Paris
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has separated education from the existing Directorate for Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs to create an education directorate...
Search
-
-
Luxembourg
Universities should be liable for VAT when carrying out research under contract to third parties who also pay tax, the European Court of Justice has ruled in an action against Germany, which had...
-
China to refurbish MBA courses
High-school students in mainland China have a grim term for the gruelling annual exams that are their passport to higher education - "crossing a single-log bridge". With a pass rate of about 50 per...
-
Weird wordage
News of The THES joint venture with Boston-based Annals of Improbable Research to uncover the world's least-read academic journal. The search has been modified and the goal is now to compile a list...
-
Marketing madness
Exciting developments at Imperial College, London, where the marketing men have been called in to create a new brand. As a result of their deliberations, it has been decided that the comma will be...
-
Lectures with a laugh
Congratulations Peter Kerr, politics lecturer at the University of Birmingham, who won the late-night ITV comedy talent show Take the Mike last weekend. Dr Kerr told The Diary : "I teach at nine in...
-
The beer essentials
The University of Wales, Lampeter, has launched its own beer as part of its anniversary celebrations. The 175 Anniversary Ale was unveiled last weekend at the Lampeter Food Festival on the university...
-
Comic relief
Students at a Malaysian university have discovered that laughter therapy helps them to study. About 30 University of Malaya students who took part in research found it made them more relaxed and...
-
Weight for it...
Weightlifting postgraduate Peter Stewart was yesterday hoping to pick up a medal at the Commonwealth Games. Mr Stewart, 23, took up weightlifting only four years ago while a biochemistry student at...
-
Light years behind
A note arrives from astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, who has written a book review for this week's issue. It reads: "I am afraid I am not an email enthusiast but I have at least typed this review on my...
-
In the news: Sir Derek Roberts
Sir Derek Roberts was this week reappointed as provost of University College London, following the resignation of Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith. Now aged 70, straight-speaking Sir Derek will fill the...
-
Don's diary: Prescott punch floors Las Vegas
Wednesday In Newark airport, waiting for my connection to Las Vegas for a conference on "Rhetorical Democracy: Discursive Practices of Civic Engagement". The airport Tannoy carries a call for Dr...
-
Participation is widening at Oxford and beyond
Leading universities have mended their ways since the controversy over Laura Spence, writes Peter Lampl Two years have passed since chancellor Gordon Brown intervened in the debate about access to...
-
Loosen up, ministers
Drop the 50% target, review all of post-16 education and trust people to learn, says Alistair Burt Contrary to expectation, and science apart, the chancellor's comprehensive spending bonanza brought...
-
Why I ...believe academics should serve as non-executive directors of companies
The perennial questions asked after any big corporate scandal include "what were the auditors doing?" and "where were the non-executive directors?" The Enron scandal may have left UK regulators with...