Higher Education institutions should rethink their role in society and become essential contributors to the places they serve, Professor Symeon Dagkas, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chichester, told sector leaders at a national conference last week.
Speaking at the Universities UK Political Affairs in Higher Education Conference on June 4, Professor Dagkas emphasised that the long-term sustainability of universities will increasingly depend on their civic impact as much as their academic output.
“We are not simply asking what does the university need from the region, but what does the region need from its university?” he said. “The future sustainability and legitimacy of universities will depend not only on what we deliver academically, but on whether we are seen as indispensable contributors to the economic, social and civic infrastructure of a place.”
Professor Dagkas was taking part in a key session Engaging beyond mayoral combined authorities, alongside Paul Angrave, Director of Public Affairs and Engagement at the University of Leicester. The session was chaired by Greg Wade, Head of Innovation Policy at Universities UK.
The discussion explored how universities can build meaningful partnerships in regions that operate outside formal devolution arrangements. It highlighted the importance of strong local collaboration, navigating complex regional dynamics, and delivering sustained impact in areas without mayoral combined authorities.
Professor Dagkas stressed that universities must act as active civic partners for their regions as well as providers of education, adding that the absence of a devolved authority should not limit ambition.
“As regional landscapes become more complex, universities remain among the few institutions with the permanence, reach, convening power and public legitimacy to sustain long-term partnerships,” he said. “The universities that thrive over the next decade will not simply be those with the strongest balance sheets or research portfolios. They will be those that become indispensable to the places they serve.”
Professor Dagkas brings extensive experience in civic engagement and partnership-building to the national conversation. As Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chichester, he has championed widening participation, international collaboration, and initiatives that support social mobility and place-based economic growth. His leadership has also strengthened cross-sector partnerships spanning public, private and third sector organisations, including contributions to the Sussex Civic University Agreement.
The Universities UK conference brings together policymakers, university leaders and sector experts to address key issues including financial sustainability, collaboration, and universities’ role in national renewal.
“The future strength of universities will increasingly be judged not only by what they produce academically, but by what they contribute civically,” Professor Dagkas concluded. “Universities should not simply exist in places; they should actively help shape the future of those places.”