About this event
This event is brought to you by the AHEP Policy Special Interest Group in collaboration with the Academic Registrars Council (ARC) and the Quality Strategic Network (QSN).
After a brief pause, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act has now resumed, with regulatory duties associated with protecting free speech and academic freedom due to come into force across the higher education sector.
In this session, we attempt to demystify the requirements of the duty, outlining what universities need to do to ensure compliance, and where higher education professionals can take a proactive approach in response.
The session will provide certified expertise in the field, providing the legal perspective and considerations at play, alongside sector best practice in responding to the challenges ahead. The session will also allow delegates from across the sector the opportunity to ask their questions and raise their concerns, as the sector prepares itself to adhere to these new duties.
Why attend?
This session presents certified and practice-based expertise in the field of freedom of speech and academic freedom, balancing the legal perspective and sector best practice, that can best support delegates approaches in responding to these regulatory challenges at their own institution.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, delegates will be able to:
1. A better idea of the requirements of the incoming Office for Students regulation associated with Freedom of Speech
2. Understand some of the techniques and processes available to them to secure and promote freedom of speech related factors in their institution
3. A broader understanding of the examples, interdependencies and support available in navigating successfully through this space.
Details in brief
Not a member of the Policy SIG – Join here!
Venue: Online via Zoom
Date: Thursday, 24 April
Duration: 12:00-13:00
Free and exclusive to AHEP, ARC and QSN members.
If you have any questions, please contact events@ahep.ac.uk
This event is brought to you by AHEP’s Policy SIG in collaboration with ARC and QSN.
Is this session right for you?
This session is exclusively available to AHEP members at ‘associate’, ‘member’, accredited’ and ‘fellow’ membership levels. As this event is in collaboration with ARC and QSN, we are also pleased to open this event up to ARC and QSN members.
This session most closely supports AHEP’s values in being collaborative as it is a a whole University and cross-sector approach to tackling an incoming and challenging regulatory duty and credible by providing certified expertise and sector best practice to reinforce members approach at their own institutions.
Not a member of the Policy SIG – Join here!
We look forward to welcoming you to this session. #
Please note, this session will be recorded and shared with registered delegates after the event.
Speakers
James Murray
Partner, Doyle Clayton
Research Fellow (Law and Policy), University of Buckingham
About James
James is an employment and higher education Partner, who advises both individual academics and academic institutions.
He has a particular expertise on the law around academic freedom and free expression on campus, on which he has advised institutions, academics, think tanks, politicians and the Government, often on complex employment and free expression issues, including both disputes and compliance matters.
He has published multiple articles on academic freedom, in addition to submissions of evidence to the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of expression, the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, and the House of Commons Public Bill Committee in relation to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (both individually and in collaboration with English PEN, one of the world’s oldest human rights organisations).
James is a Research Fellow (Law and Policy) at the University of Buckingham, and has published several academic papers on the law concerning academic freedom and free expression on campus, a topic on which he regularly speaks and has been quoted in the national press.
He is also an Academic Visitor at the University of Oxford (Humanities Division and Kellogg College), as part of which he hosts discussions and conducts research on academic freedom and free speech on campus.
Andy Winter
Interim Academic Registrar & Director of Student and Academic Services, Goldsmiths, University of London
About Andy
Andy Winter is an experienced University administrator and senior leader. Currently completing an interim contract as Director of Student & Academic Services and Academic Registrar at Goldsmiths, University of London, he was previously Director of Student Support Services at the University of Sheffield, and Campus Life Director at the University of Nottingham.
Prior to these roles, Andy worked for the first 15 years of his career in Students’ Unions having held positions at University of Nottingham Students’ Union, York St John Students’ Union, Leeds University Union, Loughborough Students’ Union, and at Durham University.
Through these career experiences, Andy has gained much experience and many insights into the challenges of managing free expression on campus, and what techniques, systems, and approaches are required to create and maintain community cohesion. He has previously spoken on this subject at Wonkhe’s “Secret Life of Students” event, as well as having presented on different subjects at a variety of HE conferences.
You can find more about Andy’s career via his LinkedIn profile