What is Higher Education For? Shared and contested ambitions

The Society for Research into Higher Education invites contributions to this international conference which will examine many perspectives about what higher education is for, explore ways in which research into higher education can support and strengthen shared ambitions and by taking a broad and multi-faceted view of the nature and purpose of higher education discussions will illuminate disputed ambitions.
The SRHE Annual Conference provides a major platform for the presentation and sharing of research in every aspect of higher education.
You are invited to contribute to this debate in a variety of ways: by presenting a paper, including work of a conceptual or theoretical nature, forming or participating in a symposium, or organising a round table on any aspect of this year’s theme or your own research interests. Empirical and scholarly research from a wide range of perspectives is welcome.
Submitting authors will be asked to provide an abstract for peer review in two parts;
Part 1 Abstract: This needs to be a 150 word maximum summary of the proposal. This will be the information printed in the published conference programme.
Part 2 Outline: It will be a maximum 1000 word outline of the research to be presented. Both parts will be required at the point of first submission and there will be no subsequent call for full papers for accepted abstracts later in the year.
The full abstract of parts 1 and 2 will be available for all delegates on a CD Rom at the Conference.
Deadline for conference paper submissions: Friday 29 June 2012
The SRHE Annual Conference is a participative event at which delegates presenting their own work will also participate in the discussions in plenary sessions and the presentations of the work of others. The Conference programme is planned on the basis that delegates will attend the whole event over the three days.
The conference will start on Wednesday 12 December at 11.00am (registration from 9.30am) and finish after lunch at 3pm on Friday 14 December. The Welcome Reception will be on the first evening, Wednesday 12 December and the Conference Gala dinner on Thursday 13 December. Celtic Manor, set in 1400 acres of parkland in the stunning Welsh USK Valley, is one of the finest conference venues in Europe offering state of the art conference facilities, accommodation for all conference delegates and extensive and exclusive spaces for delegates to network.
Newer Researchers' Perspectives
The Newer Researchers Conference will be held on 11 December at the Celtic Manor Resort.
Download Call For Papers SRHE Conference.
Download Call For Papers SRHE Newer Researchers Conference.
Conference Registration.
See also Positive Futures for higher education.