Boab Thomson is a Public Affairs & Communications Executive at Universities Scotland. After the publication of the party manifestos ahead of May’s 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, Boab looks at what each party has to say about higher education and what that might mean for the sector in the next session of Parliament. Without stating the…
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Cuts to ODA funding undermines UK’s “Global Britain” agenda
Dr Lauren Knight is a Senior Policy Officer covering research and innovation at Universities Scotland. Following confirmation that the UK Government will cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding, Lauren writes about the impact of the decision on Scottish research and the UK’s place in the world. Last week, we were told to expect a sudden and sharp £120 million hole in…
We asked more of students than is asked of anyone else; a group we know is caring, responsible and socially minded
Our Director, Alastair Sim, explains the context to our announcements relating to student socialisation and the management of COVID-19 over recent days: “This weekend, we asked all students not to go out to pubs, restaurants and cafes. It was a request, not a ban. It was never a ban. But we know it was a…
Improving articulation between Scottish colleges and universities
Professor Nigel Seaton is the Principal of Abertay University and Co-Convener of the National Articulation Forum. He introduces a new report by the Forum which sets a series of recommendations to make it easier for students to progress from college to university. The National Articulation Forum had as its objective to work out how to…
Internationalisation is top of the agenda for Scottish universities
Elisa Chirico is Connected Scotland Project Officer at Universities Scotland. She introduces “Internationally Scottish – Creating global communities”, a new publication showcasing international staff and students and their contribution to Scotland. I’m absolutely delighted to share our new publication with the world. With this work, we want to celebrate international students, staff, alumni and the…
Business and universities stand ready to drive economic growth
Our Convener Professor Andrea Nolan reflects on the close partnership between business and universities and how she believes this relationship will continue to grow in the future. I fully believe Scotland has the vital ingredients to be a leading innovation nation. This ambition, recently reinforced by Professor Muscatelli’s National Mission report, is shared by highly…
A Vision for Scotland’s universities in 2030
Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, takes the long view and sets out our ambition for Scotland’s higher education sector in 2030: Graduation season is the perfect time to launch our Vision for Scottish higher education in 2030 because graduations represent a springboard into the future and a time full of optimism and energy. That’s…
Augar: The view from Scotland
Our Director, Alastair Sim, reflects on the Augar Review of post-18 education and funding and what the recommendations mean for the Scottish higher education sector. Scottish university leaders have been waiting for the Augar Review with some anxiety. Their interest is much greater than you would expect from the Review’s very brief reference to devolved…
Behind the scenes at Going Global part 2
Samantha Lister is back with the second and final part of her blog from Berlin. Samantha is Assistant Registrar at the University of St Andrews and is currently attending The British Council’s Going Global conference in Berlin. This year, 12 Scottish universities are participating in the annual conference for leaders of international education where local, national,…
Behind the scenes at Going Global
The British Council’s Going Global is an annual conference for leaders of international education where local, national, regional and global agendas meet. This year, 12 Scottish universities are participating in the conference. To give you a flavour of what’s happening at the conference, we have a series of blogs from Samantha Lister, Assistant Registrar at…