The New Dark Ages Over the weekend, I read a review of Nigel Biggar’s latest book, The New Dark Ages. Biggar is Professor of Theology at Oxford who came to prominence recently because his earlier book on Colonialism was ‘cancelled’ by Bloomsbury before being taken up by William Collins and becoming a best seller. TheContinue reading “The Idea of a Twenty-First Century (Catholic Heritage) University: Part 3, The New Dark Ages”
Category Archives: Education
The Idea of a Twenty-First Century (Catholic Heritage) University: Part 2, Truth(s)
Truth(s) This takes me to the core of Newman’s argument, particularly in the lectures he delivered to the university in Dublin, the first five sections of the book. Here Newman is keen to emphasise the place of Catholic theology as central to his understanding of what a university should be. More accurately, however, and givenContinue reading “The Idea of a Twenty-First Century (Catholic Heritage) University: Part 2, Truth(s)”
The Idea of a Twenty-First Century (Catholic Heritage) University: Part 1, Community
I gave a paper at an event at Birmingham Newman University to celebrate the recognition of St John Henry Newman as Doctor of the Church. This is the text, in three parts: Summary In summarising what I have tried to address this morning, I would highlight three points that I have learnt from reading CardinalContinue reading “The Idea of a Twenty-First Century (Catholic Heritage) University: Part 1, Community”
Is it Time to Abandon Decolonisation?
The concept of decolonisation seems to have been particularly prominent in my mind over the last month or so. Or, rather, the language of decolonisation has been prominent. The more I have heard the word, the less I feel that I understand what it is about. Is it, therefore, time to abandon the term? DecolonisationContinue reading “Is it Time to Abandon Decolonisation?”
On Being a Beekeeper
Today is apparently World Honey Bee Day. This is also the time of year when the beekeeper is busy, manging the hives and making sure that the bees have the necessary frames to build their stocks of honey. As I was cleaning out the garage, therefore, over the weekend, I noted the absence of allContinue reading “On Being a Beekeeper”
NSS and the Cathedral’s Group
I have been waiting for this moment for many years. As I looked at the league table provided by THE for the latest NSS scores it was dominated by a new group of universities, mostly new universities and predominantly from the Cathedral’s group. It is something that I have been expecting, and hoping for, forContinue reading “NSS and the Cathedral’s Group”
Negotiating University Growth
Throughout my time at Swansea University, we placed student growth at the centre of our strategy. There were very good reasons for this, but it also presented us with several very significant challenges. In what follows I want to highlight some of the lessons that I personally learnt from that experience. We want to growContinue reading “Negotiating University Growth”
Reflecting on Excellence
We have just come through the league table season, with the Guardian, the Times and even the new look TEF, each offering their versions of the best universities in the UK. On LinkedIn and elsewhere colleagues are finding the numbers that position their universities in the best light and telling the world that they areContinue reading “Reflecting on Excellence”
Following the 2015 Consultation on Higher Education and tracking the divides
In November 2015 the UK government published their consultation document, ‘Fulfilling Our Potential, Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice’. The subsequent legislation, the introduction of the Office for Students and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), and the response to this from various relevant bodies in Wales were to have a significant impact on myContinue reading “Following the 2015 Consultation on Higher Education and tracking the divides”
Aspirations
In a paper that I read recently on the im-materiality of religion, the author chose to use the word ‘aspiration’ as one of those elements that she described as an immaterial aspect of religion. The authors, Marian Burkhart and Maria Westendorp, were arguing that scholars of urban religion had become too fixated on the materialContinue reading “Aspirations”
Martin Stringer Quartet 