How We Work

At the Universitas 21 annual meeting, Presidents of our member universities review activities and achievements from the past year, set the strategic direction for the network over the forthcoming year and discuss issues of importance to their universities and to higher education more generally. This meeting extends over two days and the agenda is set in consultation with members and with academic input from experts.

Composed of a smaller number of Presidents from around the network, the Executive Committee meets virtually between annual meetings and has oversight for the network, its activities and its interactions with members as well as external bodies.

Each member university appoints a senior person to be its U21 Manager to be the liaison point between the university and the network and to promote and foster network engagement at institutional level. The U21 Managers meet up to five times a year, either face-to-face or virtually, both to exchange ideas and best practice, and also to provide guidance to the Executive Committee and the Presidents and thereby having operational oversight for network activity. The U21 Secretariat exists to support the management of the network and its activities. With expert support in the areas of Student Experience, Educational Innovation, Researcher Engagement and Leadership & Management, the Secretariat is a point of reference for members in all aspects of the network’s activities and supports collective activity and innovation.