Leader: Competing is fine but make it fair As private providers make inroads into the sector, it's only right that all institutions are subject to the same rules 26 November
Leader: Sing with one voice to be heard Competing mission groups risk undermining the message that all universities are valuable and deserve continued support By Ann Mroz 19 November
Leader: Put all the results out in the open Researchers, government and society benefit when research is made freely available, so the sooner it is mandated, the better By Ann Mroz 12 November
Leader: Only the best for the best Our world rankings are hugely influential but also come under criticism every year, so we have decided to improve them By Ann Mroz 5 November
Leader: China is set to demand respect Asia's giant has universities and research to equal many of the world's best, and its strength and confidence will only grow By Phil Baty 29 October
Leader: Postgrads deserve better The social and personal-development needs of students who study for higher degrees must be taken more seriously By Ann Mroz 22 October
Leader: The value of past masters Historians separate fact from fiction, keeping politicians honest and clearing the way for better thinking By Ann Mroz 15 October
Leader: Class still the secret to success Those with a private-school education still attend the best universities, get the best jobs and hold top spots in academia By Ann Mroz 8 October
Leader: Academic or jack of all trades? Knowledge transfer is a valid concept, but it takes time and effort away from the countless other tasks staff already perform By Ann Mroz 1 October
Leader: Don't drive people to MP3 for HE Hard times are no excuse to restrict access and leave many to experience higher education only through downloads By Ann Mroz 24 September
Leader: Pride is a necessary evil With swingeing funding cuts on the horizon, the sector must not be afraid to boast about its burgeoning economic value By Phil Baty 17 September
Leader: Just who are you here for? Education suffers because teaching gets no respect. That must change, and academics can start with themselves By Ann Mroz 10 September
Leader: Autonomy can be an illusion US academics may face less red tape than those in the UK, but they must also appease students, whose opinions can halt careers By Ann Mroz 3 September
Leader: We must adapt to survive Students no longer have to travel to get a Western degree as UK education centres are setting up overseas in a global market By Ann Mroz 27 August
Leader: I'm afraid it's very bad news The prescription for a higher education sector suffering self-inflicted wounds, a fiscal bruising and hysteria is a rather bitter pill By Ann Mroz 13 August
Leader: Standards issue can't be evaded That v-cs cannot admit to even understanding MPs' worries about quality and consistency bodes ill for the UK's reputation By Ann Mroz 6 August
Leader: Shared scholarly passions Who'd marry a single-minded, career-focused academic? Other academics, it seems. But such a relationship can have downsides By Ann Mroz 30 July
Leader: It's about what you're about It's easy to mock branding, but the vital job it does in telling the world what a university does and why it matters is priceless By Ann Mroz 23 July
Leader: Straight back down to Earth The Moon landings inspired a generation of scientists, but a cash-strapped UK is unlikely to explore the final frontier By Phil Baty 16 July
Leader: Come to build, not to cash in India aims to complete its global rise by inviting foreigners to help revamp higher education, but get-rich-quick artists need not apply By Phil Baty 9 July
Leader: Sacré bleu, as we don't say here Although universities are not to blame for the parlous state of modern foreign languages, some are trying to improve the situation By Ann Mroz 2 July
Leader: Unite to fight the betrayal Ministers led students on then abandoned them in rough weather. Universities must stick together to avoid the same fate By Ann Mroz 25 June
Leader: A breath of fresh air on campus Institutions and individuals across academia are embracing the green agenda. But it's still a long way to go to sustainability By Ann Mroz 18 June
Leader: Into the arms of Mammon The DIUS is no more, the latest sign of the Government's narrow focus on business interests at the academy's expense By Ann Mroz 11 June
Leader: Value is no cause for complaint Students have to see that higher education is worth far more than what they pay in tuition fees and that it must be earned By Ann Mroz 4 June
Leader: Go public to prevent extinction Knockabout popular debate appeals to few scholars, but if intellectuals disappear from the public eye, academia may suffer By Ann Mroz 28 May
Leader: Is that a fist or just a firm hand? The conventions and traditions of academia make it especially difficult to pinpoint what constitutes bullying behaviour By Ann Mroz 21 May
Leader: Watch the devilish details The REF is moving in a direction that most of the sector is happy with, but there is still much at stake in the fine-tuning By Ann Mroz 14 May
Leader: A personal level must be retained An intimate learning relationship is much valued. UK universities cannot afford to lose it - despite the pressures of massification By Ann Mroz 7 May
Leader: Now you see it, now you don't Science and universities are vital to economic recovery, but the Chancellor offered them only budgetary sleight of hand By Ann Mroz 30 April
Leader: Schoolyard rules in the Commons If standards are vital, why is the select committee investigating dumbing down marked by spin, absenteeism and squabbling? By Ann Mroz 23 April
Leader: Sweep in the same direction University governors must do more than take a board meeting or two, they must also take the institution's mission to heart By Ann Mroz 16 April
Our cowed leaders must stand up for academic freedom The Government wants to dictate the trajectory of research and the funding bodies are complicit. This must stop, says Thomas Docherty 9 April
Leader: It's time to show some audacity Blue-skies research could help lead the UK out of recession, but only if ministers give scientists the freedom to operate By Ann Mroz 2 April
Leader: Awkward truths get short shrift Although the Government has said it wants evidence to inform its policies, many academics feel that their voices go unheard By Ann Mroz 26 March
Leader: Where do the curious people go? Academia long gave asylum to awkward geniuses. It is less welcoming now, and scholars and students both feel the loss By Ann Mroz 12 March
Leader: Excellence receives its rewards The shift in focus away from the elite changes the research landscape and fulfils the funding council's promise for the RAE By Ann Mroz 5 March
Leader: A peerless and humble champion Ron Dearing left school at 16, but his unstinting devotion to higher education's highest aims have left the UK sector a better place By Ann Mroz 26 February
Leader: Get serious about teaching By continuing to undervalue and underfund the thing that makes UK higher education unique, we endanger our reputation 19 February
Leader: Short-term outlook, no blue skies By forcing academics to do R&D for industry, ministers stifle the type of curiosity-driven work that delivers the biggest bangs 12 February
Leader: Good work that needs to continue London Met has taken on the difficult job of widening access - it deserves support and backing in this tumultuous climate 5 February
Leader: Update the time-tested models Academics and students alike can gain by breaking with old thinking and moving beyond the traditional assessment methods By Ann Mroz 29 January
Leader: Everyone is talking the talk The increasing use of English in higher education across Europe could cost the UK a vital competitive advantage By Ann Mroz 22 January
Leader: The light of learning in dark days Keeping faith in the academy's core missions of research and education is the best way to serve students, society and the sector By Ann Mroz 15 January
Guest leader: Don't duck awkward truths Post-RAE, Bahram Bekhradnia calls for a renewed commitment to base public policy on evidence, not administrative convenience 8 January
Leader: Seek out the silver linings The struggle for economic recovery will present the sector with opportunities - it must seize them and put them to good use By Phil Baty 1 January
Leader: Raise your glass to UK research RAE 2008 has proved that UK universities are dominant on the world stage, but the proportion of staff submitted is still an issue By Ann Mroz 18 December
Guest leader: A timely technical advance University-led institutes involving employers and councils can give vocational education the status it deserves, says Ron Dearing 11 December
Leader: British doctorates in the dock The three-year limit on PhDs is creating conflict: are they for learning research skills or for making advances in the field? By Ann Mroz 4 December
Leader: Prejudice by any other name Gender and ethnicity are subject to constant scrutiny, but middle and upper-class dominance of academia must be challenged By Ann Mroz 27 November
Leader: Poor show on finance assistance Bursaries should remove barriers to participation, but instead they confuse and perhaps even deter those they were intended to help By Ann Mroz 20 November
Guest leader: Very silly and deeply serious For three decades, Laurie Taylor has constantly reminded us of our better and freer intellectual selves, says Peter Scott 13 November
Leader: Why should Whitehall be no-go zone? As in the US, UK academe can offer much to the Government. But both sides must first overcome their mutual mistrust By Ann Mroz 6 November
Leader: Buy into a vision for expansion If society believes a university education is important, it must find ways to fund it to enable all abilities to reach the right level By Ann Mroz 23 October
Leader: Shift could endanger foundation In offering colleges new powers, the Government could find that it damages the very qualifications it set out to improve and extend 16 October
Leader: A measure much needed Always controversial, the World University Rankings are nevertheless an invaluable quality-marker for the sector 9 October
Leader: Premium brand at risk Perceptions that the UK is 'aloof' from the Bologna Process are grossly unfair - but they could prove damaging 2 October
Leader: Flaws of industrial designs It is right for universities to co-operate with business, but not to cater to a demand for out-of-the-box employees 25 September