Professional services in higher education

Advice on the many functions of a university that fall outside academia or teaching such as HR, finance, communications, department and laboratory management, libraries and student services. Find out how professional services teams in higher education can best ensure the smooth running of an institution, supporting teaching, research and student success – and work effectively with their academic colleagues.

By Laura.Duckett , 3 November, 2026

Make employability accessible by embedding it in curricula

A group of university students sitting on the stairs leading to the entrance of a university building

Sometimes, our job is not to give students more examples to add to their CV. It is to help them recognise, value and communicate what is already there, writes Natalie Freeman, who offers guidance on how to do so

Reading time

4minutes

By kiera.obrien , 19 October, 2026

‘Social mobility is about the whole student journey’

If your student is the first person in their family to go to university, what do they need to know? Find three ways to help first-generation students adjust to university life

Reading time

4minutes

By Laura.Duckett , 24 September, 2026

How to build a sustainable digital humanities ecosystem

Research staff in a library working on a digital huimanities project

Digital humanities is about more than adopting new technologies. It depends on bringing people, expertise and ideas together – and creating the structures to help them thrive, says Mara Oliva

Reading time

5minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 24 September, 2026

Beyond lived experience: choosing effective candidates for identified roles

Candidate in wheelchair in job interview

Roles that centre diversity, equity and inclusion research and practice should be filled by candidates with lived experience. For recruitment teams outside these communities, however, it is not always clear what to consider or what to ask in an interview

Reading time

5minutes

By kiera.obrien , 26 August, 2026

Who provides academic skills support at your institution? The answer may be more complex than you think

Academic skills support can end up spread between teams and departments. Here’s a guide to who’s providing what and how to coordinate

Reading time

5minutes

By miranda.prynne , 17 August, 2026

How universities can boost staff diversity

Racial diversity among university staff spotlight image

Advice for supporting racial diversity among university staff and faculty that better reflects the student population and society as a whole

By Laura.Duckett , 14 August, 2026

Recruitment isn’t an endurance test – universities should stop treating it like one

A hiring manager shaking hands with a candidate

If we want the best researchers, educators and professional services colleagues to choose our institutions, we need to scrutinise whether the processes designed to recruit them are helping or hindering us, writes Angela Goff

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 14 August, 2026

Adding an E to an MBA: what an ‘executive’ rebrand costs in real terms

Renaming an MBA an EMBA sounds like a branding tweak. It isn’t. Here’s what we learned about stakeholder buy-in, message sequencing and what a single letter can mean

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 31 July, 2026

What established academics can learn from technical staff

University research runs on the expertise of technicians, research software engineers, data stewards and core‑facility specialists. Treat them as strategic partners and your group’s quality, speed and compliance will improve

By Eliza.Compton , 28 July, 2026

A peer-led approach to helping university students with information overload

Complex administration tasks and fragmented communication channels can cause students unnecessary stress and prevent them from accessing support. A centralised approach that offers peer guidance can be an answer

Reading time

4minutes

Professional services in higher education