“Every time someone is interviewed on the news about universities, it’s always that guy from Buckingham or Bedford or wherever” – so said a consultant to me during my time as Director of Communications at the University of Westminster.

Though she didn’t know it she was referring to Professor Les Ebdon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire. Professor Ebdon is a capable media performer, and an asset to the sector. But why is he alone so prominent?

First, he is chairman of the Million+ mission group of ‘new’, widening participation Universities. Second, he’s within an hour’s taxi of most news studios. Third, he delivers the goods – he has a clear message from his mission group, and sells it well.

Individual universities are often happy to trumpet their own academic or civic achievements, while leaving the messy debate about higher education itself to the missions groups. But there’s a problem. Virtually no-one out here in the real world has heard of the Russell Group. Fewer still Million+ or the 1994 group. Hamstrung in penetrating the consciousness of a frenetic public by their obscure names, the University Alliance at least does what it says on the tin. But with their intrinsically sedate pace and safe messaging, are the mission groups safe guardians of the HE message?

I would argue that they are not. Right now, thanks to the new fees settlement, the public are confused. They don’t know what a university education stands for any more. They’re unsure as to the benefits. In setting fees at or close to the new cap, and failing to collectively explain why, they even appear greedy. High fees intrinsically set high expectations – star lecturers, the latest facilities, enough contact time for extensive teaching, and the a decline in supported self learning. If a student commits to repay £27k for a three year degree, and fails to leave with a first, they will feel – perhaps not always unjustly – that for that sum of money, the lecturers must bear at least some of the responsibility of failure.

It’s time for universities to be clear. To be honest about the service they offer, the experience you can have, and your financial return on investment as a student. It’s time for universities to stand up and champion the virtue of developing yourself as a critical thinker. When it comes to communications, that needs two things – collective action, and academic personalities.

Collective action is about universities speaking boldly, with one voice. I would be excited to see as many universities as possible break mission group and competitive boundaries, to prepare a new creed. A clear, unambiguous statement as to what Higher Education is FOR. The mission groups could make themselves useful by paying for that creed to be run as a full page advert in every national newspaper.

Academic personalities are about individual, media friendly, senior academics (particularly Vice-Chancellors) stepping out from behind the mission groups and building up a personal profile. There are V-Cs in British Higher Education which the media would lap up – combative, entertaining, charming, engaging. They may feel don’t have a mandate to speak on the future of Higher Education. They’re wrong.

So let’s have a National Decleration, and let a thousand (V-C penned) Op Eds bloom. Higher Education is kicked and down, who will help to put it back on its feet again?

Google is currently testing a new search interface, which could among other things have an impact on recruitment to metropolitan universities.

One of the major factors for students who choose to study at a metropolitan university, particularly those living in London, is the proximity of the University to their home. These students are more likely than most to search for a specific institution by name, as they may be familiar with it having been exposed to the brand through advertising / signage / events.

If you search for the University of Westminster on the current Google interface, you will see a first hit that looks similar to this:

Under the new Google interface, the map is no longer included in the first search result. However, further down the page a contextual map is included:

I can’t quite believe this map is intended not to give prominence to the University of Westminster, given that those were my search terms. However at present, this is a slot of our ‘shop window’ dedicated to our competitors, without the need for PPC advertising. A big change, with a particular relevance in areas where multiple institutions are packed in close together - so yet another London factor for student recruitment.

“The Victorians who watched the early Lumière films did not only witness a new form of entertainment. For many it would be their first glimpse of their French neighbours, or continental architecture. It was a moment which connected cultures.  So it is fitting that in the same building we now teach social sciences, politics, and languages. Just as the Lumière brothers did more than a century ago, we are opening doors and connecting cultures. I can’t wait for the moment when, once again, we will be able to do so with the word “action!”.”

The words of my Vice-Chancellor – I couldn’t have put it better myself.

I’ve been busy today with our team launching a £5m campaign to revive the birthplace of British cinema. The Today programme and the BBC News website were really good to us. There is more news to follow, and campaign updates are being posted to www.birthplaceofcinema.com

Our media monitoring stations (powered by EyeTV) exported an MP3 of the Today programme package, which I’ve hosted using Houndbite:

(c) BBC 2009

Houndbite is simplicity itself to operate – effectively a YouTube for audio files – but I’m surprised the embedded version doesn’t link directly to the same file on the Houndbite site. Still some work to do, by the look of it.

Oh, and yes, that is me playing the organ throughout the piece. Angus Crawford (the reporter) took us a little by surprise when he asked for the organ to be played – I hadn’t played in seven years and had to make something upon the spot to demonstrate some of the quirky features of the Compton organ (you can clearly hear the bells/chimes). I’m afraid it comes across as a little funereal!