A conversation with

Professor Chris Day Vice-Chancellor and President Paul Walker Chair of Council Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Chris Day and Chair of Council Paul Walker reflect on the last 12 months and consider the biggest challenges ahead for Newcastle University. Taking up their posts within three months of each other back in 2017, Chris and Paul discuss the change in higher education post-pandemic, increasing government scrutiny on universities and the challenges facing our students.

What have been the highlights of the past 12 months? Chris: For me, it’s two things. Firstly, our ranking successes. They aren’t the be all and end all, but they are an external validation of what we do and an endorsement of the positive impact that every colleague and student has in making Newcastle University the great place that it is today. We have achieved our highest position in Times Higher Education (THE) and QS World Rankings. Being first in the UK and eighth in the world in the THE Impact Rankings for our work against the Sustainable Development Goals was a particular highlight. This is something we have been focusing on for almost all of my time as Vice-Chancellor and to be recognised by our international peers as being in the top 10 in the world for climate action, water security and the work we do with our partners in the local city is just a fantastic achievement. Secondly, it’s having everyone back on campus again, bumping into colleagues and students when I’m getting a sandwich. We are a city-centre university with all the positives and the buzz that brings, and we lost that spontaneity and creativity during the pandemic. Paul: I agree with Chris. For me, it’s seeing the campus come alive again. Seeing our students graduating in their gowns, King’s Hall packed to the rafters, and the great day we had for the Chancellor’s inauguration. It’s why we are here – seeing the students succeed and being able to share that success with family, friends and loved ones. You've been on this journey together – both five years in – what, for you, has been the biggest change in HE in that time and how has it impacted Newcastle? Chris: One big change is how heavily regulated we are now than we were before and the interest from the media and government in university business. It’s a change from 10 years ago when we were seen as completely autonomous organisations. And linked to this is the changing role of universities on a regional scale. Our role as anchor institutions in the levelling up agenda and our social responsibility, through outreach, R&D flow to local companies, our partnership and community engagement work. Paul: It’s also the progress that’s been made around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Social and Environmental Justice and broader governance. Over the last five years we’ve laid some strong foundations, and these values are now embedded across the organisation. But our values aren’t a project – they’re a journey which all of us are on. They have to be part of our DNA and owned by everyone, and I think at Newcastle we can be proud of how far we’ve come, although there is still a long way to go.

Our values aren’t a project – they’re a journey which all of us are on.

Paul Walker, Chair of Council

The global HE market is becoming ever more competitive – both in terms of recruitment and research. How does Newcastle retain its place as a world-leading, research-intensive university, attracting the most talented researchers, the brightest students and driving innovation in this challenging marketplace? Chris: I think it’s time to be more ambitious. Newcastle is a great university in a great city with the breadth and depth of expertise in exciting and relevant research areas that are important to our students, to businesses, to government and global society. And importantly, everything we do is underpinned by our values of Social and Environmental Justice and EDI. I think we just need to be a bit bolder about who we are and what we’re good at.

Paul: Building on Chris’ comments, it’s about how we market ourselves. I remember an academic on our board at Sage Group plc asking us 20 years ago what business we were in. I remember looking at him and thinking ‘you’ve been involved for five years, don’t you know?’. But it was the best question I’d ever had because we all wrote down what we thought we were doing, and all came up with something slightly different. And I guess that’s what universities are asking today. The challenge for universities, of course, is that unlike an organisation like Sage Group plc, the brand means something different to the different communities it serves. So the challenge really is how we talk about ourselves to those different audiences.

Few organisations are the same as they were two years ago, both in terms of the way we work and what we value as an organisation. How do you think the pandemic has most changed Newcastle and what have we learnt as an institution? Chris: I think the biggest change has been around our role in the region. Before the pandemic there had been a lot of thinking and discussion about our role as a civic university but the pandemic put those words into action. Together as a local city we rallied, and our colleagues and students played a major part in this. Now those partnerships are stronger than ever and there’s a real collective effort to drive economic and social recovery across the region. I think those two years also forced us to reflect on the University’s culture and take the time to speak to colleagues about what was working well and where they felt change was necessary. For me, this has been really important.

Paul: Newcastle University is definitely more agile now. The pandemic forced us to make quick decisions and quite fundamental changes to the way we teach and learn and I think it’s important we retain that. We need to be more comfortable taking risks, more able to move with the times and be action orientated.

Looking ahead what are the biggest challenges/ opportunities we face as a sector and how at Newcastle are we preparing for them? Chris: There’s no doubt our biggest challenge is the increasing competition for students and income all wrapped up in a financial model that’s no longer fit for purpose. Unless the government increases public spending on universities or we charge students more, it means we are heavily dependent on international students to keep the business running. But beyond that it’s our collective responsibility around some of the big challenges facing society – the mental health crisis, rising cost of living, the climate crisis – and the impact they are having on our university communities. We need to be more

thoughtful in our leadership and creative in

the support we offer, not just through increased investment in student support but also in the modules that we teach and the opportunities that we offer to ensure every Newcastle graduate is equipped to make the most of every opportunity and challenge that life throws in their way.

Paul: I know I speak for both of us when I say students are at the heart of everything we do. Chris and I are absolutely focused on this. I know here at Newcastle the teams are really thinking about these challenges, what support will need to be in place and how we take a really caring and proactive approach to ensuring every student is able to partake in student life and get the most fulfilling experience out of it.