The newsroom blog

As student numbers pass the 50 per cent mark, it is more important than ever to promote the value of HE, and counter perceptions that more means worse

Obama’s election supposedly heralded a ‘post-racial’ era, yet inequalities persist for the black community. Today, HBCUs have lessons for us all

Universities should be engines that drive social well-being and mobility, but this noble purpose can so easily be hampered by inappropriate incentives

Corbyn’s speech on setting ‘the people’ before ‘the privileged’ expressed a mood of anti-elitism already feeding through into education policy, writes John Morgan

A policy to recruit genuinely the brightest and best students would have to look beyond revenue maximisation

Underinvesting in universities in the face of international competition and political upheaval will be to countries’ social and economic detriment

Top universities demand the best in the world as leaders. But when does a fresh international outlook outweigh domestic knowledge and experience?

John Morgan looks at why the universities and science minister’s comeback was so short and what his exit means

Are today’s students really self-absorbed snowflakes or are lecturers merely experiencing the other side of the intergenerational perspective?

Betting the farm on international students is a gamble – but what’s the alternative? asks THE’s Asia-Pacific editor John Ross 

The prime minster’s speech offers a reminder of Vote Leave’s pledges on UK science, and misleading words about EU support, John Morgan writes

Technological advances mean an ever evolving workplace. While no one can predict the future, HE investment in lifelong learning will surely help us adapt

Conversations with students at the failed for-profit provider reveal much about its business model and the Department for Education’s judgement, writes John Morgan

Brexit will be a disaster for HE, but do the new prime minister’s past utterances offer clues on what else universities might expect?

Matthew Reisz considers the tools we need to explore the wilder shores of performance art

GSM London’s slide into administration leaves difficult questions for DfE on why it granted the college continued loan access last year, writes John Morgan

The fate of big alternative providers has implications for the future of English for-profit HE, writes John Morgan

Our Impact Rankings are global proof positive that universities do a power of good, writes Phil Baty

Quality versus quantity is key in discussing HE expansion, but if Britain wants to succeed on a growing global stage we will need more, not less, HE

Decades of investment in US collegiate athletic programmes have built global talent incubators for women’s football, says Sara Custer

Matthew Reisz considers the fascinating, painful and plain bizarre topics addressed by researchers exploring one of the last taboos

David Matthews asks if elevating individuals to near-deity status undermines modern science’s purpose of deposing authority figures such as priests and popes

Not all pupils see a clear path after leaving school. More must be done to light the way for students from non-traditional backgrounds in both HE and FE

In a perilous time of populist attacks and constant value critiques, universities should focus on rebuilding trust in their local communities

Higher education is often cast as politically insignificant, but look closer and it is frequently a chip in the highest-stakes game around

Post-18 review highlights the chaotic nature of Westminster policymaking, writes John Morgan

A different environment can do wonders for a person; might universities feel a similar refreshment when the UK’s political landscape settles down again?

PM’s plan to resign leaves post-18 education review on shakier ground than ever, while increasing the chances of student visa liberalisation

Disillusionment with the dramatically changed academic landscape has spawned a new literary genre – along with a host of problems for those struggling to adapt

Plenty on the Continent see a link between Brexit and English educational hierarchy, writes John Morgan

Female academics on Twitter have exposed the shocking abuse they endured at academic meet-ups, observes Sara Custer 

Matthew Reisz reflects on the advantages and disadvantages of detachment for those pursuing ghostly research

System expansion is not enough. Admission to higher-tariff institutions must somehow be opened up, says Paul Jump

When credible concerns emerge about research validity, universities and journals must move quickly, writes John Ross

Perspectives on the state of English studies around the world reveal how disciplines are vulnerable to changes in society, policy and technology

A spell of globetrotting shows that no matter their location, universities, and those they serve, face challenges that cannot be tackled alone