Golden Jubilee Year Yorkshire Regional Conference 2011: ‘Shaping our Future’

The Association of University Administrators is the professional body for professional services staff working in Higher Education. As joint branch co-ordinators of the AUA in the University of Huddersfield, we are writing to let you know that 2011 is the Golden Jubilee Year of the Association with special events and opportunities for development during the year to mark the occasion.

We are pleased that the Huddersfield branch has been invited to host the biennial Yorkshire Regional Conference on Wednesday 7 September 2011. In a time when UK higher education is managing major reductions in public funding, this is an excellent opportunity for our regional and national members to become involved in topical debate, professional networking and career development, as well as celebrating the administrative contribution to the HE sector. There is a high participation in sessions and workshops from across the Yorkshire region, and we are delighted that the Vice-Chancellor has offered his full support for the day and has agreed to open the Conference. In the evening, Professor Peter Slee is delivering the Jubilee Lecture "It´s the end of the world as we know it? The future of English Higher Education".

In the University there are 23 AUA members and we hope to use this opportunity to raise awareness of the AUA to non-members. Already some non-members have offered to help out on the day so they can participate. In a time when we are all being asked to raise our professional integrity we hope we can count on your support for staff who wish to attend the Conference and/or join the AUA.

The Conference fee is £75 for AUA members and £145 for non-members. For non-members it´s worth pointing out that the fee for professional association membership is no more than £77 per year for most people, and may be less. This means that it will cost practically the same amount for non-members to join the AUA this year and attend the Conference as a member. Also, throughout 2011, members can claim £25 off an AUA event, including our Jubilee Conference, when they introduce a friend or colleague who then joins AUA. So the impact on the budget could be even less!

The evening lecture is an additional feature of the Conference for 2011 to celebrate the Jubilee year and is free to all members. We would like to extend the invitation to you to attend the Jubilee lecture. If you wish to come along would you let us know as light hospitality will be available beforehand?

For further information click here or email us us e.e.eastwood2@hud.ac.uk or a.m.bamford2@hud.ac.uk