Jane is writing in her personal capacity.
Happy birthday to the Lighthouse Policy Group! When I started in my policy role at Bournemouth University in early 2016 I was thrilled to discover that there was a group of people in similarly strange roles across the sector, who were willing to share stories, insights sympathy and understanding. Since then we have met in a number of times, and shared a lot of laughter and a lot of good sense. Of late we have started meeting virtually, of course, but the good sense and the warmth and understanding are still there.
The roles we do are varied, and most of us have other strings to our bow apart from policy. Some of us have academic or registry roles, some have roles supporting the VC and the leadership team, some do more research support than others, some have more public affairs or communications responsibility.
One thing we can all bring to our institutions, however, is the valuable insight that comes from following external events. Like all large organisations, especially when facing challenges, universities can sometimes be just a little bit insular. Those working in policy in universities can bring an external perspective to internal discussions, adding context and providing important insights. We have to pitch this right – making our contributions interesting and useful, getting the timing right, being relevant and on point. If we want to be a valuable resource we have to get to know people across the university, be willing to engage and explain, be prepared to “get out there”. I have attended faculty executive and research meetings, professional services team meetings, presented on internal development programmes and to those doing internal teaching qualifications, participated in live streamed events for staff and students. My colleague and write a weekly blog which is sent to a long list of internal subscribers and published on BU’s research blog pages for internal and external readers.
Universities are accused of being slow to change – recently Sam Gyimah referred to the “glacial” pace of change (in a BBC radio documentary). I have heard claims that University management structures sometimes have a tendency to focus on process over outcomes and have a reputation for being risk-averse. University leadership teams might sometimes be accused of a leaning towards over-analysis, liking the sound of their own voices, and enjoying an argument about concepts more than a discussion about practical steps forward. Of course none of those are true at BU, just to be clear, and I think that the responses to this year’s events within our universities have demonstrated that the glacial comment was unfair, especially in a crisis. But policy people can help with this too – I provide a regular horizon scan for our leadership team, and we have discussions in leadership meetings about how this relates to our strategic objectives, at which I can highlight threats and opportunities to inform planning and decision making. Policy input won’t change management culture (although many of us have other ways to influence that when wearing our other hats), but we can make sure that leaders are aware of the risks.
I haven’t talked about the policy work itself. There are so many potentially negative aspects of this work – the challenges of getting heard, the difficulties of trying to engage people in policy change, the constant criticism of the sector and its staff, the focus on imperatives that play to a political base, the ill-informed commentary, the entrenched political views. But of course it is also hugely interesting, varied and unpredictable. There is plenty to learn, different viewpoints to understand, interesting people to talk to. And the Lighthouse Policy Group provides one way into those wider discussions. We can provide practical and moral support for each other, share useful information and resources, and we do.
So if you are in a policy role, join us. If you aren’t, I invite you to find out who is in your organisation. Somewhere in your university is someone who is knowledgeable and connected and can provide a warts and all perspective on government policy as it applies to your area of work. If you aren’t talking to them, you are missing out.