When was Universities West Midlands formed?
The regional association was formed in 1999, as the West Midlands Higher Education Association.
Why was the association formed?
Higher Education Regional Associations were formed to provide a means to engage with national and regional bodies on developments and challenges requiring a regional response. Each region of England has an association representing their higher education sector members
Why have you changed your name?
Our new name reflects the fact that all our members have university status and it says what we do not represent i.e. the higher education activity which is undertaken outside of the region's universities and university colleges.
How are you funded?
As a membership organisation Universities West Midlands is funded by subscriptions from the university and university college members. HEFCE also funds regional associations to undertake specific regional analysis and coordination tasks, for example see the HERA Barometer on the publications page.
I am not in the West Midlands - who are the other Higher Education Regional Associations?
Details of all the associations can be found at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/partners/consortia/regional.htm.
What is a University College?
The University Colleges in the West Midlands are institutions that award degree and postgraduate qualifications and undertake research across a relatively narrow range of subjects. Within the UK, the term University College is most often used to denote an institution that has been granted its own taught degree awarding powers but, because it has fewer than 4,000 higher education students, is not currently eligible to apply for full university title. This criteria is currently being reviewed as part of the Higher Education White Paper.
For example, Harper Adams University College specialises in agriculture, food production and rural land management whereas University College Birmingham focuses on courses for the service industries such as hospitality and tourism.
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