Professor Nick Petford and Tim Curtis take part in Ashoka Higher Education event in London

​Vice-Chancellor Nick Petford and Tim Curtis joined Sir Michael Barber, Chief Education Advisor of Pearson in London yesterday for a lunchtime event discussing social entrepreneurship in higher education.

Organised by Ashoka and Pearson, the event was part of a series that aims to reimagine education and innovative learning for the 21st century. Sir Michael interviewed Nick and Tim for an hour, covering the University of Northampton’s Ashoka U Changemaker Campus status, the University’s commitment to social innovation and entrepreneurship, and the institution’s dedication to producing changemakers of the future.

Tim Curtis, Change Leader explained: “It was a great event! There was standing room only, so it was much more popular than planned. It was a great opportunity to explore the recent past in terms of the social enterprise strategy and the vision going forward, with an external audience of practitioners and academics. It’s an important part of the consultation going on right now about how the Ashoka values translate into us being a Changemaker+ university. I am excited at the positive responses to the questionnaire already.”

The Conversation was followed on Twitter using the hashtag #AshokaEdChat, and feedback was exceptionally positive:

Felicity McLean ‏@flickmclean22h

.@UniNorthants are working with local police force to embed changemaking in essential community development! Awesome #AshokaEdChat @Uni4SE

Julia Koskella ‏@JuliaKoskella22h

#ashokaEdChat Our curriculum leaves students saying “this is what I’ve done” not just what they’ve studied -@uni4SE @ashokau campus

​Kathleen Cassidy ‏@experimentist17h

Inspired by insitutional approach to change-making that @UniNorthants is pioneering that I head about today through @AshokaU #AshokaEdChat
The University of Northampton’s Changemaker Campus status is a manifestation of the University’s commitment to its mission and values, and to promote social entrepreneurship, collaboration, and innovation for positive social change.

As a Changemaker Campus, the University of Northampton is at the forefront of social innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK and Europe, and in an elite consortium of 24 universities and colleges from around the world with a global reputation for social innovation education, including prestigious institutions such as Cornell University, Duke University, the University of Colorado and Tulane University.

For further information about Ashoka U, visit the website: http://uk.ashoka.org