French universities accused of management bloat at the top One institution has 26 vice-presidents, research finds, following calls for the number of senior managers to be radically cut By David Matthews 19 November
Strong role for branch campuses, Wollongong insists Strong demand and careful due diligence to ensure that new offshore presence won’t be one of the ‘train wrecks’ By John Ross 18 November
German hiring spree for ‘digitalisation’ professors Caught up in a national anxiety about falling behind technologically, universities have recruited hundreds of new professors including data experts and digital humanities professors By David Matthews 18 November
Griffith looks north and reshuffles estate Queensland institution plots ‘visible and confident presence’ in business district as it flags ‘alternative use’ for campus in the suburbs By John Ross 17 November
International students recalled from Hong Kong Exchange students from around the world advised to leave as violence intensifies By John Ross 17 November
Australia ‘must aid Indian universities’ to sustain student flows Research must be at the core of deepened ties with the subcontinent, India expert says By John Ross 16 November
Facebook use harms less able students’ grades, says study Findings highlight need for ‘carefully considered’ use of platform as an educational tool By John Ross 15 November
New security guidelines for Australian universities ‘Non-prescriptive’ guidance highlights due diligence, cyber security and staff perks By John Ross 14 November
Steep conference fees ‘exclude academics’ Conferences should be part of the open access debate, Tokyo researcher says By John Ross 12 November
Italy to set up national research funder at last Announcement by new government given cautious welcome by academics – although questions remain over funding and political independence By David Matthews 12 November
German excellence strategy ‘risks creating closed social elite’ Leading sociologist of inequality fears boosting the status of a select few universities could mean a closed educational elite, as in the US or France By David Matthews 11 November
‘Dreadful uncertainty’ plagues Australian researchers Delays in the name of political PR ‘forcing academics overseas’ By John Ross 10 November
Giant trade agreement tipped to have modest impact for Australian HE Setting the tone is the main contribution of multinational RCEP agreement, analysts say By John Ross 8 November
Western Australian university press slated for closure Outrage over move to replace in-house publishing with ‘open and digitised access to information’ By John Ross 8 November
Royal Society journal clears author of misconduct despite photo concerns Journal's investigation exonerates fish researcher, who has previous retraction to her name By John Ross 6 November
Political board appointments ‘need to end’ in Australia Deficiencies in Australian university governance made worse by state government selection of councillors, reviewer says By John Ross 6 November
Australia ‘cutting red tape’ around postgraduate, diploma places Analysts say added flexibility is welcome but question how horse-trading scheme would work By John Ross 4 November
Rural university enrolment slumps after Australian funding freeze New figures raise question of whether government has thwarted progress on its own policy priority By John Ross 4 November
Universities ‘complicit’ in tarnishing of internationalisation By failing to defend their international engagement, universities have become tangled in popular revolt against globalisation, says professor By John Ross 1 November
Help us help you, universities tell central Sydney visionaries ‘Investment, policy support and consistency’ crucial to university role in regional development By John Ross 31 October
Poorest students squeezed hardest as Australian enrolments shrink Ream of new reports suggest capping of places is continuing to take a toll, but justify policy focus on graduate employment By John Ross 28 October
Australian move to regulate microcredential credit welcomed Australian Qualifications Framework overhaul also recommends decoupling of knowledge and skills By John Ross 28 October
Indonesia enlists technology legend to galvanise universities Commentators laud ‘exciting’ political pairing of seasoned bureaucrat and entrepreneurial icon By John Ross 28 October
Perth and Gold Coast get international education priority status ‘Regional’ tag extended, after cities lobby for international education incentives By John Ross 27 October
Australian review backs formal recognition of microcredentials AQF review also recommends smoother pathways between vocational and higher education By John Ross 23 October
Sydney to eschew action against whistleblowers Move comes amid concern about treatment of academics who criticise employers By John Ross 23 October
Almost half of Australians want fewer foreign students: survey Opposition driven by fear of ‘increases in cultural diversity’, analysis suggests By John Ross 23 October
Male domination of Australian engineering academy recedes Technology organisation says gender balanced intake is a sign of things to come By John Ross 22 October
AIEC 2019: diplomat perceives thaw in Sino-Australian education ties While relations reboot bodes well for Australian institutions, transnational review threatens green shoots By John Ross 18 October
Australian research infrastructure fund axed Coalition finally succeeds in dispatching the nest egg it initiated last decade By John Ross 18 October
Free higher education ruling throws French fees into doubt Constitutional Council decision could strike a blow against expansion plan for international students and grandes écoles’ fees policy By David Matthews 18 October
AIEC 2019: international students must mix more with locals, says governor Lack of community involvement spawns misunderstanding of international education, says veteran politician and diplomat By John Ross 17 October
AIEC 2019: costs and work opportunities key for international students Australian research highlights contrasting motivations of students and their parents, and the need to appeal to both groups By John Ross 17 October
AIEC 2019: recruitment poaching ‘turns Indian students off Australia’ New report warns presentation of discounts as ‘scholarships’ is driving ‘race to the bottom’ By John Ross 16 October
AIEC 2019: Perth bids to offload metro status to boost foreign enrolments Western Australian capital seeks regional redefinition in hope of benefiting from new incentive schemes By John Ross 16 October
Review recommends ‘institutes of higher education’ for Australia New category would give top colleges bragging rights and a platform to upgrade to university status By John Ross 15 October
Australian v-cs ‘in a coma’ over China collaboration risks ‘Overblown’ media reports focus on state control over students and perils of joint research By John Ross 14 October
Census data underline foreign student language concerns Candid self-appraisals lend weight to doubts about English capabilities of learners coming to Australia By John Ross 30 September
Australian ‘risk’ calculation changed amid poaching fears Concerns about student visa scheme’s integrity prompt methodological adjustment By John Ross 22 September
Despite fees, Germany's private universities boom One in 12 students now pays to go private in Germany, attracted by ‘niche’ courses, smaller classes and flexible learning schedules By David Matthews 22 September
More universities gain gender equity accreditation Athena SWAN recognition extended to 13 more Australian institutions By John Ross 22 September
Colleagues ‘distraught’ at Australian academic’s detention in Iran Episode spotlights concerns for safety of scholars who visit repressive regimes By John Ross 21 September
Ethicist warns universities against using AI in admissions Algorithms may simply lead to ‘self-fulfilling prophecies’ and do not give reasons for their decisions, Oxford researcher warns By David Matthews 20 September
Cambridge neuroscientist claims world’s richest award for education research Usha Goswami’s work has allowed educators ‘to arm themselves with scientific understanding’ By John Ross 19 September
Sydney lodges counter-offer on Ramsay Western civilisation proposal Funding scholarships rather than a whole new course ‘would benefit hundreds more students’ By John Ross 18 September
Hong Kong student leader resigns and flees territory Departure is latest example of intermittent campus disruption from broader protest movement By John Ross 13 September
THE World University Rankings 2020: Australia hits record high University of Canberra, QUT and UNSW Sydney the standout performers in a rising field By John Ross 11 September
OECD: Australian students’ high fees reap low individual returns With US-style personal contributions and Scandinavian-style payoffs, Australians have the worst of both worlds, suggests Education at a Glance By John Ross 10 September
Australian immunologist claims top US award French-born scientist’s discoveries explained the organising principle of the adaptive immune system By John Ross 10 September
Hong Kong boycotts replace lectures with ‘lessons in civics’ Students schedule their own classes in protest theory, political history and martial arts By John Ross 3 September
Australian university adopts ‘block teaching’ for postgraduates Victoria University will also implement model for vocational qualifications, after success at undergraduate level By John Ross 2 September
Research-shy institutions ‘could lose university status’ Australian reviewer suggests quality and scale of scholarly output should be key factor in deciding classification By John Ross 2 September
Uncap university places outside cities, Australian minister told New strategy advocates a hybrid version of demand-driven funding, but acknowledges it is a long-term proposition By John Ross 1 September
Regulator anoints first Australian university college Avondale’s elevation secured on the day reviewer says category should be scrapped By John Ross 30 August
Student ethnicity and class data ‘hardly monitored’ in Europe With no good data, continental European universities cannot monitor if widening access policies are working By David Matthews 30 August
If you want to come here and say the earth is flat, you can – v-c UNSW Sydney leader Ian Jacobs says Australia’s proposed free speech code could prove counterproductive By John Ross 30 August
Reviewer says no to teaching-only universities in Australia But Australian assessor says most growth will be outside universities, and opens door to new category of institution By John Ross 28 August
Double the equity target group, Australian universities told Every below-average neighbourhood should be defined as socioeconomically disadvantaged, conference hears By John Ross 28 August
Australian task force to bolster campus cyber security Government also commits to regional education strategy and changes to free speech questionnaire By John Ross 27 August
Contingency fund set up as Australia’s foreign fee reliance grows UNSW takes action to insure itself against drop in Chinese student recruitment By John Ross 26 August
