Other senior management

A new alliance of 40 of the world’s top climate change research universities will ensure better access to the facts, say Ian Jacobs and Matthew England

Swift decisions are needed on contact hours, attendance and assessment, says Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan 

Denying legitimate authors their fair share of credit amounts to academic misconduct, says David Sanders

Slashing research will be a dangerous temptation for politicians desperate for savings, warns Jan Palmowski

A belief that private colleges open more doors explains US voters’ lukewarm response to free public education, says Kate Eichhorn 

‘Levelling up’ research spending may imperil regional universities’ sustainability, warn Grace Gottlieb and Graeme Reid 

As Pope Francis urges Catholic HE to change, the Holy See’s quality agency evaluates close to 300 ‘ecclesiastical faculties’ worldwide – with just four staff

Slightly higher fees would be a reasonable price for a system that responds to student numbers and preferences, says Andrew Norton 

The UK government is determined to make good on its manifesto pledge to crack down on substandard university programmes. But what is quality? Is it best measured by graduate earnings, learning gain, a national university curriculum – or something else entirely? Anna McKie ponders the options 

Focusing on how to deliver the UK government’s big ambitions for science could arrest the troubled funder’s drift, says John Womersley 

The sudden closure of university campuses across China and elsewhere has necessitated the virtual delivery of vast numbers of courses. And while there have been inevitable teething problems, observers are wondering whether the future might just have become the present. Joyce Lau reports

Universities are wrong to assume that they are entitled to use recordings of lecturers however they please, says Robert Cluley

Consulting citation data would ameliorate the all-too-human shortcomings of departmental review, says a Russell Group professor

Abuse of anonymity is damaging for both academics and students. It should lead to serious consequences, says Stefan Cantore

Employers value higher and degree apprenticeships. Restricting access to them would be counterproductive, says Jane Longmore

The financial urge to allow Chinese students to begin the new university year must not trump public health concerns, says Salvatore Babones

Mary Beard’s recent admission that she is a ‘mug’ who works 100 hours a week caused a Twitter storm. But how hard is it reasonable for academics to work? Who should decide? And should the mugs be obliged to keep quiet? Seven academics have their say

UK academics love the ERC, but selective participation in Horizon Europe is unlikely to be on the table, says John Womersley

Coventry University’s endeavours notwithstanding, other international education initiatives are more sustainable, say Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit

Sinn Féin’s desire for an all-Ireland education system could see it reject fee rises north of the border, says Diana Beech

Politicians, funders and university leaders all intone the mantra of interdisciplinarity. But what does the concept really mean? Will it really yield the insights it promises? And how best can it be fostered? Ellie Bothwell reports

The UK’s structures for supporting and nurturing research leaders are woefully underdeveloped, says Matthew Flinders

The grandee philosopher talks to Matthew Reisz about trust, trustworthiness and why an overreaction to logical positivism is to blame for Facebook’s excesses

Why is there so little concern about the catastrophic decline in part-time adult learners in England? asks John Butcher

Academics are key to lifting public engagement with climate change and stopping the spread of nonsense passing as news, says David Lloyd

The appointment of Manuel Castells as the country’s universities minister signals a change in fortune, says José Martinez-Sierra

India’s students have surprised many observers by standing up together to protest against injustice, says Pushkar

Matthew Reisz talks to Grayson Perry and an academic expert on performance art about the limits of student artistic expression in higher education 

There is evidence of success in changing attitudes, but effects on admissions remain woefully under-explored, says David Robinson

The ‘transvestite potter’ is used to creating a stir, but is his freewheeling approach a benefit or a curse when it comes to being a university chancellor? And should art schools still tolerate students like him? Matthew Reisz fires the questions

With student debt escalating and concerns persisting that college graduates are not job-ready, increasing numbers of companies are taking the training of their workers in-house. But where does that leave the higher education sector, asks Paul Basken 

As we enter REF submission year, Nicholas Stern and David Sweeney urge universities to broaden their conception of a good submission

Augar’s questions remain largely unanswered but proposals for further education are largely comprehensive and coherent, says Nick Hillman

Overseeing an Athena SWAN application convinced an anonymous academic that if tasks cannot be properly resourced, they should not be attempted at all

In an era of anti-expert populism, it is more important than ever to stand up for scientific truth. But it is also harder, coming with a high risk of personal attack. Anna McKie speaks to those who have paid a high price for their advocacy, and draws out the lessons for those who want to take up the cause

The analogy has lessons for both higher education institutions and the bodies that oversee them, says Richard Oliver

Actions by the current government suggest official discomfort with the basic purpose of public universities, says Jayati Ghosh

Researchers in developing countries have often been confined to minor roles as translators and data gatherers. But there are signs that the scales are tipping. Simon Baker considers the extent and nature of collaboration between the Global North and South, while Andrew Thompson reflects on the next iteration of the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund

The blessing of big data can be a curse without resources for analysis. But how much computerised help do we really want, asks Kristen Sadler

Ongoing falls in Australian postgraduate recruitment suggest a trend away from structured education for people in mid-career, says Andrew Norton

Rachel Kyte’s previous roles in supra-national bodies make the new dean of Tufts University’s Fletcher School of international relations determined to see the academy play its part in rescuing multilateralism and addressing climate change, writes John Gill

The apparently political murder of an undergraduate at a top Bangladeshi university by other students has stunned a nation, writes Nahid Neazy

Universities must face up to some legitimate complaints, but they can also play a key role in helping the new government meet its ambitions, says Alistair Jarvis

Being transparent about the existence of poor-quality provision is essential if we are to tackle it effectively, says Nicola Dandridge

Strikes notwithstanding, more pay restraint and greater pensions contributions from UK staff seem unavoidable, writes Bernard Casey

The school system’s focus on relative over absolute standards makes it difficult to judge applicants’ potential, says Conor King

Political, economic and demographic considerations all suggest that the demand-driven system won’t endure, says Nick Hillman

Chinese students flock to universities in the West, but they often struggle to adjust to a very different academic, cultural and social environment, and leave disappointed. Here, three experts set out what institutions can do to give Chinese students better value for the high fees they typically pay

Reporting procedures were woefully inadequate, while senior managers frequently enabled intimidatory behaviour, says an anonymous UK academic

The UK’s support system for disabled students puts the focus on institutional capacity rather than student need, says Stephen Campbell 

The plan promises big leaps in innovation, quality assurance and lecturer training, say Youmin Xi and Xiaojun Zhang  

Offering two-year programmes at FE colleges as part of four-year degrees could redress the UK’s spending bias in favour of HE, says Geoff Mason

As concerns rise about mainstream universities’ affordability, social impact and working cultures, the UK’s Labour Party is mulling the idea of fostering cooperative, comprehensive universities. John Morgan travels to Manchester and Preston to examine some experiments that could point the way 

Asking BAME students to spend significant amounts of time helping universities decolonise the curriculum is far from the ideal solution, says Daniel Akinbosede

The EU’s next framework programme, Horizon Europe, is due to start in just over a year. But while its broad shape is settled, political wrangling over budget and participation rights means researchers are still unclear over their future funding prospects. David Matthews reports from Brussels

At a time when stress and mental health issues are endemic within universities, Erin K. Wilson considers the small steps she is determined to take in order to be part of the solution

Universities preach meritocracy but, in reality, bend over backwards to protect toxic personalities, says Irina Dumitrescu

Universities are inherently political spaces, but the current explosion in violent protest must come to an end, says Brian Wong

Universities, local authorities and others must heed the Centenary Commission on Adult Education’s recommendations, says Jonathan Michie

More sharing of impact will improve understanding of how it can be promoted and evaluated, says Peter Tufano