yy What role, if any, should members of the Ad Hoc Joint Committee play in the culture change programme? The UK higher education sector generally is facing uncertainty about a continuing national demand for higher education as the level of unemployment, caused by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, is increasing. Other challenges facing higher education are changes to student fee regimes, changing political agendas and public funding, as well as the unpredictable demand from international students. Increases in student fees have sharpened students’ focus on the value they receive from their universities.

Combined with an increase in the number of new universities entering the sector, and at least a short-term reduction in the number of student applications, this will increase the pressure on universities to make their programmes and services more attractive to students while maintaining their academic standards. Globalization has created a booming market in higher education, and, aided by new technologies and the dissolution of national market borders, international partnerships have developed to create ‘super’ universities with overwhelming competitive advantages over individual locally or regionally focused institutions.