General

As fans await the release of The Force Awakens, could Star Wars help teach psychoanalytic concepts in university?

The National Union of Students has released a selection of Christmas songs inspired by higher education. All together now – one, two, three, four...

A long-running stand-off has been resolved as a three-year deal on subscriptions is agreed

Protest sparked by suspension of highly respected architecture professor who refused to support relocation of the school

Architecture lecturer Stephen Games feels ‘vindicated’ after agreement

Life sciences PhD candidates believe they are owed money for teaching undergraduates as a condition of funding

Politics lecturer Michael Buehler faces sustained attacks after raising questions about covert lobbying ahead of US visit by country’s president

Juggling multiple departmental roles on top of teaching and research can leave new lecturers feeling ‘punch-drunk’, explains new appointee Richard Budd

Street mime artist-turned-professor Gilberto Scaramuzzo explains to Jack Grove how the wordless theatre form can enrich university teaching

New rules enabling higher education board to shut down private universities seen as a threat to the government amount to ‘banditry’

Clearly describing the inefficient and damaging situation might point the way to better alternatives, says Eric Silverman

Blurring the lines between supervisor and friend can cause difficulties for academics and students alike, says study by Finnish researchers

Higher levels of stress among senior women revealed by Leadership Foundation report

UCU’s nine-point checklist aims to make admissions fairer

The proposed sale of London Metropolitan University’s Aldgate design school highlights some of the pros and cons of ‘one campus’ higher education institution, says Jack Grove

Envy of Japan’s Nobel prize record is fuelling massive investment in sciences and higher education, including in international partnerships, says president of Ghent branch campus

The UK’s female academics are paid £6,146 less on average than men, with lack of women in leadership and management roles a factor, says new report

International competitors will be ‘licking their lips’ if the UK labels some universities as weaker on teaching, says Andrew Hamilton ahead of his departure

Shorten waiting period for financial assistance with study and create bespoke foundation courses to aid entry into higher education, the EUA recommends

Outgoing New York University president John Sexton dismisses concerns over academic freedom at his institution’s Abu Dhabi campus

Hundreds of protesters gather on Bloomsbury campus in support of suspended Unison branch secretary Sandy Nicoll

As Spectre hits the cinemas, what might it be like to be taught by James Bond – or Daniel Craig, at least? His on-screen student and now THE reporter, Jack Grove, reveals how nobody did it better

UK students have ‘inflated’ views of their preparedness for the job market compared with undergraduates elsewhere, a major international study contends

Above-inflation deal for university staff still lags behind pay increases seen elsewhere in the UK this year

List voted for by leading academic booksellers, librarians and publishers revealed ahead of Academic Book Week

Study finds ‘super ties’ with another academic can lead to higher citation rates

Academic ‘scallywags’ are gaining doctorates thanks to the circulation of dodgy theses within some universities, says the founder of plagiarism pressure group

Questions have been raised about the source of data used by Downing Street to accuse institutions of hosting hate preachers

Republic of Ireland has highest satisfaction scores among international students, survey finds

Continent’s youthful population will soon require many more university places, with high numbers likely to study outside their home country

Very few US universities have policies to deal with growing number of stateless people seeking a chance to study

Research by University of Oxford academics provides evidence that student satisfaction scores are unconnected to exam performance

Anxieties over overseas posts largely overlooked as academy highlights benefits of global mobility, researchers claim

Universities to scale back liberal arts and social science courses

Grant winners failing to comply with policies to end cronyism and other practices face penalties

Just one in 10 researchers has completed an internship away from the academy, a new survey says

Megan Dunn and NUS national executive committee clash as policy to formally oppose the teaching excellence framework is passed

10 must-dos for postdocs identified by Catherine L Drennan, professor of chemistry and biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor identifies the top academic ‘habits’ postdocs need to reach the next level

Rising liabilities may again focus attention on whether Universities Superannuation Scheme assumptions are ‘unreasonably pessimistic’

Training needs to recognise US and overseas students’ different approaches to decision-making, study concludes

Choice between overarching managers and collegiality in universities a false choice, study suggests

High costs, long commutes and insecure jobs may explain figures from Best University Workplace Survey 2015

Cultural differences can complicate relationships between international doctoral students and supervisors, Jack Grove hears

Older papers with unattributed material had higher similarity index than more recent ones

More than 60 universities in Germany provide help for the country’s growing number of refugees, study says

Keep watching the skies…

Labour leadership hopeful would also extend student finance to apprentices

UCU members vote two to one against terms that they fear may leave them liable to summary dismissal

Deloitte has identified seven key issues facing higher education in 2015 and beyond. Here are some of the recommendations from the corporate consultancy giant

Industry-led approach to doctoral education may ‘marginalise’ mentoring

Reducing burden of student debt is top of shopping list as candidates jockey for position

Making radios in London Met’s masterclasses gets children on the university wavelength

The way universities perceive and handle flexible hours is an area for improvement, says a joint report by employers and unions

Unions and universities divided over extent of ‘casualisation’ despite major joint initiative

Health leaders express fears for institution’s independence after Erdoğan appoints his physician and party deputy 

Institute for Fiscal Studies says George Osborne’s Budget changes will also hit middle-earning graduates by more than £6,000 on average

Predicted £310 million deficit prompts sweeping changes for non-academic personnel

Business-focused City will join the University of London next year

Another amusing collection of student slip-ups submitted by Times Higher Education readers