Influences on and dimensions of English university governing body roles
- Alison Wheaton, IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society
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Governing bodies have been mostly overlooked in studies of university governance. Yet, the English regulatory regime re-enforces their role(s). Scholars have identified trends towards boardism along with the corporatization and laicization of university governance and raised concerns about the failure of shared governance. There is ample sector-level ‘guidance’ regarding what governing body roles should be, but little empirical evidence regarding how governors perceive their roles – and why.
This webinar reviews findings from a study which draws on interviews with over 60 governors representing a cross-section of members at five English universities. The analytical framework incorporates various governing body attributes and uses several governance theories from outside of higher education as explanatory tools. It discusses nine key governing body roles identified, which align to strategy, oversight and support clusters along with an emerging cluster regarding institutional culture. It explores five cross-cutting themes which include the emergence of new stakeholders, the importance of changing governing body composition, and differing views regarding governor support roles. It also introduces a conceptual framework of dimensions of governing body roles. Consequences of the research for policy and practice as well as considerations for future research are also explored.
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Event Materials
This event is now archived and we are pleased to provide the following event media and assets, along with the original event overview.
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Alison Wheaton is finalising her doctoral thesis on the role of English university governing bodies at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society. She presented her findings regarding English university governing body composition at an April 2021 CGHE webinar. She authored a report for the Higher Education Policy Institute regarding university governor remuneration in 2019. Previously, she was President of a UK private higher education provider. During this time, she served on HEFCE’s Leadership, Governance and Management Strategic Advisory Committee and as a founder member of the UK-wide Standing Committee on Quality Assessment. Her move into higher education followed an extensive executive-level career in complex, branded, customer-focussed businesses.
