About the Annual Lecture
This year’s Annual Lecture title is Preparing for the Unthinkable: Ensuring Resilience and Upholding Values in Higher Education’s Future delivered by David Lock, Secretary-General, Magna-Charta Observatory (MCO).
As we approach the end of the year, higher education institutions face both challenges and opportunities. While many look back to a ‘golden age’ of the sector, it’s clear that the future holds new possibilities, and the vital role of professional services staff will be central in shaping it. This timely lecture invites higher education professionals to reflect on how we can collectively strengthen the sector’s resilience and ensure that core values remain central to institutional decision-making.
Key themes include:
– Supporting Institutional Resilience: How can professional services teams work together to foster resilience within their institutions? What proactive steps can be taken to ensure stability and long-term success?
– Championing Values in Times of Change: The ‘golden age’ of higher education is often idealized, but the key to success lies in embracing the future while holding fast to the values that define our institutions. This lecture will highlight how professional services staff are instrumental in maintaining these principles, even when the path forward seems uncertain.
– Looking Ahead with Confidence: While no one wishes to see a university struggle, we must be prepared for any eventuality, including closures. This lecture will offer a forward-looking perspective, focusing on positive steps that can be taken now to prepare for potential challenges, while keeping students, staff, and the wider community at the heart of our efforts.
Join us for an inspiring and constructive conversation as we explore the vital role professional services staff play in shaping the future of higher education. Let’s look to the future with confidence, resilience, and a commitment to maintaining the sector’s values.
The 30-minute lecture will be followed by 15 – 20 minutes of audience Q&A, allowing attendees to engage directly with the speaker, ask questions, and explore ideas further
Details in brief
Title: Preparing for the Unthinkable: Ensuring Resilience and Upholding Values in Higher Education’s Future
Venue: Online
Date: Tuesday, 10 December
Duration: 12:00 – 13:00
Free and exclusive to ‘associate’, ‘member’, ‘accredited’ and ‘fellow’ membership levels.
If you have any questions, please contact events@ahep.ac.uk
Speaker
David Lock
Secretary-General
Magna Charta Observatory (MCO)
David Lock is Secretary-General of the Magna Charta Observatory (MCO) and has led on the design and delivery of the MCO’s strategy, the globalisation of the Observatory’s work, and the development of the Living Values project, a self-evaluation instrument for university values. He facilitated the process of preparing and launching the Magna Charta Universitatum 2020 and the development of the MCO’s research initiative ‘the responsive and responsible university’.
Prior to the MCO David was Director of International Projects at the UK’s Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. He was the founding Registrar and Acting Chief Executive of the British University in Dubai where he structured, built and then led the University.
He was University Secretary of Huddersfield and Registrar and Secretary of the University of Hull for a total of 14 years. He was a member of AUA and AHEP. A teacher and Chartered Secretary by background, David has served on a number of international bodies and undertaken a range of consultancy assignments including international development and UK HE governance projects.