NEON Summer Symposium 2018: Widening Access – Who Cares?

NEON Summer Symposium

  • Date

      21/06/2018 - 22/06/2018

  • Location/Venue

      University of Sussex

  • Time

      10:30 am - 1:15 pm

 

“Widening Access – Who Cares?”
NEON Summer Symposium


Thursday, June 21st 2018 (10.30 – 17.15) and Friday, 22nd 2018 (9.00 – 13.15)

University of Sussex

NEON are pleased to announce that our annual Summer Symposium will take place on the 21st and 22nd of June at the University of Sussex.

This year’s theme will be “Widening Access – Who Cares?”. We will examine the priority placed on widening access by different stakeholders. To what extent is widening access on the agendas of policymakers, schools, colleges, the academic community, employers and students? How is it being addressed and in what ways can the commitment to widening access across the board be strengthened?

During the two days, we will be discussing the importance of partnership working in order to both widen access to higher education (HE) and to support students from under-represented groups through HE into employment.  We will hear from key figures from the education sector talking about why widening access matters and we will discuss the challenges of obtaining the commitment, from all parties, to acknowledge the importance of ensuring we have a diverse student body.

The NEON Summer Symposium offers two days of stimulating keynotes, presentations and discussions. It is also an invaluable opportunity for widening access professionals, careers advisors, student support specialists, policy analysts and academics to engage with each other, discussing best practice and driving forward a social mobility agenda that we are all dedicated to.

Confirmed Speakers
Gordon Marsden MPShadow Minister of HE, FE & Skills
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice Chancellor, University of Sussex
Sarah Howls, Head of Student Opportunities, Hefce
Dr Omar Khan, Director, Runneymede
Shakira Martin, President, NUS
Kirsti Lord, Deputy Chief Executive, Association of Colleges
Dr Graeme Atherton, Director, NEON & Head, AccessHE
More details on speakers and topics will be announced shortly.

 

Feedback from 2017 NEON Summer Symposium

“Good balance of practice and research”
“Really enjoyed the opportunity to meet and network with professionals from around the UK”
“Had a positive experience at my first NEON Symposium”
“Thank you for organising a fantastic symposium”