Straight onto the shortlist

It promises to be one of the toughest postings in higher education. Even so, one might have expected more than 38 people to apply for the job of England's first university access tsar. Yet, according to the Department for Education and Skills, that is the sum total of responses to its advertisements for the director of the Office for Fair Access post. At least it should make the interview process, which was due to start this week, quicker - no bad thing since they hope to have someone in post later this autumn.