Crossing and dismantling boundaries: recognising the value of professional staff within higher education

Abstract

In this article, we use the concept of the third space to explore how professional staff within UK universities experience boundaries. We focus on professional staff working in three areas of higher education that have been conceptualised differently as third spaces to date: widening participation, technical staff and academic administration. We draw on empirical research from three distinct, but related, qualitative research projects that explored contemporary issues, institutional change, professional identities, relationships and expertise within these under-researched professional contexts. We show how boundaries are experienced, crossed and sometimes dismantled. We highlight where increased collaboration has a positive effect on achieving institutional goals through improved relationships between academic and professional staff, and the recognition of diverse forms of knowledge within the university workforce. We argue for a conception of the third space that is not a discrete or distinct space, which professionals work within or outside of, but instead conceived of as a way of working, which all higher education professionals may engage in, to greater or lesser extents. Doing so provides new insights into the existence of third space working among new professional groups and highlights the potential for all professional staff to engage in third space working to the benefit of their institutions.