Update from Celia Whitchurch

Written By Celia Whitchurch

It has been heartening to witness an expanding literature on Third Space professionals in higher education over the last 15 years or so, in particular to see so many special issues of journals: Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor (2023), The London Review of Education (2024), the Journal of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (2025) and Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education (2026). It is also good to know that research projects are ongoing, such as the one circulated recently on the HE Third Space JISC list on Exploration of Third Space Professionals in Advance HE Accredited Fellowship Schemes, run by Maria King and colleagues. I would encourage all in the Third Space community to respond to questionnaires generated by such projects if invited to do so.

It seems to me that there continues to be considerable scope for exploring and developing the practical implications of working in Third Space, for example:

• The added value of Third Space activity for both institutions and individuals, and how it might be calibrated, for example in contributing to the building of institutional capital and the career credit of individuals.

• The position of those who move in and out of higher education and work for a time in adjacent organisations.

• Exploring titles that are used for those in Third Space and the satisfaction levels felt by individuals about them.

• Current and potential future career pathways for those working in Third Space environments.

• The inclusion of a multicultural dimension, in particular incorporating examples from the global south.

• Organisational issues such as how far Third Space zones of activity can be achieved in an evolutionary way, or whether it is more likely to be successful if established anew, with either a transfer of existing staff or new staff.

• A cost benefit analysis, including an assessment of costs and risks, of Third Space areas of activity (human as well as financial) in different areas of work. This could be presented as making better use of scarce or shrinking resources.

• Leadership and management by and of those working in Third Space. This might include, for example, the creation and operation of dual lines of responsibility, illustrated with appropriate case material, as well as effective team building.

• Associated with the topic of leadership, possible anxieties on the part of mainstream managers about a loss of control of the outcomes of Third Space activity for which they are responsible. This is an aspect that those working in Third Space environments may not appreciate, but is a significant issue that could be explored.

In addition there is scope for extending the theorisation of Third Space in higher education (for example the development of Mode 3 knowledge and social/professional capital), and the potential of Third Space for creativity, innovation and experiment as suggested by Karen Kenny in the Blog in 2025) https://www.thirdspaceperspectives.com/blog/ mrcwl8fhf4mg0oixtt97jch09u0fy3).

I hope that those within the Third Space community will pursue some of these ideas and continue to advance thinking about in-practice as well as conceptual issues.

Although I am now retired and no longer actively conducting research, I have recently published a paper drawing on earlier projects:

  • Whitchurch, C. (2026). ‘Reframing Third Space Roles in UK Higher Education’ European Review 1–14 doi:10.1017/S1062798726100660.

  • A chapter is also due out this year: Whitchurch, C. (2026 forthcoming). The impact of an increasingly competitive environment on the roles and activities of professional staff in UK higher education. Chapter in P. Teixeira & B. Sporn (Eds.) Competition in Higher Education. Edward Elgar.

  • I am also working on the second edition of my 2013 monograph: Whitchurch, C. (2013). Reconstructing Identities in Higher Education: The Rise of Third Space Professionals. New York: Routledge.

One of the aspects that I should like to explore in updating the book is the impact of AI on those working in Third Space, and I should be pleased to receive any comments about the experience of individuals in relation to this issue, either via the Blog or directly via email to c.whitchurch@ucl.ac.uk.

Dr Celia Whitchurch

Honorary Associate Professor

UCL Institute of Education

Celia Whitchurch

Dr Celia Whitchurch had a 30-year career in university administration and management in five UK universities before undertaking a part-time PhD and becoming an academic. She is now Honorary Associate Professor at University College London Institute of Education.

Next

Introducing the proceedings of the Third Space Symposium 2024