The tag-line for NUS’ Zone Conferences this year is Explore Dream, Discover. For me, this encapsulates the value of the conference and the importance of meeting to discuss and address the challenges that we will face this year. It’s just as important to state what we’re fighting for as it is to state what we’re fighting against, and this is best done together.

Together, we can best understand how to challenge the flawed logic of applying market principles to our education; how we can embrace internationalisation; how we can realise our own vision and create an education system that expresses its value to society and truly treats students as partners in this.

This year we have a unique opportunity to challenge and change the way this country thinks about and does higher education.

Reflecting this is a brand new approach to our Zone Conference. This year we will support you to create great policies for a much broader pattern of work, and give you more power to actually shape our work and challenge our assumptions.  We have been working hard to put together a great agenda, full of speakers that can inform and inspire discussion around the issues that require our attention.  

We have identified six crucial issues in higher education, each of which demandsequal attention from the student movement. This is why we’re asking you to select a particular stream for the duration of the conference. Your assigned group will explore the context and challenges of one particular theme before creating and debating new solutions that we can achieve together in the course of the year.

Sounds difficult? 24 hours to shape a year is a big ask, but we know that we’re at a place where we can do this. I am truly excited by the prospect and I hope you are too. So, come to Manchester on 1 and 2 November ready to think beyond the limits of what we have done before. Come ready to be challenged to debate and challenge things we previously assumed to be right. Come ready to explore, dream and discover. 

For more information on HE zone conference, to see the agenda and to register, click here. Registration closes on 5 October 2012.