Vice-chancellor/principal

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

Analysis of THE World University Rankings data shows number of women leading highest-ranking institutions has risen slightly

President of research powerhouse Sigbritt Karlsson calls for realism about openness while continuing to foster culture of innovation and entrepreneurialism

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

‘Freedom of speech is a question of interpretation,’ says v-c who maintains art studio in Beijing

Pioneering university leader who went on to promote higher education’s social responsibility remembered

Sydney v-c says upcoming move to London ‘made more interesting’ by uncertainty around city’s global position 

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

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

Scottish Funding Council review condemns how bumper payments to secure ‘orderly exit’ of Sir Ian Diamond were awarded

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

Developing countries cannot cower from technological progress if they and all their citizens are to advance, argues Tshilidzi Marwala

University president who became a New York ‘Living Landmark’ remembered

Ed Byrne warns Office for Students could be creating a model where university leaders have less freedom

University of Massachusetts Boston enables departments to bid for second position for under-represented scholar when undergoing existing search

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

The hunt for a new UK research supremo continues, apparently after the shortlisted candidates failed to pass muster

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

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 

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

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

Catholic institution hires TEQSA chief executive who led QAA and Ucas

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

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

The looseness of regulations around collaboration with overseas contacts will intimidate scholars into silence and isolation, says Katarzyna Kaczmarska

Student income support is increasingly insufficient and in urgent need of reform, says Dawn Freshwater

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

Home Office will nearly double number of fellowships where visa applications are fast-tracked, while ‘MIT of north’ plan is also floated

Leader says that desire to maintain tranquillity can deter islanders from pushing ideas to ‘breaking point’

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

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

Independent process ‘found several areas in which we will need to improve our board of governors’ processes’, says UEL

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

The former Sussex vice-chancellor on coming late to reading, his long fascination with India and different interpretations of the colonial era 

Critics fear initiative could widen social inequalities

Sector leaders say Augar-inspired cut to tuition fees in England would damage sector

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

Some students have been murdered while others are living on the streets, says Lynn Dobbs

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

Lorenzo Fioramonti wants to ‘put his ideas to the test’ and end the country’s brain drain

£9,000 fees permitted per-student funding to rise even at the height of austerity, argues former minister David Willetts

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

Raj Kumar wants greater focus on liberal arts studies, against existing preoccupation with science

The ongoing wave of student protests is testing the diplomacy skills of the territory’s vice-chancellors to the limits. But is it possible to keep the peace on campus and maintain good relations with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments while maintaining unrestricted freedom of speech, asks Joyce Lau

Leading sociologist of inequality fears boosting the status of a select few universities could mean a closed educational elite, as in the US or France 

Restrictions on loan access for university courses with low graduate earnings under consideration for Tory manifesto, though Augar-inspired cuts not ruled out

The Australian National University’s rejection of massification will reap rich rewards for its students, says Brian Schmidt

Former higher education minister will leave in December to seek consultancy and advisory positions

Andrew Atherton placed on leave after just nine months in post

If a Canadian programme’s success rates are replicated in the US, it must be adopted, says John Banzhaf

While some universities are funding huge building projects out of international student fees, an increasing number in Australia and elsewhere are finding that the ground beneath their feet is the best foundation for reaching to the sky. But should universities really be swapping ivory towers for commercial skyscrapers? John Ross cranes his neck and wonders 

A much wider use of sophisticated video conferencing will help – but no one is saying this will be easy, reflects Richard Davies

The REF is a prime example of the sort of elaborate, burdensome process that potentially adds comparatively little value

President says Ivy League institution is reaping reward of looking past academic silos and selecting staff on ability to tackle external challenge