A trusted lieutenant
The people who run universities often figure in the Queen's birthday honours - but just why did Geoffrey Skelsey, registrar of the University of Cambridge, become a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian...
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Giddens makes way
The search is on for a successor to Anthony Giddens, director of the London School of Economics, who is due to quit his post in September 2003. Professor Giddens - the man behind prime minister Tony...
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Snap a line-dancing v-c
The Diary wishes to contact anyone heading for Nottingham in September for the Heera-Case 2002 meeting "New Agenda: New Voice". The focus is fundraising, and there are many presentations on topics...
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Access or the Ufizzi?
Last week's annual conference of the European Access Network took place in sunny Prato, a medieval town in Tuscany just 20 minutes from Florence. That could explain why, in the final session of the...
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Degree of apathy
The topic of foundation degrees has really got the ball rolling on its national website, hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Its discussion forum has identified four issues for debate and has attracted...
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A knight to remember
Sir David Steel, presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, runs a tight ship, preventing MSPs over-running during debates. He was keeping an eye on the clock recently as MSPs queued to express...
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FRT plate is a gas
John Laird, director of the Scottish Further Education Unit, clocks up substantial mileage visiting Scotland's colleges. He decided to change to a gas-powered car and found a reasonably priced Rover...
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A bit behind deadline
The Diary has received a new entry for the title of most tardy performance by a higher education institute. A reader who completed a postgraduate course in periodical journalism in 1996 at the London...
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Maths BAs can't add up
First-year maths undergraduates at Queen Mary, University of London, must now pass an elementary maths exam to progress to the second year. The exam - which aims to...
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Ex-polys should ignore the jeers and take a bow
The tenth anniversary of the founding of the new universities is upon us. Stand by for a rash of dismissive speeches and articles about degrees in surf science and golf management. Except, of course...
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Have you checked your pending tray, Mr Blair?
If you don't scratch our backs, Tony, you'll rub the country up the wrong way, warns Ron Dearing The present decade is one of emerging peril for the UK. Economic peril comes from a growing squeeze...
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Broaden your mind, Mr Brown
Social sciences and humanities have a key role to play in our economic future, argues Bob Bennett Science and technology often grab the headlines as well as political attention. But the contributions...
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An elegy to the error
A possible mistaken identity has raised questions about literary 'evidence', says Donald Foster. In 1996, I was blasted in the pages of The Times Literary Supplement for having introduced A Funeral...
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Why I ... think the National Union of Students is in urgent need of reform
In every student union across the country, officer handover has been taking place as the next generation of full-time student representatives prepares to embark on its time in office. The next year...
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Tireless Nobelist turning his attention to the stars
Baruch Blumberg's past work is saving millions of lives. Now, aged 74, he is leading a Nasa team into the future, writes Geoff Watts By age 74, most academics have quit the business. But not Baruch...