I hear that the redoubtable Sara Parkin has been appointed to the Board of the Higher Education Academy [HEA], and the welcome sound of feathers being ruffled is already audible. This is evidence I'm told, by those who know about such things, of the determination of the new(ish) HEA CEO, Stephanie Marshall, to do something about sustainability which she is particularly keen on I'm also told, though I can find no evidence of it. Some will think that this will be good for news ESD, but I have my doubts, as Parkin is smart enough to cut through the jargon to get to essentials.
This is a welcome development. I have no idea how the other Board members and HEA senior staff will react, but it will be exceedingly diverting to watch. All this comes at a time of significant financial change at the HEA as the Funding Council's feeding tube will continue to be withdrawn over the next few years. From a 2011/12 figure of around £20million, the 2013/14 tax-payer grant of £13.5m will reduce to £9.5m in 2014/15, and to £5.5m in 2015/16, and then to £0 in 2016-17. Heady times. The HEA is looking forward to it, it says.
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