University leadership

To get started with interdisciplinarity, ask: what’s the problem?

Interdisciplinarity can often be treated as an institutional side project. But embedding it into university structures can change everything. Here’s how

Yuzhuo Cai

The Education University of Hong Kong

A hiring manager shaking hands with a candidate

Recruitment isn’t an endurance test – universities should stop treating it like one

If we want the best researchers, educators and professional services colleagues to choose our institutions, we need to scrutinise whether the processes designed to recruit them are helping or hindering us, writes Angela Goff

Angela Goff

UCL

Will China’s push to bring higher education closer to industry fix its skills mismatch?

Despite 12 million graduates entering the job market, Chinese companies still lack highly skilled candidates, writes Gerard A. Postiglione. Here, he looks at how the country’s universities are addressing employment and what its strategies can offer other higher education systems

Gerard A. Postiglione

The University of Hong Kong

Why a unity lens is crucial in higher education

When institutions highlight that commitment to learning, research and service to the broader public good is shared across campus, they help students and educators see themselves as part of a collective endeavour rather than isolated participants

Katerina Standish

University of Northern British Columbia

Students exploring the historic district of Bogota, Columbia

What the ‘overseas elective’ can teach us about adapting student exchanges for 2026 and beyond

Short-term exchanges may be an effective way to rejuvenate interest in international experiences among students, writes Lucas Lixinski, drawing lessons from his department’s ‘overseas electives’

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Universities are ‘wintering’: we need psychological safety more than ever

The UK sector is enduring course cuts, redundancies and restructures. Here, Meredith Wilkinson suggests practices that leadership can put in place to support staff and students through uncertainty

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

Course design for non-traditional students: lessons from adult learning theory

Strategies for ensuring relevance, building on existing knowledge and creating flexible learning experiences to better serve increasing numbers of non-traditional students

Catherine Wehlburg

Athens State University

Listen to Esther Papies, professor of social and cultural psychology at Radboud University, on how to nudge people towards greener choices on our latest podcast.

Campus Talks: How can universities nudge students and staff towards greener choices?

A behaviour change expert explains what is required to shift a whole campus community towards more environmentally sustainable habits

Esther Papies, Miranda Prynne

Radboud University

Female lecturer addresses a group of students

Why universities need shared conversations about ‘good’ teaching

Good teaching cannot be owned or defined by any one person or group, writes David Mather. He calls for more open discussion and exploration of what constitutes quality teaching

David Mather

The University of Portsmouth

Female student looking through a microscope

Europe invests in research but underinvests in forming researchers

Europe has built an admirable research support system but there is one crucial stage that is overlooked – the early formation of researchers, writes Adam Kola. He offers examples from his own institution on how to address this

Adam Kola

Nicolaus Copernicus University

A disco ball suspended from the ceiling of a dimly lit room

What a disco ball teaches us about learning and leadership

By acknowledging that perspectives are evolving and relational, educators and leaders can encourage contribution and connection without sacrificing what makes people distinct

Lauren Flannery

The University of East Anglia

Four steps to design the perfect business school alliance

Alliances offer business schools a resilient way to expand their global reach. By clarifying purpose, building governance structures and defining measurable outputs, leadership teams can turn collaboration into a strategic tool

Marion Debruyne

Vlerick Business School

Hans van Oostrom talks about building institution-wide AI expertise on the Campus Talks podcast

Campus Talks: What does ‘AI across the curriculum’ look like in practice?

We find out how one US institution has led the way in embedding AI across all its majors and what has been learned in the process

Hans van Oostrom, Miranda Prynne

University of Florida

Building a consistent university voice

By combining a comprehensive style guide with practical workshops and continuous feedback, among other strategies, universities can ensure English communications are clear, professional and consistent

Xinmin Han

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A laptop with a padlocked chain around it

Why AI adoption in universities is really a question of trust

To encourage AI use that aligns with institutional policies, university governance must prioritise transparency, usability and academic autonomy. Learn how

Isabel Fischer , Susanne Beck, Joe Nandhakumar

The University of Warwick

How to articulate a clear identity for university libraries – and why it matters

In the digital era, the identity of the library has become blurred. Here’s how to emphasise its distinctiveness, writes John Cox

John Cox

University of Galway

Students sitting at their desks in a classroom

Why universities must become flexible lifelong partners, not one-time providers

As careers become increasingly non-linear and shaped by rapid change, universities must evolve beyond traditional degree provision, says Sankar Sivarajah. Here, he outlines strategies

Sankar Sivarajah

Kingston University

Students and a professor in class discussing AI

Why AI literacy must be discipline specific

A one-size-fits-all approach to AI training risks leaving students unprepared for the discipline-specific demands of their future careers. Rose Luckin explores what field-specific AI literacy looks like in practice

Rose Luckin

UCL

An AI expert presenting in front of room full of staff

Why your AI training programme won’t create an AI-literate university

Five system-level strategies for building AI literacy with guidance for both early-stage adopters and digitally mature institutions

Pavana Kiranmai Chepuri

Woxsen University

A team of professionals brainstorming in an office

Making a university people strategy real

A university-wide plan to improve working culture works best when team leaders take ownership of it. Donna Dalrymple offers guidance on translating strategy into meaningful change

Donna Dalrymple

UCL

Young black man working at a computer terminal

Why digital stability has become a governance imperative

Technological resilience is not just a systems problem when failure can impact operations, academic credibility, public trust and equitable education. Here, Fulufhelo Nemavhola expands the considerations for universities

Fulufhelo Nemavhola

Durban University of Technology

A businessman in a warehouse speaks to a business partner.

Put quality before quantity when building university-industry partnerships

University-industry partnerships must be based on long-term commitment, clear governance and proper resourcing and investment, if they are to have a transformative impact, write Soheil Davari and Vasile Strat

Soheil Davari , Vasile Alecsandru Strat

University of Bath, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest Business School

GenAI practice blossoms through the open exchange of insights

How a structured GenAI professional development series, built around practice, peer voices and multiple entry points, fosters open exchange among colleagues, universities and industry

Samuel Doherty

The University of Newcastle, Australia

Lessons from being academic chair of a complex department

Being a department head takes both emotional and cognitive energy to juggle people, programmes, contracts and institutional demands. But digging into skills such as trust-building and communication will bear fruit, writes Ben K. Daniel

Ben Kei Daniel

University of Northern British Columbia

Lifelong engagement is the lifeblood of the academy

Universities should move beyond symbolic emeritus titles to create structured pathways for meaningful post-retirement contribution, say Theresa Mercer and Jim Harris

Theresa Mercer , Jim Harris

Cranfield University

Across the divide: reimagining faculty-staff collaboration in higher education

Academic units do best when they harness different viewpoints – from field scientists and curriculum designers to extension professionals – to drive innovation and relevance. Saskia van de Gevel offers proactive advice

Saskia van de Gevel

Virginia Tech

A professor holding a document in a library

AI governance is a duty of care, not a branding exercise

If governance becomes practical, proportionate and iterative, universities can foster exactly what they claim to value: responsible, creative experimentation, writes Garth Elzerman

Garth Elzerman

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

When should universities speak up – or shut up?

A principled default of reticence, paired with clear criteria for instances when speaking out, is essential and offers a credible and sustainable path for universities, says Steven G. Poskanzer

Steven G. Poskanzer

Carleton College

Spotlight: What does innovation need to thrive in HE

What innovation needs to thrive in higher education

Advice on cultivating innovative mindsets across a university, among academics, staff and students

Campus contributors

Campus

Campus Talks: What lies behind the success – or failure – of international branch campuses?

Find out what underpins success when setting up and developing a branch campus overseas and why financial returns are not a good motivation, from an academic who helped establish and later lead one such project

Christine Ennew, Miranda Prynne

Campus

Pluralistic idealism alone won’t govern the future

AI governance is treated as an ethics problem, when it is increasingly a question of control, authority and speed. As AI systems reshape admissions, assessment and student support, universities need to govern what is live, not what looks good on paper

Alistair Sackley

University of Southampton

Students sitting at a table with their laptops

Why fixing student problems one by one does not work

When efforts to improve student satisfaction fall short, the problem is often design rather than speed. İlkay Karaduman reflects on planning a more coherent student journey shaped by key transitions and connections

İlkay Karaduman

Istanbul Aydin University

Why digital accessibility is now a leadership issue for universities

The question for university decision-makers is whether to settle for the minimum accessibility required by international regulation or to embed it as a marker of institutional excellence across teaching, research and civic mission

Ayala Gordon, Sarah Lewthwaite

Independent academic, University of Southampton

Spotlight: Should I become a university administrator

Should I become a university administrator?

If you are considering a career move into university management, gather insights from this collection on what promotion from faculty to higher education administration entails

Campus contributors

Campus

University teacher helping two multiracial students

Making student experience a core part of academic work

A student and an academic outline how universities must make student experience an explicit part of academic roles, from workloads to resourcing and recognition

Roma Forbes, Benjamin Ong

The University of Queensland

Accompaniment: the key to engaging campus communities in change

To respond to change, leaders must create solutions with their employees and members of the community, rather than instituting a top-down approach. A Latin American leadership practice could be the answer

Annmarie Caño

Gonzaga University

Happy multiracial group of college students

Reimagining the student experience using tips from start-up culture

Start-up principles such as rapid iteration, co-creation and agile teamwork can be used to transform the student experience, enabling faster, more effective responses to evolving student needs

Melissa Padfield, Sarah Wolgemuth

University of Alberta

Why university leaders must listen differently in one-to-ones

Talk less and listen more should be a mantra for leaders and managers. When they acknowledge diverse perspectives, avoid dominating discussions and reflect what they have heard, it sets the tone for more inclusive, respectful dialogue

Annie Owen

University of Southampton

Not faster but fairer: tame ‘techno-solutionism’ to build inclusive futures with AI

University leaders and academics must resist an open-armed embrace of AI and ask tough questions about who, really, is benefitting from its use in order to shape an inclusive future, writes Chie Adachi

Chie Adachi

Queen Mary University of London

Campus Talks: The role of universities as bastions of free speech and open debate in polarised times

An expert in constructive dialogue and a free speech campaigner explain how universities can nurture productive disagreement and uphold the principles of free speech and academic freedom in the face of growing polarisation

Caroline Mehl, Abhishek Saha

Constructive Dialogue Institute, Queen Mary University of London

The dos and don’ts of developing an international network in higher education

International collaborations sound impressive on paper – but most fail to move beyond initial enthusiasm and a signed memorandum of understanding. Jeremy Howick shares lessons from building a global network focused on empathy in healthcare

Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

The anxieties of non-research faculty at a research university

The worth of know-how – as opposed to know-that – is enhanced when instructors are full-time, eligible for tenure and materially supported in their collective endeavour. Here, Daniel M. Gross makes the case for valuing teachers’ collective wisdom

Daniel M. Gross

University of California, Irvine

Faith, freedom and fairness: a balancing act for universities

Can UK universities protect the right for students to voice difficult views while ensuring that no student feels that their opinions or beliefs make them a target for prejudice?

Lucy Peacock

University of Cambridge

Multiracial group of university graduands

Embracing superdiversity: a concrete path for universities

The richness of an academic community lies in connecting people of different backgrounds, approaches and perspectives. But this does not happen by chance; it requires intentionality, vision and daily commitment, writes Francesco Billari

Francesco Billari

Bocconi University

Students working on a project together in class

The great interdisciplinarity illusion – and what to do about it

All too often, modules that claim to be interdisciplinary are really multidisciplinary. Here’s how universities must change that

Simon Scott

University of Birmingham

How can universities show the impact of research and boost connections with the public?

The need for higher education institutions to show economic, social and environmental impact of their research and how it benefits communities is urgent. Here, a panel from Australia and New Zealand share ways to take discoveries from the lecture theatre to the front line

Lucy Johnston, Gill Jolly, Paul Harris

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Innovative Research Universities

A hiring panel interviewing a candidate at a table

Beyond gut feeling: what should academic hiring panels consider?

Academic hiring often relies on gut feeling and bias. Olga Ryazanova and Peter McNamara show how evidence on early-career choices and research records can help panels make fairer, more informed decisions

Olga Ryazanova , Peter McNamara

Maynooth University

A free speech checklist for universities

Practical examples of how universities can promote free speech on campus from Dennis Hayes, the director of Academics for Academic Freedom

Dennis Hayes

Academics for Academic Freedom

Susan C. Aldridge, president of Thomas Jefferson University, speaks to Campus editor Miranda Prynne

Campus interview: Susan Aldridge, president of Thomas Jefferson University, on educating career-ready graduates

The leader of a US institution discusses how to set students up for future success in uncertain times and why working across disciplines is so powerful

Susan C. Aldridge

Thomas Jefferson University

Navigating conflicting DEI needs for the benefit of all

Equity, diversity and inclusion work is complicated when one group’s rights to dignity and privacy challenge another’s sense of comfort and security. Here, Cynthia Williams offers strategies to address these tensions

Cynthia Williams

University of Northern British Columbia

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