Twice a year the Pro-Vice-Chancellors of the Russell Group universities meet up for 24 hours of discussions around issues of common concern to all of us.  We now go around each other's university cities, although originally (I was in on the very first meeting exactly 6 years ago) we met in a small hotel on the outskirts of Swindon.  Today we are in Leeds, staying and meeting in the Weetwood Hall conference centre that is owned by the University.  Our speakers to date have been Phil Jones from Sheffield Hallam (who chairs the sectors's Quality Assurance in Higher Education group), Craig Mahoney (the new Chief Executive of the Higher Education Academy) and Michael Arthur (VC of Leeds and chair of the Russell Group). We have Martin Williams, head of HE strategy at DBIS to come.

Something that inevitably dominates our discussions is the dual issue of the outcome of the forthcoming Browne Review and of the Comprehensive Spending Review - both to report within a month.  The effect of the latter on the financing of DBIS looks pretty certain - although how that will translate into HEFCE action is rather more unknown and an obvious cause for speculation.  On the other hand, even at this late stage there still seem to be innumerable views, leaks and rumours on what Browne will recommend. It is certain that students will have to pay a higher contribution towards the costs of their education, but how that is to be achieved is still up for grabs, and what that payment might be is still open.

However, something that seems to me to be becoming clearer is what the universities will have to do in response.  The quid pro quo for any change in funding is likely to be the publication of a defined set of data for candidates, verifiable indpendently from outside an institution, covering not only levels of student satisfaction but also issues around graduate employment, contact hours, who students will be taught by (for example, are postgraduate students delivering first year tutorials and seminars), the costs of accommodation, and satisfaction with the local Students' Union.   I asked last month that we should look to see the extent such information was already available in departments here in Sheffield and found that a lot of the 16 points we are likely to be asked for are not currently covered by materials available to candidates in any way.  We are going to have an interesting time compiling some of these data and reflecting on them in relation to the messages about us that they convey to interested candidates.