What to do about the risk we can’t control: The key things to explore at your next University Council away-day

Free Online Workshop

Suitable for AHUA Members including those based within the devolved nations (excluding Associate and Overseas Members)

Limited spaces available

AHUA and Counterculture are hosting a free online workshop for AHUA members, designed to explore effective approaches to university governance in a rapidly evolving landscape.

In an increasingly complex and fast-changing context, university governors are continually navigating risks and opportunities impacting their institutions. Often, traditional methods for assessing risk can become overly focused on internal governance requirements or rely on established tools that may be slow, ineffective, and prone to repeating past responses.

This workshop utilises a live exercise model to examine critical risks for institutions. Participants will engage with techniques designed to unlock more strategic, long-term responses to operational challenges, aiming to break cycles of perpetual decline.

Led by James Coe, Senior Partner and Director at Counterculture, the workshop operates within the framework of a fictitious institution. This approach allows delegates to creatively explore challenging scenarios without the immediate pressure of applying them to their own organisations. Scenarios may include:

• A sustained decrease in an institution’s turnover.
• Radical changes in student demography and choices.
• A significant shift in the regulatory context impacting institutional activities.
• Changes that prohibit recruitment from overseas.

Participants will gain insights into how to replicate similar exercises with their own boards and governors. The aim is to foster cultural shifts, nurture more strategic thinking, and ensure future Council away days are more productive and engaging than traditional deep dives into schemes of delegated authority, risk registers, or cash flow forecasts.