Alison Wolf
'Have you noticed how the idea has spread that academics might be "overteaching" at the expense of activities such as packing in more students?' Teaching, the original raison d'êre of universities,...
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My revolting past
After a kidnap false alarm, the appeal of Cambridge palled for Haleh Afshar, but 1960s York reignited her revolutionary zeal Revolutionary activity got Haleh Afshar into trouble as an eight-year-old...
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Supervisors' super prizes
Students may be customers now, but in these days of sliding standards it seems some departments have no qualms about offering a service that is more Woolworths than Harvey Nichols. An official memo...
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Chief executive put in hot seat
Some vice-chancellors might use a spot on a public panel alongside Sir Howard Newby, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, as a chance to do some thorough sucking up....
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Sterling effort losing steam
The crusade by Michael Sterling, vice-chancellor of Birmingham University, to derail the next research assessment exercise seems in danger of running out of steam. Backing from the top end of the...
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Union president turns to drink
Pubs have long been believed to have a magnetic quality when it comes to students - from the thirstiest fresher to the president of the National Union of Students. Kat Fletcher, the feisty president...
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Why I...don't want to work until I drop
It is two years since the Government published its pension Green Paper Simplicity, Security and Choice . New Labour's new slogan is "choice". With pensions you can choose to die in poverty or die in...
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Open wide, it won't hurt
The critics who attacked Bristol's admission policies are now being proved wrong, says Eric Thomas The appointment of Sir Martin Harris as director of the Office for Fair Access has precipitated yet...
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'I've never earned over £16,500'
It's time we gave temporary staff a break, says Sharman Kadish The Queen braved the pouring rain to open the new Manchester University last month. The new institution looks remarkably similar to the...
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Ditch 'diets'. Now there's a healthy thought
Bob Brecher refuses to be fobbed off by marketing speak. It's tempting to deal with the huge amount of management and marketing speak that plague our screens, pigeonholes and meetings by ignoring as...
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My worst nightmare
A student of the kind that most aggravates a lecturer's ulcers - she was lazy, dim and hated me - had written an essay cribbed mostly from the Encyclopaedia Britannica . Rather than report the...
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Fair trade fits ethical billing
Oxford Brookes University officially became the world's first fair-trade university last October after a campaign by academics and postgraduates. Next week, members of the university are telling...
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Get wired up but not entangled
You've succeeded in posting a flattering photo of yourself on the web and there's a whole world of technology waiting. But just watch your step, warns Harriet Swain. You've worked out how to respond...
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Department audit
Ann Holmes, dean and faculty director of learning and teaching, gives the lowdown on the School of Law at Staffordshire University. * Total number of academic staff: 40 (pending new appointments) *...
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Social science PhDs get the jobs
People with PhDs in the social sciences are more likely to land jobs than those with doctorates in the sciences or arts and humanities, according to new research. The UK GRAD programme found that...