Columnists

Outrage over MPs’ expenses will be as nothing to the howls unleashed when people learn that ‘education, education, education’ was a false promise, says Gloria Monday

As they stand, university rankings do not make sense, says Alan Ryan

Our desire, individually and collectively, to respect students, colleagues and universities is the best way to drive up teaching quality, says Tara Brabazon

Impatient editors risk upsetting manuscript referees, writes Tim Birkhead

Having been forced into the forefront of administration, Gloria Monday realises that, on the whole, the overload is self-inflicted

Felipe Fernández-Armesto salutes the US military's intellectual proving ground

Stuart Hall supposedly asked one question that would determine whether a student joined the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. Tara Brabazon examines the importance of having passion for your subject

Student-scholar trysts are perilous affairs, writes Sally Feldman

Kevin Fong narrowly avoids a kebab-stained diplomatic incident

Satirical news programme The Daily Show does more than poke fun at the powers that be. It condemns lazy and populist broadcasting, and urges us to question what we are told and what we choose to watch – lessons that go beyond a good laugh, writes Tara Brabazon

For all that is spent on quality assurance, we get very little reassurance on things that matter, argues Allan Ashworth

Hefce's criticism of Cambridge's governance is plain wrong, says Alan Ryan

In these days of low morale, universities will try anything to grab positive publicity. Gloria Monday just wishes there was a little less spin and a little more substance

Tutorials are vital for a quality learning experience, writes Tim Birkhead

Let the Twitterati take note. For all the glorious advancements of Web 2.0, there is no substitute for old-fashioned research. Media platforms give us new ways to say things, but we need something to say first, says Tara Brabazon

Inspectorate to approve degrees would do sector good, MPs are told. Rebecca Attwood reports

Felipe Fernández-Armesto recognises the strength of the US is in its people

Don't run from the media: engaging with journalists can help you hone your thoughts and words - at least once the panic subsides, says Chris Hackley

Initiative part of wider plans to bring higher education in line with new media age and reality talent shows. Sarah Cunnane reports

Defending one’s territory – one of the most basic of instincts – can arouse passions in even the most docile. Gloria Monday finds ways and means of keeping what she’s got

Art and science can work hand in glove, writes Sally Feldman

We must save pure research - it could be key to Earth's future, says Kevin Fong

Media scaremongering about the sinister effects of new media on young people’s brains is a poor excuse for failing to engage with and bring out the best in our students, argues Tara Brabazon

Gloria Monday’s newfound street cred sees her sharing a Quorn and vodka repast around a student table where the proletarian accents are fake but the filth is real

Most education is vocational, and quite rightly so, says Alan Ryan

Viva PhD success - and let's fête the candidates a little, too, says Tim Birkhead

Barry Manilow has the skill to vacuum-seal emotion in every lyric and speaks for and to those who are neglected and marginalised

In which a lecture on the Thirty Years War is swept aside by a juggernaut of animal welfare protests, and Gloria Monday becomes a pro-chicken heroine despite herself

Felipe Fernández-Armesto finds his beloved Oxford changed, changed utterly

Sally Feldman says academics should talk to the media about their work

Tara Brabazon gives supervisors her top tips for guiding doctoral candidates successfully to completion

When Gloria Monday caught a serial cheat presenting her own work back to her, she thought justice would be swift. But she found that institutional reputation counted for more than academic rigour

Kevin Fong welcomes Obama's promise to restore the importance of science

Many academics have lived the migrant experience – heading into the unknown, feeling the chill of xenophobia and the vagaries of state power but also finding rewards. Tara Brabazon considers the personal and professional costs and benefits

A market-dominated culture fails to sustain social mobility, writes Alan Ryan

Although we might like to think it, music never causes social change. However, an intelligent multimedia reissue of a classic live recording reminds us that it can bear witness to society, writes Tara Brabazon

Darwin’s insights have cast fresh light on staff meetings, writes Gloria Monday

Hard work, creativity and luck are keys to accomplishment, says Tim Birkhead

It is important to recognise the original spark behind failures to stick to scholarly protocols, says Tara Brabazon

Privilege clings to wealth as mores change, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto