The goals of the Leadership Foundation for ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ under its new chief executive, Alison Johns, will include helping to address the ¡°structural barriers¡± that stop more women reaching senior roles in higher education, as well as seeing out a period of uncertainty over its own funding.

Ms Johns joined from the ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Funding Council for England, where she spent 11 years and rose to head of leadership, governance and management.

The foundation offers sector-specific leadership development initiatives. Its Top Management Programme counts 63 current vice-chancellors among its alumni.

The organisation launched a new strategy earlier this year after consulting with the sector. Ms Johns, who took over as permanent chief executive in November, said the strategy had three ¡°core activities¡±: ¡°One is about our work to develop individuals¡­, the other is to support development at team level and organisational level through our consultancy work, and all of that will be underpinned by our research and innovation strand.¡±

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

The organisation is funded via its programmes, membership fees and support from the UK¡¯s four funding bodies. ¡°I don¡¯t think the funding is going to be easy,¡± said Ms Johns, looking ahead to the possibility of ¡°in-year changes to the grant letter, post-election, with the spending review imminent¡±.

One of the foundation¡¯s programmes is the women-only Aurora. Ms Johns said the goal is to improve ¡°the confidence and the awareness of the women who take part in those programmes about the opportunities: how to go up, how to balance the demands on their lives¡±.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

There were often ¡°structural barriers¡± to women rising to senior roles, she continued. Aurora participants talk about ¡°a lack of confidence in their financial skills, and they see that as a barrier to their progression¡±. So the organisation is working with the British Universities Finance Directors Group on a finance scheme for ¡°Aurorans¡±.

¡°Some women¡±, Ms Johns went on, ¡°just don¡¯t want what comes with the job. So that¡¯s one structural barrier: the nature of the vice-chancellor¡¯s job, which is 24/7.¡±

In terms of leadership and governance more generally, do recent sudden exits by vice-chancellors suggest a wider problem in the sector? Ms Johns said that ¡°sometimes it may be because of choices made between them and governing bodies¡±, but added that the current rate of departures is ¡°probably a healthy turnover¡±.

Could there be legislation on higher education governance in England under a new Westminster government? ¡°I keep asking people that question myself,¡± Ms Johns said.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

¡°A number of factors may influence that. If there are major governance failures or a major lack of accountability for public funding, that may bring about something.¡±

But for a new government, higher education regulation will ¡°probably not¡± be top of the agenda, she said.

Higher education is ¡°running itself pretty well¡±, Ms Johns said, while noting ¡°worries and concerns about pressures on the student experience, pressures on innovation in teaching and learning. Greg Clark [the universities and science minister] is particularly concerned about diversity in senior roles and governing bodies ¨C which I¡¯m really delighted to see because it¡¯s great to have ministerial support.¡±

The Leadership Foundation was a ¡°fantastic little organisation¡±, Ms Johns said, ¡°very low running costs but with incredibly high impact¡±.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

john.morgan@tesglobal.com