The newsroom blog

Misuse of ‘cumulative PhDs’ should prompt debate over whether stacking research papers is really equivalent to writing a dissertation, says Brian Bloch

A successful merger requires leaders to be mission-grounded and brave enough to move on, say David Lloyd and Peter Høj, in the final instalment of their series on the largest merger in Australian university history

Wider talent creation will better serve both businesses and graduates as the tech revolution drives rapid economic change, says Hanifa Shah

Test scores are a much better predictor of academic progress than school grades – and students need a realistic assessment, says David Blobaum 

Social sciences funding would be best spent on narrower calls. But would it dry up if we stopped pretending we can save the world, asks Andreas Schedler  

Future crises can be averted if government and universities share data and plans in a more timely and transparent fashion, says Doug Specht

Clear policies, transparent disclosure and shared accountability are essential to protect the integrity of research, says George Chalhoub

From stealing ornamental fish to spraying car parts in the shower, domestic students make security staff earn their meagre wages, says George Bass

The three-month pause to re-examine the assessment of ‘people, culture and environment’ could prelude a welcome reversal, says Alice Sullivan

Only one US university has so far announced an Indian outpost. That’s because the process is still too onerous, says Richard Joseph

Let’s focus concern about AI’s energy and water use where it can make the biggest difference and demand accountability from developers, says Cal Innes

A significant budget boost, including for the ERC, MSCA and EIC, must not be undermined by the next two years of wrangling, says Jan Palmowski

Current enrolment rates are increasingly misaligned with NHS capacity for clinical placements, never mind graduate recruitment, says Ruth Pearce

Trump’s assaults on science in the US present an opportunity that the university would be unwise to spurn, says chancellor candidate Gina Miller

Our paper was rejected on the basis of reviewer comments that were vague, formulaic, often irrelevant and occasionally inaccurate, says Seongjin Hong

It may be difficult to enter on to a balance sheet but some weaker institutions may struggle to recover from reputational damage, says Nick Megoran

The effort of staying compliant with fluctuating regulations diminishes the mental space for teaching, research and building belonging, say Zahra Sharifonnasabi, Fleura Bardhi and Laetitia Mimoun

A nation that truly believed in its greatness wouldn’t require its educational institutions to declare it, says Jonathan Zimmerman

The party’s enhanced power in Canberra means it can develop a more progressive agenda closer to its own values, says Andrew Deuchar

We finally have a mechanism to overthrow the UK’s neo-feudal system of academic gatekeeping, say Krzysztof Nawratek and Lakshmi Priya Rajendran

If ‘big deal’ subscriptions become unaffordable, librarians will need to help students and academics conduct effective searches, says Caroline Ball 

The program has always followed US foreign policy. Leaving people in the lurch is an incomprehensible new frontier, say Marisa Lally and Gerardo Blanco

Averages aren’t enough. We need to know when HE expansion causes the marginal premium to disappear. It was probably long ago, says Paul Wiltshire

A scholar’s job is not just to learn – it’s to create. And that requires a completely different skill set from consuming it, says Ilana Horwitz

Departments should refocus on brokering linguistic services to meet the needs of staff and students in a polyglot world, says Tomasz Kamusella

Limiting industrial action to defensive branch battles on redundancy is not enough. We need to politically challenge the HE funding model, says Rhiannon Lockley

The global examination of culture is not possible without languages at degree level, say Wendy Ayres-Bennett, Charles Burdett and Emma Cayley

Students will now believe they can shut down debate of issues they find uncomfortable, rather than engaging critically, says a queer scholar

Better tech alignment, industry guidance and identity verification would all help – as would meaningful and visible punishments, says Kim Eggleton

Times Higher Education’s final issue as a print magazine is out today – but while formats change, as for the sector we serve, values and purpose endure

The year is ending with an ongoing permacrisis for higher education. Political rhetoric has improved but the sector still needs a vision for its future

As questions about the size and shape of UK higher education persist, debates about the part number controls could play are making a comeback

Inflation-linked increase is only a sticking plaster for crisis-hit universities, but shows a willingness to work towards a more sustainable funding system

THE’s flagship summit began with a focus on immediate funding woes but ended with a reaffirmation of universities’ founding principles

A story of UK decline in this year’s rankings reflects higher education’s years out in the cold – a funding thaw is needed, but so too is sector-led reform

Universities are sprawling enterprises with numerous interlinked activities, so winning support for the funding they need is harder than it should be

Planned recruitment caps in Australia reflect a global shift in attitudes to internationalisation, exacerbating the woes of universities on multiple fronts

Universities keep being told that the status quo is not sustainable. But the new Labour government also has a responsibility to act and change tack

As a loss-maker, research is under pressure as fears of insolvency rise. But universities must do all they can to shore up a key element of their impact 

For critics of universities in the US, diversity, equity and inclusion has become a bête noire. Is the catch-all term doing a disservice to worthy interventions?

A new government interested in solutions not dogma should be fertile ground for those with ideas to sow – but there will be limits on blue-sky thinking

As the UK votes in a general election, universities hope for a change of approach. In return, they must deliver for a country facing a host of problems

The challenges facing the planet can seem overwhelming, but a landmark THE event in Bangkok heard reasons for optimism amid the maelstrom

Some right-wing politicians seem to view a university collapse as a prize to be fought for. But in reality, a disorderly exit would be disastrous for all

As universities in both the UK and Australia fight to protect vital international recruitment, there is also a need for fresh thinking for future prosperity

International student fees are propping up UK universities, but with immigration a key electoral battleground politicians seem not to care

Digital transformation is inevitable, but as a Times Higher Education gathering heard, getting it right is complex and fraught with challenges

A lack of long-term, sustainable policymaking is crippling universities, and the same mistakes are afflicting those involved in teacher education

Universities are in a funding cul-de-sac, blocked in by negative rhetoric about their role and value. Will a likely change of government provide a way out?

As battles over industrial relations and identity politics rage, higher education’s fault lines are increasingly a matter for the courts. Is anyone winning?

The desire of bereaved parents to establish a statutory duty of care towards students is understandable – but for universities it remains a fraught issue

Across the Western world, decades of growth in university participation are being repainted as a policy error as funding woes come to a head

Higher education has long been a trump card for the West, helping it to win hearts and minds. If that advantage slips, the impact will be far-reaching

After years of warnings, a dip in international enrolments risks tipping universities into crisis. It is deeply strange that government seems not to care

Recent years have thrown up both predictable challenges and unforeseeable exogenous events at universities. What do sector leaders foresee in 2024?

As the year ends, the problems facing universities seem to be stacking ever higher. But will a general election next year bring any respite?

With its funding system on life support, and its ‘science superpower’ ambitions, the UK must stop treating international talent as an imposition

A year after ChatGPT brought generative AI to the masses, we now know it has the potential to change everything – the AI-augmented future is now

It may be true that higher education rarely tops the agenda in electoral campaigns, but don’t be fooled – the politics is as fevered as ever

If you get what you measure, then a new framework for assessing universities’ efforts to support interdisciplinarity will provide welcome impetus