As I come to the end of my time at Sheffield Hallam University, I thought it would be good to reflect on my Civic University journey. Having spent most of my life as a policy civil servant working on national policy, it has been fascinating to have the opportunity to see policy implementation at the local level. In Whitehall, we tend to work on topics and don’t always see the connections. At the local level, you get the chance to see how many things are connected, and how policies impact on places. In places, everything connects.
It has been great to be part of this exciting civic university story. Evidence across the world suggest that universities have a critical role to play in shaping places. But how far have we come in the UK, and how much further do we still need to go?
Since the Civic University Commission was formed in 2019, we have made great progress. Most universities are asking themselves what more can they do to take forward their civic mission. But all too often, these debates are still in the margins and not part of the conversations about overall strategic direction. Civic is often still seen as a “nice to have”, rather than a fundamental part of university strategy. All too often, things fall away when individuals leave the institution.
So how can we embed civic activity into institutions? I think some of this starts with asking the question, what is the purpose of the university? We must recognise that one of the purposes of a university is to have a positive impact on place. We must be able to demonstrate how the university is having a positive impact. We often make broad claims without having the evidence to support the assertions. Being able to measure impact is very important. The Civic Impact Framework provides a great starting point to help institutions assess their impact across a number of domains.
Local context is very important. At Sheffield Hallam, it has been very exciting to work with local councils and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority to co-create the future strategy. Universities can play a key role in bringing evidence and academic expertise to support local strategic development. Local players welcome the engagement of universities and value the contribution they can make. We have a key role to play in many areas, including as an employer, as the supplier of the workforce of tomorrow, contributing to improving educational and health outcomes, and as an engine for innovation and creativity.
What more can we do to increase this impact? We must understand local priorities and focus our energy on the priorities where we can have the most meaningful impact. Too often, institutions get involved in projects where they are not well placed to contribute. High civic impact requires clarity on where we can make a difference, and how we can focus our efforts in a co-ordinated way. Sometimes, local organisations want us to get involved in projects where we might not be the right fit. We must resist the temptation to say yes to everything. Great civic impact is achieved when we are selective about the things we get involved with, so that we focus our energies on areas where we can make a real difference.
“For long-term sustainability, universities must demonstrate that they are critical to place-making.”
Economic growth is very important if we are to improve places. Universities have a key role to play in building entrepreneurial ecosystems. All the players must be clear about what they can contribute, and then commit to deliver their part to achieve economic growth. Internationally, there are some great examples of where this is working well. Last summer, I had the opportunity to take part in an OECD roundtable event in New York, focussing on this topic. It was fascinating to hear what is happening across a range of countries. For me, the most impressive example is the work happening in New York, where Cornell University operates as a key player in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the city.
Cornell University, New York
The Civic University Network has started to build a community of people across institutions who are passionate about taking the civic agenda forward, offering a great platform for its members to share their experiences and to learn from one another. It has been fascinating to hear about different approaches. The National Civic Impact Accelerator also provides a great opportunity to develop an evidence base of what works.
As universities grapple with the current financial pressures, there is a risk that civic activity will be seen by some institutions as an easy area to cut. This would be a huge mistake. For long-term sustainability, universities must demonstrate that they are critical to place-making. As regional government develops, there is likely to be greater accountability placed on universities to contribute to achieving local priorities. Institutions will not just be able to make statements about the value that they add – they must be able to demonstrate their value in tangible ways.
I look back with pride on what has been achieved in taking this agenda forward. We have come a long way since I joined Sheffield Hallam in 2017. However, there is so much more that we can achieve. I look forward to seeing how this agenda is driven forward over the next few years, so that universities can fully contribute to place-making.
As I come to the end of my time at Sheffield Hallam University, I thought it would be good to reflect on my Civic University journey. Having spent most of my life as a policy civil servant working on national policy, it has been fascinating to have the opportunity to see policy implementation at the local level. In Whitehall, we tend to work on topics and don’t always see the connections. At the local level, you get the chance to see how many things are connected, and how policies impact on places. In places, everything connects.
It has been great to be part of this exciting civic university story. Evidence across the world suggest that universities have a critical role to play in shaping places. But how far have we come in the UK, and how much further do we still need to go?
Since the Civic University Commission was formed in 2019, we have made great progress. Most universities are asking themselves what more can they do to take forward their civic mission. But all too often, these debates are still in the margins and not part of the conversations about overall strategic direction. Civic is often still seen as a “nice to have”, rather than a fundamental part of university strategy. All too often, things fall away when individuals leave the institution.
So how can we embed civic activity into institutions? I think some of this starts with asking the question, what is the purpose of the university? We must recognise that one of the purposes of a university is to have a positive impact on place. We must be able to demonstrate how the university is having a positive impact. We often make broad claims without having the evidence to support the assertions. Being able to measure impact is very important. The Civic Impact Framework provides a great starting point to help institutions assess their impact across a number of domains.
Local context is very important. At Sheffield Hallam, it has been very exciting to work with local councils and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority to co-create the future strategy. Universities can play a key role in bringing evidence and academic expertise to support local strategic development. Local players welcome the engagement of universities and value the contribution they can make. We have a key role to play in many areas, including as an employer, as the supplier of the workforce of tomorrow, contributing to improving educational and health outcomes, and as an engine for innovation and creativity.
What more can we do to increase this impact? We must understand local priorities and focus our energy on the priorities where we can have the most meaningful impact. Too often, institutions get involved in projects where they are not well placed to contribute. High civic impact requires clarity on where we can make a difference, and how we can focus our efforts in a co-ordinated way. Sometimes, local organisations want us to get involved in projects where we might not be the right fit. We must resist the temptation to say yes to everything. Great civic impact is achieved when we are selective about the things we get involved with, so that we focus our energies on areas where we can make a real difference.
“For long-term sustainability, universities must demonstrate that they are critical to place-making.”
Economic growth is very important if we are to improve places. Universities have a key role to play in building entrepreneurial ecosystems. All the players must be clear about what they can contribute, and then commit to deliver their part to achieve economic growth. Internationally, there are some great examples of where this is working well. Last summer, I had the opportunity to take part in an OECD roundtable event in New York, focussing on this topic. It was fascinating to hear what is happening across a range of countries. For me, the most impressive example is the work happening in New York, where Cornell University operates as a key player in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the city.
Cornell University, New York
The Civic University Network has started to build a community of people across institutions who are passionate about taking the civic agenda forward, offering a great platform for its members to share their experiences and to learn from one another. It has been fascinating to hear about different approaches. The National Civic Impact Accelerator also provides a great opportunity to develop an evidence base of what works.
As universities grapple with the current financial pressures, there is a risk that civic activity will be seen by some institutions as an easy area to cut. This would be a huge mistake. For long-term sustainability, universities must demonstrate that they are critical to place-making. As regional government develops, there is likely to be greater accountability placed on universities to contribute to achieving local priorities. Institutions will not just be able to make statements about the value that they add – they must be able to demonstrate their value in tangible ways.
I look back with pride on what has been achieved in taking this agenda forward. We have come a long way since I joined Sheffield Hallam in 2017. However, there is so much more that we can achieve. I look forward to seeing how this agenda is driven forward over the next few years, so that universities can fully contribute to place-making.
