Box of delight

At over 200 pages and 50 recommendations, the Augar report does not disappoint as a meaty piece of policy work. It will take us some time to fully digest its many implications, the job of which we’ve started work on already and will involve the ideas and analysis of countless experts from inside and outside universities. I write this article having read it all the way through once, not having had sight of much of the underlying research or funding datasets. This is my hot take in which I am only able to cover a precious few specific aspects of the report – there’s a great deal more analysis to follow.

No black academics have worked in senior management in any British university for the last three years, according to employment records.

Figures published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency record no black academics in the elite staff category of “managers, directors and senior officials” in 2015-16 – the third year in a row that this has happened.