The notion of the civic university has evolved significantly in recent years in the UK, with growing recognition of universities as key drivers of regional transformation. At the heart of this notion lies the question of how universities can actively contribute to the societal, economic and environmental development of their local communities. This prompts a broader discussion about the role universities can and should play beyond their core functions of research, teaching and learning. Supporting universities in realising their civic potential is the National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA), a pioneering initiative funded by Research England to harness the collective power of the higher education sector to drive positive societal change.

Developed in partnership with the NCIA, a new OECD report titled The Geography of Higher Education in England and Wales underscores the importance of universities playing a key role in regional development, and offers a roadmap for harnessing their civic potential (OECD, 2024). The launch event of the report, which took place in Toynbee Hall London on 24 October 2024, had two roundtables, titled ‘The way forward for the NCIA programme’ and ‘Breaking the silos: a mission-driven higher education sector’, where key themes and challenges of the report were identified. The event provided valuable insights into conditions for successful civic work, and highlighted issues most resonant with civic practitioners.

Conditions for successful civic work

Consistent engagement and equitable partnerships

A recurring theme of the roundtables is the necessity for universities to engage consistently with local communities to forge meaningful, equitable and sustainable relationships. Discussants in the two roundtables highlighted the prevalence of this theme in the report, and further emphasised that civic work is not a one-off effort but requires a place-responsive approach. Universities need to adapt to local needs while recognising the importance of building equitable partnerships with community partners. A valuable resource offering practical exercises, case studies and guidance on the principles of equitable partnership for civic engagement is Queen Mary University of London’s equitable partnership toolkit, developed in collaboration with the NCIA.

‘Civic work is not a one-off effort but requires a place-responsive approach. Universities need to adapt to local needs while recognising the importance of building equitable partnerships with community partners.’

Collaboration across boundaries

The roundtables highlighted collaboration as a cornerstone of successful civic work. This requires cultivating collaborative skills and encouraging shared decision-making practices. Discussants in the ‘breaking the silos’ roundtable emphasised that collaboration must be intentional, supported by training and resources, and inclusive of overlooked actors, such as further education (FE) colleges. FE colleges were noted as under-recognised, with substantial untapped potential to connect with local communities.

‘Wise’ resource allocation

Given the recent financial turmoil and resource constraints affecting UK universities (Adams, 2024), embedding a ‘wisdom economy’ approach (derived from Nicholas Maxwell’s work on the university of wisdom (Maxwell, 2007)) to resourcing civic work was deemed essential in the ‘the way forward for the NCIA programme’ roundtable. Discussants in this roundtable emphasised that universities must focus on efficient resource use through strategic collaborations and innovative practices. This aligns with the call to integrate civic strategies into core university missions (McNulty, 2024) ensuring civic work is not sidelined due to financial challenges.

Key issues that resonated most

Complexities of collaboration

Collaboration emerged as the most significant issue that resonated with discussants. While widely acknowledged as essential, discussants highlighted its challenges, including navigating institutional silos, aligning diverse agendas, and equipping individuals with collaborative competencies. An analogy of higher education institutions (HEIs) being like an electricity grid (we don’t see how the networking works, but we know that it works), underscored the complexity of collaboration, but a discussant identified further education institutions as vital but undervalued components of the civic mission.

Economic growth and the role of universities

Discussants in the two roundtables explored the role of universities in driving economic growth. The alignment of civic missions with the Labour government’s economic priorities resonated strongly. Two weeks after the launch of the report, in a letter dated 4 November, UK Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson outlined the government’s key priorities for reforming higher education, emphasising access, economic growth, civic and regional engagement, quality and efficiency. The Education Secretary called on universities to take on a more prominent civic role within their local and regional communities, positioning this as ‘a core part of a renewed vision for the sector’ and integral to local and regional development. The letter underscores the UK government’s recognition of the importance of civic work and encourages universities to continue investing in it.

Moving forward

The launch event made it clear that the report marks the beginning of a conversation rather than its conclusion. To advance the civic mission of universities, stakeholders must address the entrenched silos within the higher education system, explore innovative funding models, and engage consistently with local communities to forge equitable and sustainable partnerships. Recognising and integrating the contributions of FE colleges into the civic landscape will be crucial. Lastly, there is a need to explore the international dimension of civic work, ensuring that universities are globally connected while remaining deeply rooted in their localities.

References

Adams, R. (2024, November 15). Three in four England universities expected to be in the red next year. Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/nov/15/three-in-four-england-universities-expected-to-be-in-the-red-next-year

Maxwell, M. (2007). From knowledge to wisdom: The need for an academic revolution. London Review of Education, 5(2), 97–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/14748460701440350

McNulty, D. (2024, June 12). Engaged universities and intelligent city/regions. Civic University Network blog. https://civicuniversitynetwork.co.uk/engaged-universities-and-intelligent-city-regions/

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]. (2024). The geography of higher education in England and Wales. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-geography-of-higher-education-in-england-and-wales_be1c6f52-en.html