How things have changed: A personal reflection on the last 25 years

This short article contains a highly personal and totally subjective view of changes in higher education over the last 25 years. It also includes a reflection on the role played by the MSOR Network throughout the 21st century. This does not purport to be an independent evaluation of the Network’s contribution since the author has been intimately involved with the Network since 2005, first as Mathematics Consultant, then Deputy Director and finally as Director. I began my career in Higher Education on 2 September 1987 as a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at Coventry Polytechnic. I turned up for work on the first day and, in the absence of the Head of Department, was given my ‘induction’ by the departmental timetabler. This consisted of being shown how to use the photocopier, where the toilets were and being introduced to a few colleagues including, most importantly, the departmental secretary. The final part of this induction outlined my teaching duties: “you will be teaching the second year module for mechanical engineers, one of the groups for the first year module in numerical methods for maths and combined science students and the second year mathematical modelling module for the part-time course – that’s on Tuesday evening”.