Engage 2019: Disruption
Thank you to everyone who came to Engage 2019 - we hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed hosting it! You can look back at the #Engage2019 hashtag to see the conversations we had, as well as find highlights from the conference below.
Engage is the NCCPE's annual conference, providing an opportunity for all those interested in public engagement in higher education to come together, to be inspired, challenged and refreshed. Engage 2019 took place on Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th December at the City Marriott Hotel in Bristol.
For many public engagement is an opportunity to disrupt current ways of thinking and doing. However, as engagement becomes an increasingly familiar part of the higher education landscape, is it really delivering its potential?
At Engage 2019 we opened up a discussion about disruption, in our universities, our research, our futures and our lives.
We reflected on the current contexts for engagement in a world that is increasingly fragmented; where social inequality deepens; where we are facing the consequences of our collective activity on the planet; and where we need to find more effective ways to address the challenges that face us all. All of this in a setting where the future of university funding is increasingly unpredictable, and where traditional paradigms of knowledge and knowledge production are being challenged from all sides.
Is our current approach to ‘public engagement’ adequate to meet these challenges, or do we need a step change in how we understand, lead and deliver a truly ‘engaged’ higher education sector?
Civil Society Futures – what role for Universities?
We were delighted to welcome Julia Unwin as a guest speaker to Engage 2019.
Drawing on her experience as Chief Executive of Joseph Rowntree Foundation, with its strong social justice agenda, and her role as chair of the recent Civil Society Futures inquiry, Julia offered a challenging external perspective on higher education’s place in the world; and how we can contribute positively to society at a time of profound change and disruption.
You can view her plenary speech below, and a response from Jo Heaton-Marriott here.
Reflections on Engage 2019
We're delighted that two of our guest speakers, Jo Heaton-Marriott and Kimberley Freeman have written blogs about their experience of Engage 2019.
