.
