From access to engagement and beyond / by Stuart Billingham (York St John University, UK).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Foreword / Liz Thomas -- Chapter 1. Ethnicity and Equal Opportunity in Higher Education in the 1990's: From Access to Pedagogy -- Chapter 2. Learning Communities and Tertiary Education -- Chapter 3. Diversity, Inclusion, and the Transforming Student Experience -- Chapter 4. From Access to Engagement -- Chapter 5. "Too Busy to Come": What Future for Widening Participation?' -- Chapter 6. UK Launch of the European Access Network EAN World Congress on Access to Post-Secondary Education (2013) -- Chapter 7. Supporting Student Success: Making Excellence Inclusive -- Chapter 8. Same but Different -- Chapter 9. Reflections on the Future of Social Mobility -- Chapter 10. Access and Disability -- Chapter 11. Change is Gonna Come -- Chapter 12. Where have we been? Where are we going?

This collection reveals a recurring theme in the author's work over almost three decades: that the preoccupation in policy, commentary, research and practice with who gets into higher education has led to a corresponding failure to cast a critical eye over what, where and when they get the higher education offer. It seems that potential students are expected to fit-in with HE culture, rather than think about how HE might change to fit-in with them. On offer is a collection of the author's works, spanning much of his professional working life, covering issues relevant to widening access to success in higher education and for a wide-ranging audience. Some chapters offer conference speeches and keynotes; others are blogs or chapters in books. One is even a speech to an audience from the UK House of Lords delivered originally within the Parliament precincts. Together they paint a picture of the prevailing issues and concerns of the widening access agenda over twenty-five years. A recurring call throughout is the need for greater international collaboration, a need that has indeed grown in importance as the conversation on widening access and success has progressed. Some would say that this is due, in no small measure, to the work of this critical thinker and practitioner.