Association of Higher Education Professionals

Association of Higher Education Professionals
Founded1961 (MUAAS)
TypeProfessional association
FocusHigher education
Location
OriginsConference of Higher Education Professionals, Association of Polytechnic Administrators
Area served
Great Britain and Ireland
Key people
Thea Gibbs, Chair
Keith Zimmerman, President
Websiteahep.ac.uk

The Association of Higher Education Professionals (AHEP), formerly known as the Association of University Administrators (AUA), is the professional body for higher education administrators and managers in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. As of 2023, its membership comprised several thousand individuals, representing 300 institutions from the UK and 21 countries worldwide.[1]

Following the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the association was formed by the merger of the Association of Polytechnic Administrators (APA) and the Conference of University Administrators (CUA) in 1993. CUA traced its history back to the Meeting of University Academic Administrative Staff, founded in 1961. The association marked the golden jubilee of the professionalisation of support staff in UK universities in 2011.[2] In response to the changing UK higher education sector, it adopted the current name in 2023.[3]

Professional values

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AHEP exists to advance and assist in the advancement of education by fostering sound methods of leadership, management and administration in further and higher education by education, training, and other means.

AHEP members are individually and collectively committed to:[4]

  • Advancing education for public benefit through sharing professional knowledge and practice
  • Developing their own and others' professional practice
  • Actively championing a professional culture of equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Working to the highest standards of fair, ethical and transparent professional behaviour

These values underpin the nine professional behaviours of the AHEP Professional Framework.

Professional development

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The AHEP Professional Framework is a tool that supports the career development of higher education professionals. It works on an organisational and individual level, for professionals at all career stages, and can be applied across all roles in the sector.[5]

The AHEP Accreditation Scheme provides a clear path for members (entitled to the post-nominal letters MAHEP) to Accredited Membership (AMAHEP) and Fellowship (FAHEP), which recognise a deeper commitment to ongoing professional development and acknowledge the impact and influence of this on professional practice.[6]

The AHEP Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Administration, Management and Leadership, delivered in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, is a self-directed, independent, work-based learning programme for higher education professionals working within UK higher education administration.[7]

Publications

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The quarterly journal of the Association of Higher Education Professionals, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, is published by Taylor and Francis.[8]

A series of Good Practice Guides available to members, first published by CUA in 1986, aims to share and promote best practice in HE.[9]

Conference

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AHEP's annual conference and exhibition is the largest professional development conference in the UK HE calendar, with plenary and keynote presentations and around 100 working sessions.

Internationally, AHEP maintains reciprocal agreements with similar organisations, which allow members to attend partner conferences.

Governance

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The association is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, managed and administered by a Board of Trustees.[10] Following election, the Chair-elect serves as Vice-chair of the Association for one year before taking office; upon completion of a term of office, the retiring Chair serves as Vice-chair for a further year:[11]

Term Chair Occupation
1994–1996 Sally Neocosmos OBE University Secretary, Sheffield Hallam University
1996–1998 Keith Jones Academic Secretary, University of Liverpool
1998–2000 David Allen OBE Registrar and Secretary, University of Birmingham
2000–2002 Alison Johns Director of Staff Development, University of Plymouth
2002–2004 John Ryan MBE Registrar, University College Worcester
2004–2006 Sue Holmes Assistant Director (Estate Planning), Sheffield Hallam University
2006–2008 Bruce Nelson Academic Registrar, University of Edinburgh
2008–2010 Maureen Skinner Registrar (Faculty of the Arts), Thames Valley University
2010–2012 Christopher Hallas Director of Student Affairs, University of Greenwich
2012–2014 Matthew Andrews Academic Registrar, Oxford Brookes University
2014–2016 Tessa Harrison Director of Students and Education, King's College London
2016–2018 Kathryn Fowler Deputy Executive Director (Aberdeen Institute of Energy), University of Aberdeen
2018–2020 Dr. Chris Ince Secretary and Registrar, London Metropolitan University
2020–2022 Amanda Oliver Director of College Operations, Brunel University
2022–2023 Vikki Goddard Independent Consultant, Vikki Goddard Consulting; former Director of Operations (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health), University of Manchester
2023-2024 Dr. Thea Gibbs Director of Operations (Faculty of Laws), University College London

The Honorary President of the Association undertakes such activities as may be requested by the Board of Trustees or prescribed from time to time in the bye-laws. The Board is responsible for appointing the Honorary President in accordance with bye-laws established for that purpose:[11]

Term President Occupation
2011–2015 Alison Johns Head of Leadership, Governance and Management, Higher Education Funding Council for England
2015–2017 Prof. Ruth Farwell CBE Former Vice Chancellor, Buckinghamshire New University
2017–2019 Mary Curnock Cook CBE Former Chief Executive, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service[12]
2019–2022 Dame Shirley Pearce DBE Chair of Court and Council, London School of Economics; former Vice Chancellor, Loughborough University
2022–2024 Keith Zimmerman Executive Director for Transformation of Education and Student Outcomes, King's College London[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ We’re changing and we’re going to be doing things differently Association of University Administrators (retrieved 10 July 2023)
  2. ^ Giles H. Brown (2011) Fifty years of professional services in HE – time now to consider new models for leadership in universities?, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 15:1, 1-2, DOI: 10.1080/13603108.2010.548150
  3. ^ Frequently asked questions relating to the AUA’s future direction Association of University Administrators (retrieved 10 July 2023)
  4. ^ Announcing the refreshed AUA values Association of University Administrators (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  5. ^ The AUA CPD Framework Association of University Administrators (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  6. ^ Accreditation Association of University Administrators (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  7. ^ PGCert in Higher Education Administration, Management and Leadership Association of University Administrators (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  8. ^ Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education Taylor and Francis Group (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  9. ^ Good practice guides Association of University Administrators (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  10. ^ We’re changing our status as a charity Association of University Administrators (retrieved 11 June 2023)
  11. ^ a b Constitution Association of University Administrators (updated 1 August 2018)
  12. ^ Mary Curnock Cook is the new Honorary President of the AUA Association of University Administrators (retrieved 5 December 2020)
  13. ^ A message from our new President Keith Zimmerman Association of University Administrators, 17 November 2022
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