Welcome to the Higher Education Network - a new site, dedicated to those that work in and with higher education.
This section follows in the digital footsteps of our local government, sustainable business and social enterprise networks (to name a few) which provide an online meeting place, discussion hub and resource of industry intelligence for the professionals that work in and with those industries.
The Guardian Higher Education Network has that same aim: it's an online space where higher education professionals can talk to one other, get advice and insight from peers and industry experts and grapple with the challenges that face the whole sector.
With so many changes and challenges facing the sector and its workforce, we feel this is the perfect time to create a place where HE professionals can share their experiences, ideas and even horror stories. We've started the ball rolling here with an anonymous blog exposing the less glamorous aspects of international officer's role - the first in our series of 'confessions of a...'
We're interested in good news too, of course. Particularly the ways and means institutions and individual professionals will meet and beat the challenges of the changing landscape of HE, how these changes will affect your working lives and the roles and the opportunities and growth areas created by reforms.
So, whether you are a manager, department head, administrator, academic, private provider or a business looking to partner or engage with a university, the network will be a place to talk about your work, aims and experiences in the world of higher education and find out how to both build and develop your career and add value to your organisation.
We're starting this off with guest blogs from a range of higher education professionals alongside some features from our in-house team. We've got a media relations assistant writing about the marketing techniques that get the public excited in academic research, a narratives lecturer highlighting the universities and staff that really understand how to use social media to engage students and we've compiled some tips from post-grads on making the most of your tutor for new academics.
As well as blogs like these from leading lights and exciting new voices in the sector, we're also planning to host regular live Q&As, bringing together panels of industry experts, innovators, market-leading practitioners and support agencies to take your questions on topics such as professional development and how to secure research funding, for example, as well as to debate the big issues facing the sector such as international expansion and graduate employability.
The main thing to stress is that the network is community focused - these may be our plans and aims now but we want the site to be driven by you, your interests, your challenges and your experiences.
So if, disagree with the Higher Education Academy's chief executive Craig Mahoney, that it's time that teaching in British universities stopped taking second place to research, let us know. Or if, like Dr Paul Greatrix from the University of Nottingham, you feel that a university isn't just a business, and the student isn't always right, tell us why. Perhaps you'd like to tell us anonymously about the highs and lows of your role or HE experiences for the next instalment of our 'confessions of a...' feature.
Any feedback, ideas or suggestions for coverage of the issues that matter most to you and your institution, let us know by commenting on articles, emailing the team or via Twitter - we're @GdnHigherEd.
There's going to be plenty going on and new stuff coming through all the time, so do sign up (for free) to become a member, making it even easier to get involved with the community and keep up with all this advice, comment and debate. We'll send you regular newsletters, which bring together all the best debate and essential advice across the site as well as giving you content previews and exclusive invites to our events (another key part of our exciting new network).
The network has just been quietly launched, so please tell us what you think and help us up the volume by encouraging your peers to take a look too.
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