IHEF 2024 forward look: Professor John Strachan

In our session, we really want to get across the importance and validity of the research that is going on in smaller providers. We’re not research-intensive universities, but we do high-quality research and at the Guild we are having our voices heard as part of the research infrastructure of the UK.  

We also want to address the opportunities and challenges facing smaller and specialist providers in the realm of international engagement.  

What can we, as smaller institutions, do that a bigger, or more intensive, university perhaps cannot? I think we have the ability to develop more personalised, resilient relationships with international partners, complimenting their work with bigger providers. We’re also looking at the prospect of working with smaller, specialist providers around the world – for example, in the Global South and looking at improving the equity of these partnerships.  

We’re also addressing the experiences of smaller and specialist providers trying to construct our own international strategies. How does this process differ from traditional, larger and more generalist institutions?  

GuildHE are really keen on developing the international strategies of small and specialist providers. Whether they’re working with generalist institutions, or other specialist providers, there’s a level of expertise to be found across smaller institutions – real pockets of expertise and focus you may struggle to find elsewhere. We frequently encourage our members to work internationally as well as nationally.  

I’m delighted to be participating in IHEF 2024. It’s always a wonderful occasion, but it does look particularly strong this year, so there’s a lot to look forward to. From a personal perspective, I’m particular interested in the session on ‘global engagement in uncertain times’ – How pertinent could that be with the challenges in international education?  

There’s a cold wind blowing through international education at the moment and this conference will offer useful strategies for dealing with these challenges which all HE providers face – from the largest to smallest. There’s a good mix of speakers from universities, HMG and specialist groups, so it promises to be an excellent occasion and I very much look forward to it.  

Join Professor John Strachan and over 200 colleagues from across the sector at International Higher Education Forum 2024 on 1-2 May 2024 at Senate House, London. Tickets are still available here.