‘Universities will be in greater demand’: Northampton chancellor and vice-chancellor look to post-pandemic future

As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, people are starting to wonder what life will look like post-pandemic.

The chancellor and vice-chancellor of the University of Northampton are no different.

The pair have been discussing what the future may hold for higher education and the message is pretty clear.

Despite widespread debate about how universities will fare as the country suffers economically, the Rev Richard Coles is confident that higher education will be in greater demand after the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking on the university’s radio station, NLive, Rev Coles said: “The real challenge for universities, and this is one of the reasons why I’m proud to be associated with the University of Northampton, is that there is going to be a need for innovation, creativity and imagination following the pandemic, and it will be interesting to see how they mobilise to meet this demand.

“There’s going to be an extraordinary demand for powerful thinking, and that’s why the universities, with their skills and knowledge, are going to be so important in how we respond to the new way of life.

“For example, universities are already playing a major role, in that they are helping to find a vaccine, testing it and will be helping to get it out into the community. Where would we be if we didn’t have academics doing that?

“Then there’s the longer-term problems, the economic problems and the technological problems that the pandemic will bring. Skills and knowledge will be our salvation, I have no doubt.”

During the two-hour radio show, vice-chancellor, Professor Nick Petford also addressed how universities will adapt to life after coronavirus.

He said: “I think that things will change permanently in the way we work at the university.

“Perhaps in the way we teach students, using far more technology-based applications.

“There’s innovation in that approach, so I am sure this is something that is positive that is coming out of the situation we are now in.

“We had universities in the UK for 700 years, so tradition is steeped into their DNA.

“Then, something like Covid comes along which means things that would have taken us, on a managerial timescale, months or even years to do, are being turned around in weeks.

“This is the new normal for universities, we can be more agile, in particular, to meet students’ needs, the needs of the workforce and the greater population, and that’s going to be a good thing.

“We are in a good position to embrace the new world, as we have that fleet-of-footedness that will hopefully stand us in good stead.”

Rev Coles added: “It does seem to me that the University of Northampton is going to be very well-placed to play a really pioneering role in the adaption of a new way of working and using new technology.

"We have a new campus that was built for it, and the university has always been quick to respond to risks and opportunities.”

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