There is a rhythm to the year which is recognisable, sometimes reassuring – we all feel good about the familiar – and sometimes mildly irritating – time cannot fly by that fast, surely. So the Easter eggs appear in the shops as the Christmas decorations are put away – squeezing the Valentine’s cards in between…

Years ago, the New Statesman used to run weekly literary competitions. One of the best was the competition to write new proverbs – and a collection of these was published under the wonderful title provided by one of the winning entries, ‘Never Rub Bottoms with a Porcupine’. The anthology included such classics as ‘it’s an…

There’s a probably interminable debate about what universities are for, which provides a backdrop to working in them.  The historian Felipe Fernandez-Armesto covered virtually all the bases in a piece he wrote in 2011: “there are only two worthwhile objectives for everything we do, in the university and out of it: enhancing life and preparing…

Perhaps the best sporting headline of all time appeared in 2000.  Inverness Caledonian Thistle had – remarkably – beaten Celtic 3-1.  The Sun headline writer had a field day: SUPER CALEY GO BALLISTIC – CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS.  It is pure genius wordsmithing, which works on every level.  It’s striking, it’s memorable, and, of course, it references…

We are programmed to move.  To survive in a harsh environment full of natural and human obstacles and enemies, early humans not only had to run, but also walk, balance, jump, crawl, climb, lift, carry, throw and catch things. Our ancestors routinely moved more than we do now: more people worked physically harder in their…

I’ve worked in Sheffield for just over a year now – I’m still a newcomer – and perhaps I will be for a very long time! I came to Sheffield to lead what is one of the UK’s largest universities. Sheffield Hallam teaches more than 31,000 students at any one time. It educates young people…

There are almost endless numbers of books and business school courses on strategy, but, really, strategy comes down to two very simple questions – what do you want to do, and how are you going to make sure you do it? Last week, Hallam’s Board of Governors signed off the University’s reshaped strategy – setting…

Those who work closely with me know of my tendency to draw on The West Wing as a frequent source of quotations and parallels. A recent survey of the best TV drama series rated it eleventh – above The Wire but (wrongly in my view) below Mad Men. If you are not familiar with it,…

I’ve said, and written, before that Hallam is a remarkable place. It is a huge university, with extraordinary things going on in different places. Almost a year in – and I’ll come back to that later in the year – still not a week goes by without my discovering something I didn’t know before. One…

It’s been a remarkable few weeks. An unexpected referendum result. The collapse of the Government. A ferocious start to the leadership campaign in the Conservative Party. A no-confidence vote in the Leader of the Opposition. Havoc in the Labour Party. And Wales in the semi-final of the European football championships. The script, when they come…