4. Being A Civic University

In 2019, The UPP Foundation launched the Civic University Commission to examine the economic, social, environmental, and cultural role universities play in the towns and cities they are a part of. While it found many examples of civic activity it also concluded that there was a need for a more strategic approach, if universities were to fulfil their role as “anchor institutions” and their civic responsibilities in line with the needs of their local area. The Civic University Network was then set up to promote and share good practice, with a focus on supporting universities to produce a Civic University Agreement in partnership with local governments and other institutions based in the communities they serve. For access and participation professionals, the connections between our work and the civic university movement became more centre stage when John Blake, the new Director of the Office for Students, highlighted universities civic responsibility to support raised attainment among underrepresented groups. In this episode we speak to Greg Burke, Director of Place and Civic Engagement at Sheffield Hallam University about some of the challenges in developing a Civic University Agreement, the tensions between a focus on place and universities’ global outlook, the different environments universities operate in, John Blake’s statement and peer review as a model for independent evaluation. We hope you will find it informative. We would love to receive your feedback at [email protected] or on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts. Best wishes, Renata Albuquerque - presenter Simon Tullett - editor