Management and governance

Students’ recent firebombing of Nelson Mandela’s alma mater has raised more questions about whether the country’s universities can break out of a cycle of corruption, underfunding and violent protest. They can – but only with strong leadership and political will, hears Juliette Rowsell 

Dark tales abound of various UK universities being at risk of breaching agreements with their banks. But what exactly are covenants? Why have they come to play such a prominent role in the conversation about sector health? And would breaking one really lead to institutional ruin? Helen Packer reports  

4 December

The quasi-merger of the universities of Kent and Greenwich has raised questions about how many other higher education institutions might see an opportunity – or a necessity – to team up as financial pressures bite ever harder. Six experts share their views

13 October