Some blasts from the past: the surprisingly long history of the AHUA

Universities have been around for a long time and understandably point to their foundation dates (often long before the university title was recognised) as a matter of some pride. Generally, the development of administrative services over the decades is less celebrated but has been integral to the successful development of the higher education sector.

The Association of Heads of University Administration (AHUA) adopted this title in 1994. Its origins go back to at least 1939. It is striking that for 85 years the heads of administration have come together formally in an annual Conference to exchange ideas on the development of the sector and the provision of services. The AHUA office files and various archive records maintained by individual universities of the meetings and activities of the then Heads of Administration offer some useful insights into past attitudes and approaches. These have been used to produce a history of the Association which was previously called the Conference of Registrars and Secretaries from 1961 and before that the Registrars’ Conference.

There have been massive changes in higher education and the remit of AHUA members over the years. The AHUA report on The Role of the Registrar (2023), shows some important changes over just a five-year period. Since Registrars first began to meet collectively, the size of institutions, the expectation of service delivery, and the range of resources, have all changed almost beyond recognition. Yet the value of networking with senior colleagues from other institutions has endured and this is significant.

To commemorate 85 years of the annual conference and 30 years of the AHUA, we have complied an extensive history of the association.