Shaping for Mediocrity

In 2021, as part of a programme called Shaping for Excellence, bosses at the University of Leicester made redundant numerous scholars in what was simultaneously an attack on academic freedom and trade union organisation. The authors of Shaping for Mediocrity not only had front-row seats in the campaign against these mass redundancies, they were in the ring – both as targeted employees and as trade union officers and negotiators.

Shaping for Mediocrity tells the inside story of these attacks and the campaign against them. It situates this story within a longer history of struggle to make the university a place where critical thinking is possible, showing how events in Leicester are both reflective of higher education in the UK following four decades of neoliberal ‘reform’ and a particularly egregious instance of the increasingly authoritarian management of public institutions such as universities.

The crisis in our universities has only worsened since 2021. Three-quarters of institutions are predicted to face financial problems in 2025, dozens are undergoing some form of restructuring and thousands of university workers risk losing their livelihoods.

In this COVER seminar, three of Shaping for Mediocrity’s authors – Ronald Hartz, David Harvie and Simon Lilley – will be discussing their book and exploring the possibilities for resisting mediocrity and remaking the university.