Head of school/department

Gathering intellectual antagonists under the same roof contains the incendiary electricity of controversy and redirects it to generate sparks of new knowledge, says Carel Stolker

Convincing universities to divest from fossil fuels and use only green energy is a better strategy, says Thomas Smith

Overseas students’ academic potential is hobbled if their English does not far exceed current thresholds, says Danijela Trenkic

Matthew Reisz considers the insights of the former LSE director who has a foothold in both the UK and France

Embracing immersive content would aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together, argue Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan 

Schemes asking us to transform our workplaces in the name of equality, diversity and inclusivity are failing. It’s time to hold our institutions to account, says Rebecca Harrison

Better recognition of the wider social benefits of both teaching and research would help universities regain public goodwill, says Nick Petford 

Thirty years on from the start of the push to get more girls into science, the sense of urgency and commitment is waning, says Karen Russ

If the legislative requirements to respond to gender pay gaps are perceived as weak, the moral imperative for universities to act is strong, argues Anthony Forster 

It’s time for students to step in and end the political stalemate on stopping gun violence on university campuses, says Sarah Kenny

University strategising in the days before JoJo, BoJo and Brexit was more back-patting than visionary, but what universities need now is a plan for survival, says John Cater 

The curricular dominance of popular music may sell tickets but belies the point of a musical education, says Sam Richards

Faculties without borders are the key to turning multidisciplinarity into more than a buzzword, says Duncan Ivison

Peter Williams concerned by requirement for English universities to deliver ‘successful outcomes’ for ‘all’ students

Growing discontent among University and College Union members about leaders’ handling of negotiations

Academics at British institutions make one in four successful bids in 2017 funding round, underlining risks of Brexit

Universities should emulate the private sector in a positive way by eliminating costly duplication, says a worker in professional services

If elements of society feel they have no stake in humanities and social science research, their support for it will evaporate, warns Musa al-Gharbi

Elite Japanese universities are renowned for their strength in research, but does their reputation also reflect quality in teaching? Times Higher Education’s student-focused Japan University Rankings and student experience survey offer some fascinating insights

The apparent theft of exam papers in Papua New Guinea suggests to John Warren that we should all be more transparent over marking mishaps   

Unprecedented spending on university estates are transforming campuses and cities more generally, explain the authors of a new book on contemporary design in higher education

Social scientists’ scepticism about research oversight also relates to the curiously bad press it gets in Western literature, writes Katarzyna Kaczmarska 

The government must end its absurd and self-defeating stance against the National Union of Students, says Ruth Wilkinson

Parochialism makes sense from a career point of view, but is disastrous for public discourse, say Cynthia Miller-Idriss and Mitchell L. Stevens

New courses from University of London and Imperial College London include platform’s first bachelor’s programme

Federal structure has led to ‘expansion based purely on regional political interests’, says report

Radical ideas required to cut research grant waste

Academic focus on ideas from a small range of European countries would not be tolerated in other disciplines, says Lloyd Strickland

Long-serving dean says institutions must teach ethics and diversify programmes to maintain demand for management education

Teaching would improve if all scholars were required to undertake regular secondments in industry, says Cecilia Chan

We answer some of your questions about the forthcoming Times Higher Education Innovation Rankings

The UK Border Agency’s treatment of non-EU musicians is undermining vital cultural exchange, says Michael Edwards

THE survey reveals how work pressures shape researchers’ decisions around relationships and family

Suspension is a legal and emotional minefield that can blow up in managers’ faces, says a wrongfully suspended scholar 

Simon Baker, THE’s data editor, charts some of the different strengths and weaknesses among Asian countries’ universities

Just as the ‘little red dot’ city state has made an indelible mark on the global stage, president of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Subra Suresh examines how his institution has garnered attention

China’s Southern University of Science and Technology puts an overriding emphasis on knitting together talented people from all regions and levels, says its president, Shiyi Chen

Futao Huang considers the five nations trying to compete with China, Asia’s higher education superpower

China has put itself atop the rankings and set the model that others seek to emulate, says Phil Baty

Ellie Bothwell compares two Beijing universities, Tsinghua and Peking, to explain the former’s rise

Singapore has the continent’s best university for the third year in a row but China’s stars are in the ascendant, says Ellie Bothwell

Explore the latest offering in our teaching-focused rankings portfolio, says THE’s data and analytics director Duncan Ross 

Asian universities in particular are embracing a technological future, but they should bear in mind the words of two wise Americans, says Alice Gast

Different rules used to calculate honours classifications could leave a university with double the proportion of first-class degree holders than another institution

THE data analysis in partnership with Elsevier highlights economic impact of world’s leading institutions 

A year-long experiment convinced Michael Marinetto that carving out research time is a fun but unwinnable game 

The 2018 regional rankings use Times Higher Education’s tried and tested methodology to scrutinise Asia

‘Trained observers’ can help selection committees stamp out implicit bias against women, Europe’s biggest highest education institutions say

Career of prolific technology and development expert took him from Nairobi to Harvard

Expansion of league table reveals a more diverse list of countries and institutions

Research suggests that students learn better in their native tongue, and English fails to prepare international students for a job after graduation, says Michele Gazzola

Canadian university dean says fundraising is an important – and fun – activity for academics

Former director of Berkeley anthropology museum remembered

Academic warns universities need to take impact of accent on credibility seriously as it has ‘demotivated’ overseas lecturers

Universities in the US dominate new Times Higher Education psychology ranking

Photographer and pro vice-chancellor of the University of the Arts London remembered

UCU says case highlights ‘serious questions’ over institution’s governance structures

Former Stanford provost, leader in fields of fundraising and international exchanges, remembered

Father of ‘fuzzy logic’ remembered

The research excellence framework’s panels will look at factors including adventurousness, disciplinary diversity and methodological clarity, predicts Martin Willis