About CCUE

The Council for College and University English was founded in 1993 to promote the study of English in higher education, and to provide opportunities for English lecturers to meet colleagues from other institutions and discuss matters of shared concern. CCUE is the main professional body consulted by funding bodies and other agencies when they wish to gauge the views of the English subject community.

CCUE holds two meetings a year, a two-day Annual General Meeting in March/April and a one-day Ordinary General Meeting in early December. All members are invited to these meetings. CCUE is run by an Executive Committee which meets more frequently arrange these events, liaise with other professional organisations, and arrange consultations with its members. Elections to the Executive are held at the AGM. 

Because of its broad representation and policy of active consultation with members, CCUE has considerable influence in key areas of educational policy. For example:

• CCUE had a formative influence on the membership of the RAE 2001 and RAE 2008 panels, so ensuring that the panel's deliberations remain in touch with a wide swathe of subject community opinion. Its recommendations helped to shape the policy of the English sub-panel.
• CCUE played a leading role in establishing the Subject Benchmark Group. Its membership was devised after consultation with CCUE members. This ensured the group was responsive to the needs of the subject community and the eventual document was neither too restrictive nor prescriptive.
• CCUE has remained in positive dialogue with Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and its forebears to ensure as far as possible that audit remained responsive to and informed of the concerns of the subject.
• CCUE has had regular communication with the Qualification and Curriculum Authority to ensure communication between the secondary and tertiary sectors. This has involved close consultations over 'A' level developments.
• CCUE presented evidence to the Dearing Committee on behalf of English and the Humanities, and submitted a special paper on the 'Contribution of Higher Education to the national cultural, spiritual and moral life', an area almost entirely neglected by institutional responses to the consultation.

Through its affiliation with the European Society for the Study of English, CCUE also provides a link to English lecturers in other countries. CCUE is represented upon the Board of ESSE, and the President of ESSE is regularly invited to speak at the AGM of CCUE.  

Membership of CCUE is by departmental subscription. To take out a subscription, click here.