I had the pleasure of sitting down with Professor Cliff Allan, host of forthcoming webinar UK student help-seeking 2019 vs 2020: What will be COVID-19's impact upon study support this academic year and beyond? I wanted to find out more about what drew Cliff to specialising in higher education policy, the highlights of his career in academia and his thoughts on the role that universities and higher education institutions play in modern society.
Professor Cliff Allan was formerly Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University. He was a Board member of Universities UK and non-Executive Director of several regional and national bodies. Prior to BCU he held Deputy Vice-Chancellor positions at Sheffield Hallam and Teesside Universities respectively. Currently, Cliff pursues a range of advisory and consultancy interests in higher education in the UK and overseas.
"I think universities have an incredibly important role to play because they're involved in helping shape people's lives. Many of those people graduating from universities will take on important, powerful and influential roles across society, so I think what they're doing is they're helping people to shape their futures. They're not directing people, they're just helping people to learn. I think the biggest influence universities can bring in is enabling people to continue with their learning, becoming lifelong learners who learn to adapt and change. We know that those who have had a higher education are likely to have better lifestyles in terms of their health, they're less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system, and they're much more likely to engage in society and play an important role."
"We know that those who have had a higher education are likely to have better lifestyles in terms of their health, they're less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system, and they're much more likely to engage in society and play an important role".
