Professor John Taylor, PhD
| Administrative responsibility | Director of the Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy (CHEMPaS) Key Associate of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education |
| Office phone | +44 (0)23 8059 6892 |
| Internal extension | 26892 |
| jtaylor@soton.ac.uk | |
| Room number | 2/4085 |
| Expertise | Biography | SOE Research Centre Membership | Principal Publications | External Activities | Funded Research | Awards & Memberships |
Expertise
Globalisation and internationalisation in higher education
Governance, leadership and management in higher education
Government policy and higher education
Graduate studies
History of higher education
Human resource management in higher education (including career development for higher education managers)
International comparative studies of higher education
Management of research in higher education institutions (including the assessment of quality in research)
Strategic and operational planning in higher education
The relationship between teaching and research
Biography
I am a historian by training, with a first degree in History and a PhD in early modern social history. Ever since I was an undergraduate student, I have been enthralled by the world of higher education; I never cease to find the creation of new knowledge through research and the transmission of knowledge by teaching and learning to be inspiring. I hope I can share my enthusiasm with my students and colleagues.
For over 20 years I worked in higher education management, first at the University of Leeds (1979-84), then the University of Sheffield (1984-95) and lastly as Director of Planning at the University of Southampton (1995-2001). My management career provided invaluable experience of all the main policy developments in UK higher education; in particular, I co-ordinated the University of Southampton’s submission for the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise which resulted in the largest proportionate increase in research funding of any UK university and confirmed the University’s position among the leading research-led universities in the UK. I also took an MA in Comparative Higher Education (part-time) at the University of Reading. In 2001 I moved to the University of Bath becoming Director of the International Centre for Higher Education Management before returning to Southampton in 2004 as Professor of Higher Education Management and Policy and Director of the Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy at Southampton (CHEMPaS).
My main research interests build on my previous management experience, especially the analysis of policy developments in higher education; strategic and operational planning in higher education; and resource allocation at system level and within institutions. I have written widely on many of the key policy changes in UK higher education over the last 25 years. I am currently writing a history of higher education in the UK since 1945. Many of my other research interests can be grouped under the heading of research management in higher education institutions. These include the management of research intensive universities; the development of research in less research intensive universities; the relationship between teaching and research; the funding of research; the assessment of research quality; and the development of postgraduate research. I am working on a book looking at a range of the issues facing research in higher education. Other interests include human resource management in higher education and globalisation and internationalisation in higher education. Finally, my roots as a historian are still alive, with an ongoing interest in the history of higher education.
Underpinning all my research is a strong interest in international and comparative studies. I have worked in many countries all over the world (including Canada, USA, South Africa, Cyprus, Jamaica, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Germany, Austria and Norway) and have students based in many different countries. Fundamental to my approach in both teaching and research is the sharing of expertise and experience from all parts of the world.
CHEMPaS brings together a group of staff and students from many different disciplines and offers a stimulating working environment. As Director, I am looking to develop a wide range of postgraduate and professional development programmes. The integration of research of international standard with professional practice and the delivery of higher education is central to the work of the Centre.
Outside of work, my main interests lie in sport (I am a season ticket holder at Southampton Football Club), gardening and walking in the countryside with his young and very energetic dog, Ellie.
SOE Research Centre Membership
Principal Publications
2. J Taylor (2005), "Managing the Unmanageable: the management of research in research intensive universities", Invited paper (CNIER/OECD Conference: Money, Mission and Management, Beijing, April 2005
3. J Taylor (2005), "Big is beautiful: organisational change in UK higher education institutions and the position of academic staff", International seminar on changes in the academic profession, UNESCO, Berlin, October 2005
4. J Taylor (2003), "Institutional Diversity in UK Higher Education: Policy and Outcomes Since the End of the Binary Divide", Higher Education Quarterly, 57, 3, pp266-193
External Activities
2. Development of management development programmes for university administrators in the Caribbean (for ACHEA)
3. Development of staff development programmes for Croatian universities (EU-TEMPUS)
