[Geo4All] House of Lords Convening – Reimagining Sustainability in Higher Education: Leading Through Equity

[Suchith Anand]

Dear colleagues,
Following the House of Lords event Reimagining Sustainability in Higher Education: Thriving Through Equity and Student Success, this webinar on 29th January 2026 at 12:00 - 13:15  (UK time) continues the conversation by delving into Stream 3: Leadership, Governance & Accountability for Sustainable Equity.

This webinar will explore:

 • The role of senior leadership and governance in advancing sustainable equity
 • How transparent KPIs and data-driven accountability support inclusive outcomes
 • Leadership cultures that recognise and reward inclusive practice
 • Governance approaches that position equity as central to excellence, risk management, and long-term institutional resilience


Discussion Question:
What governance or performance measure could your institution introduce in the next planning round to further entrench equitable student success as a non-negotiable priority for all senior leaders?

Register at  https://lnkd.in/eyX3Qbsm

Join this discussion and help shape the future of equitable governance in higher education.

Best wishes

Suchith


> On 25 Jan 2026, at 12:32, Suchith Anand  wrote:
> 
> Dear colleagues,
> 
> It has been 3 years since I had sent an Open Letter to the Russell Group requesting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) scholarships at all UK universities. I would like to thank the Russell Group for responding to the Open Letter requesting scholarships that I published and for the assurance on their commitment for increasing opportunities for all students. I greatly appreciate the supportive response from Russell Group to my Open Letter and for their many initiatives to help students from all backgrounds. 
> 
> I had come from a humble background. I was able to pursue my higher education because of scholarships that I had received from universities and also because of the kindness and support that I received from many kind people during my studies.  So it is now my duty to keep the doors of higher education opportunities open for all. 
> 
> I co-founded GeoForAll for making geospatial education and opportunities accessible to all. This will help enable widening STEM education opportunities for all.  Details at http://www.geoforall.org <http://www.geoforall.org/>
> 
> 
> Please see my open letters requesting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion scholarships at all UK universities at
> 
> https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-requesting-edi-scholarships-all-uk-suchith-anand/
> 
> https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/thank-you-your-support-edi-scholarships-initiative-suchith-anand/
> 
> 
> Access to quality education opportunities is a human right. Universities have a social responsibility. There is an urgent need to scale up the EDI scholarship initiatives by all UK universities.
> 
> According to statistics provided at Child Poverty Action Group , there were 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK. That's 31 per cent of children. Details at https://cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/poverty-facts-and-figures
> 
> Extreme child poverty in the UK is a humanitarian and ethical crisis. In educational terms, poverty is a significant disadvantage. The link between poverty and poor educational outcomes and wellbeing in the UK has remained stubbornly and depressingly high despite longstanding policy concern at national, local and jurisdictional levels of government. Please see details on child poverty, education and the postcode lottery at https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2020/08/19/child-poverty-education-and-the-postcode-lottery/
> 
> I am grateful to colleagues in all the UK universities who championed the need for more full scholarships (at both undergraduate and postgraduate level) for students from economically poor families and first-generation students (first in family to go to university). I am confident that with this momentum more students from economically poor families will be able to get access to higher education opportunities in the near future.
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> Suchith
> 
> Professor Suchith Anand
> Professor of Practice in Science Policy | Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist | Global Citizen | Science Diplomacy |  SDG Volunteer and Advocate
> https://spspa.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?username=sa1131
> https://ethicaldatainitiative.org <https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/>
> 
> 
> 
>> On 19 Nov 2025, at 11:41, Suchith Anand <suchithanand1976 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Dear colleagues,
>> 
>> An excellent convening on Reimagining Sustainability in Higher Education: Leading Through Equity at the UK House of Lords on 17th November 2025.  I represented and contributed on behalf of the University of Exeter for this important meeting. 
>> 
>> Hosted by Baroness Verma, the event united a distinguished cohort of senior leaders, including:
>> 
>> - Vice-Chancellors and PVCs
>> - Representatives from over 20 universities, encompassing Russell Group and post-92 institutions
>> - Regulatory and sector bodies such as the Office for Students and HEPI
>> 
>> This endeavour will create a unified, sector-wide vision of a sustainable University, one that champions equity, thrives on inclusion, and endures through purposeful collaboration. The dialogues were profound, open, and strategically focused, underscoring a fundamental truth: Equity is not an add-on to sustainability but the cornerstone of a thriving higher education sector.
>> 
>> Delegates delved into how equity can propel:
>> 
>> - Financial and operational resilience
>> - Enhanced outcomes and student experiences
>> - Robust governance practices
>> - Inclusive digital and workforce advancements
>> 
>> Next Steps:
>> 
>> Our forthcoming actions include:
>> 
>> - Crafting a comprehensive sector-wide report, incorporating insights from the event and amplifying the voices of Vice-Chancellors leading equity initiatives nationally
>> - Facilitating virtual in-depth roundtables for each thematic stream
>> - Showcasing institutions pioneering equity-driven transformations
>> - Ensuring alignment of our roadmap with evolving government policies
>> 
>> This endeavour will create a unified, sector-wide vision of a sustainable University, one that champions equity, thrives on inclusion, and endures through purposeful collaboration. Thank you to Baroness Verma for hosting us, and to Dr Jummy Okoya for leading this important conversation.
>> 
>> Looking forward to working together for championing equity and inclusion. Together, we are reshaping the sector’s future. 
>> 
>> Best wishes
>> 
>> Suchith
>> 
>> Professor Suchith Anand
>> Professor of Practice in Science Policy | Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist | Global Citizen | Science Diplomacy |  SDG Volunteer and Advocate
>> https://spspa.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?username=sa1131
>> https://ethicaldatainitiative.org <https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/>
>> 
> 

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