Universities UK (UUK) is an
advocacy organisation for
universities in the United Kingdom
Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by royal charter, papal bull, Act of Parliament, or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Deg ...
. It began life in the early 20th century through informal meetings of
vice-chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...
s of a number of universities and principals of university colleges and was previously known as the ''Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom'' (CVCP). As of July 2022, UUK is led by President
Steve West – Vice-Chancellor of the
University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) – and Chief Executive Vivienne Stern. UUK is registered charity with an annual income of £13.7 million, which is largely raised from its member institutions.
History
In 1918 the first consultative meeting of all vice-chancellors was held. At that time, the committee consisted of just twenty-two universities and university colleges. In 1930, under the chairmanship of
Sir Charles Grant Robertson, vice-chancellors secured a mandate from their respective universities that "it is desirable in the common interests of the United Kingdom to constitute a Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals for purposes of mutual consultation".
In the early 1960s, working parties set up by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals were responsible for the creation of the
Universities Central Council on Admissions Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA) provided a clearing house for university applications in the United Kingdom from its formation in 1961 until its merger with PCAS (Polytechnics Central Admissions System) to form UCAS in 1993.
Hi ...
(UCCA).
In the early 1980s, they commissioned the
Jarratt report, published in 1985, and which framed universities as businesses delivering a product to student-consumers.
Over the succeeding years the number of universities increased as a result of new universities being created and the change in legislation in 1992, which recognised the former polytechnics as universities thus doubling and diversifying the membership.
On 1 December 2000, CVCP’s name, logo and identity were changed to ''Universities UK'' in order to reflect changes which had taken place in the organisation in recent years.
Mission
Universities UK's task is to support the work of universities and promote their interests. Its mission is to help UK universities be the best in the world, through their research and teaching, and the positive impact they have locally, nationally and globally.
Universities Wales and
Universities Scotland work autonomously as part of Universities UK, representing the interests of universities in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. They campaign, influence and develop policy on behalf of the higher education sectors in the devolved nations.
Admissions and social mobility
In 2013, Universities UK funded "Access for All", a report which supported work to widening access by promoting fair access and developing evidence to help universities learn from each other. It found that 34% of those who had achieved Key Stage 4 and expressed a motivation to go to university reported that the financial aspects of higher education, such as fees and living expenses, had made them think about not applying.
In 2019, Universities UK, in collaboration with the
National Union of Students (NUS), published "Closing the Gap", which investigated attainment gaps between students of different ethnicities at UK universities. The report was led by
Baroness Valerie Amos.
Advice regarding segregation
In November 2013, Universities UK published the document "External speakers in higher education institutions" which provoked controversy because it suggested that audiences might be segregated by sex to satisfy the demands of ultra-orthodox religious speakers. The guidelines follow the principle that segregation is permissible if the
Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during the Brown ministry with the primary purpose of consolidating, updating and supplementing the numerous prior Acts and Regulations, that formed the basis of anti- ...
is followed and equal priority is given to all groups, in a manner similar to the former "
separate but equal" doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified racial segregation until the
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration req ...
. Following comments by Prime Minister
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
that universities should not enforce gender segregation on audiences, the case study which triggered this debate was withdrawn.
Efficiency and effectiveness
The "Efficiency and effectiveness in higher education", a report by the Universities UK Efficiency and Modernisation Task Group chaired by Ian Diamond, launched in 2011. In response to the report, the "Efficiency Exchange" was set up to help higher education institutions to share ideas and good practice. The Exchange facilitates the sharing of resources.
Health
Universities UK's health work programme addresses the NHS education reforms; research and innovation and AHSNs; healthcare employment and health education regulation. In 2012, "A picture of health and education" was published, which depicts the vital connections between higher education and healthcare.
EU referendum
In July 2015, Universities UK launched a campaign in support of the UK's continuing membership of the
EU, which generated wide media coverage. This was criticised by some
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and
UKIP Members of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
, who said that such political activity undertaken by a registered charity which is largely state-funded was wrong.
Transparency
In spring 2018, the transparency of Universities UK was widely called into question due to its role in negotiations over changes to the
USS pension scheme, which led to the
2018 UK higher education strike. By 12 April 2018, 12,000 people had signed a petition demanding that Universities UK be made subject to the
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c. 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public "right of access" to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in ...
.
During the
2018 UK higher education strike many elements of Universities UK were subject to strong critique. Bill Cooke, a lecturer at York Management School, submitted a complaint to the Charity Commission in relation to the governance of Universities UK, arguing that: “UUK is lead adversary against tens of thousands of university lecturers and professional support staff. Yet its mission and Memorandum of Association claims that its purpose is to represent and speak for them and their interests, as member of universities.” There were also criticisms of the miscommunications or misleading comments evident in various documents issued by Universities UK and its partner organisation Employers Pensions Forum, as well as analyses of the complex relationship that Universities UK has had with consultancy organisations.
See also
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Armorial of UK universities
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List of universities in the United Kingdom
*
Universities in the United Kingdom
Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by royal charter, papal bull, Act of Parliament, or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Deg ...
References
External links
*
Universities UK International Catalogue of the CVCP archives held at the
Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collecti ...
Universities UK Efficiency Exchange
{{Authority control
Education in the London Borough of Camden
Higher education organisations based in the United Kingdom
1918 establishments in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden
Organizations established in 1918