New journal article by Celia Whitchurch - from service to partnership

We are delighted to alert colleagues to a new journal article by Dr Celia Whitchurch, forthcoming in the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management in May 2024, entitled “From ‘service’ to ‘partnership’: Harnessing social capital in support of activity in third space environments”.

In more fluid higher education environments, the concept of third space has been developed to explore the activities of groups of staff who do not necessarily fit formal institutional descriptors (Whitchurch 2013). This paper draws on qualitative data from 26 respondents, in eight UK universities, who described significant elements of their work as occurring between professional and academic spheres of activity. Comparing individuals categorised as fully fledged ‘third space professionals’ with those categorised as simply ‘working in third space’, the paper suggests that the way individuals build and use social capital, and the recognition accorded to them by institutions, not only impacts on the way that they develop their roles, but is a significant factor in determining their career direction and aspirations. Furthermore, this has led to a general shift from the concept of service to one of partnership between colleagues, whether they are formally classified as ‘academic’ or ‘professional’.