Dr Jonathan Nicholls Memorial Essay Prize Award Ceremony

 

Entry to the Dr Jonathan Nicholls Memorial Essay Prize Competition has now closed.

The Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday 22 June 2023, 5pm to 7pm, at The Shard in London. If you would like to attend, please email info@ahua.ac.uk

The Competition

The competition is open to anyone working in, or studying at, a higher education institution or with links to the sector. Entrants may be professional services or academic staff at any level, staff in associated HE organisations, undergraduate, post graduate or doctoral students, or retired staff.

Entrants are required to write an essay of 3,000 –  5,000 words * on the following:

  • Higher Education Reimagined: identify one innovative idea that would transform HE institutions for the better and consider how we make it happen in practice.

The winning essay will be published in the journal Perspectives **.  The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize which will be awarded at an Awards Ceremony in central London in June 2023.

* The word count should include footnotes but not bibliographies.

** Please note that we do not require entries to adhere to Perspectives’ publication guidelines.

How to enter (applications now closed)

Entrants should write an essay of 3,000 to 5,000 words on:

  • Higher Education Reimagined: identify one innovative idea that would transform HE institutions for the better and consider how we make it happen in practice.

The judging panel is particularly interested in proposals that produce creative but practical and realistic solutions to the issues identified.

There is no fee to enter.

Applications now closed.

Judging panel

The panel is chaired by Nicola Dandridge, Professor of Practice in Higher Education Policy at the University of Bristol and former chief executive of the Office for Students.  Other panellists represent the universities at which Dr Nicholls worked, plus Shakespeare Martineau and the editor of Perspectives:

  • Joanne Caldwell, Manager, Centre for Doctoral Training, University of Salford, joint editor of Perspectives
  • Smita Jamdar, Partner and Head of Education, Shakespeare Martineau
  • Lee Sanders, Registrar, University of Birmingham
  • Professor Mike Shattock, Centre for Global Higher Education, University of Oxford and former Registrar at the University of Warwick
  • Professor Graham Virgo, University of Cambridge

Who was Dr Jonathan Nicholls?

Dr Nicholls was a distinguished university senior manager.  He held the positions of Registrar at the University of Warwick from 1999 to 2004, Registrar and Secretary at the University of Birmingham from 2004 to 2007 and Registrary at the University of Cambridge from 2007 to 2016.  He also worked with Shakespeare Martineau’s education practice as Director of Strategic and Policy Services.  He was Chair of the Association of Heads of University Administration from 2013 – 2016.  He has been called the first ‘career Registrar’ and was hugely influential in the sector.  He died in tragic circumstances in March 2022.

Further Information

For enquiries or further information, please email info@ahua.ac.uk

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Dr Jonathan Nicholls Essay Prize Application Form
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