For over a year, universities have worked against the odds to keep students on track during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s been gruelling, but also, often, inspiring, with deep collaboration and innovation in evidence across the sector. But over the last few months it has become increasingly clear that while there is concerted government support for schools and children, universities are expected to do this largely themselves.

We don’t comment on whether that’s the right or wrong approach. And given the autonomous nature of the sector, government will (rightly) be less directly involved in shaping the university student experience. Nevertheless, the UPP Foundation felt there was a gap in bringing together insights, ideas and suggestions from across the entire higher education sector to help students secure their successful futures – and to help universities support each other as well.

The Commission was conceived following a conversation with our partners Wonkhe to address this perceived gap, and since then we have been putting in place the infrastructure for the Commission. We’d like to place on record our huge thanks to the partners – GTI, Shakespeare Martineau and Wonkhe – who have helped get this off the ground, Public First for their servicing of the Commission, all of our Commissioners who are taking time out of their busy schedules to provide their expertise and the Commission’s Chair, Mary Curnock Cook for proving the Commission’s leadership.

The UPP Foundation is a charity which tackles the biggest issues in the higher education sector through funding innivative pilot projects, and collaborative thought leadership.