NEON Summer Symposium

“Widening Access – Who Cares?”
NEON Summer Symposium

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

University of Sussex

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

Please click here to be redirected to the event page where you can book on. Alternatively, you can complete the booking form at the bottom of the page.

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.

For more information, see the programme.

Confirmed Speakers
Gordon Marsden MP, Shadow Minister of HE, FE & Skills
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice Chancellor, University of Sussex
Sarah Howls, Head of Access & Participation Funding and Programmes, Office for Students
Dr Omar Khan, Director, Runnymede
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”