Higher education in the colleges: future challenges and the research contribution Gareth Parry University of Sheffield

Future challenges 1.To build the college share 2.To sustain collaboration 3.To argue for the mass college 4.To reclaim scholarship 5.To think and act tertiary

To build the college share On whether to concentrate or distribute, at the system and the organisational levels?

To sustain collaboration On whether collaboration is necessarily unstable and asymmetrical

To argue for the mass college On the special features and problems of the mass college, and its contribution to democratisation or diversion

To reclaim scholarship On the scholarships of learning, teaching and innovation, and whether they are different for higher and further education

To think and act tertiary? On the concept of an open system of colleges and universities, and its implications for professional development and identity

In summary 1.Why concentrate or distribute higher education in the college system, and with what implications? 2.Is collaboration consistent with, and necessary to, a public-private market? 3.Do multi-sector colleges promote or inhibit an organisational culture and transfer of learning? 4.In what ways do mass colleges serve as settings for democratisation and diversion? 5.Is scholarship a suitable concept to lead the professional development of further education staff? 6.Should we abandon the idea of further education in favour of an open system of colleges and universities?