Time to think local, act local?

23 January 2026

Claudia Monteiro reports from the UUK Reputation Summit and discovers the benefits of being local.

‘All politics is local’, said Annie Bell from Public First, at the recent Universities UK Reputation Summit, suggesting that while universities may have global agendas, they need to think and act locally to bring stability to their situation.

Take student debt which, Bell explains, is poorly understood by the public, yet one of the key issues people point to as a downside of attending university in the UK.  Ted Mitchell, from the American Council on Education had some advice based on the US experience of the last couple of years: identify the weaknesses in the sector and tackle them head-on. Then shift the narrative by bringing the case to your local communities.

Bobby Duffy from The Policy Institute had us all guessing what percentage of UK graduates say they would choose not to go to university if they had the choice again. On average the public answers 40% but actually only 8% of UK graduates would agree.  That’s misperception on a large scale – and a poignant illustration of the battle institutions face in the current climate.  Perception and reputation have got muddled in the trenches.

But it’s not all bad news; over the last 20 years net satisfaction with Higher Education’s role in UK society has doubled. What’s trickier is to get the public to join the dots between the work done by universities in their neighbourhoods and the greater good.

Interviewing Antonio Batista da Silva Junior, president of Fundação Dom Cabral last December, it was clear there was much to learn from their experience in Brazil. FDC has historically focused on executive education for big organisations (they’re a top 10 global business school in this area), but also operate as a platform to address social inequality across the country, bringing together people and partners as a community.

FDC co-founded ESCOLA DE NEGOCIOS DA FAVELA, to build microbusiness capacity in favelas, set up Prá Frente Play, to train young people in vulnerable situations, community leaders and NGOs, partnered to open entrepreneurship centres across the country, and are a leading force behind Imagine Brazil, a movement that brings artists, lawmakers, sports people, businesses, scientists and many others together to creatively develop solutions for the country.

And while it's true that many universities will be engaged in similar activities, perhaps now is the time to balance long-held global endeavours with more energetic communications around the benefits universities bring to their local communities.

Which brings us back to Annie's take-away lesson for universities in times of turmoil - you need to start demonstrating value on your doorstep.