Don't ape others, says Hefce chief

Eastwood urges institutions to show imagination and prosper on their own terms. John Gill reports

Minister calls for 'transparency' in admissions

Universities will have to submit "transparent" admissions and widening participation policies to the Office for Fair Access, Universities Secretary John Denham has announced.A published document for...

Dearing disses Dragons' Den of university heads

Outlandish ideas and pithy put-downs were in short supply when BBC TV favourite Dragons' Den got a higher education makeover at the Higher Education Funding Council for England's annual conference....

Cartoon by Ham

Top 10 researchers in environment/ecology based on total citations

Data from Thomson Scientific’s Essential Science Indicators, 1 January 1997–31 October 2007

Engaging with students’ spirituality

Students’ religious convictions need not hinder the learning environment; treated respectfully and inclusively, their presence may enhance the experience for all

Portfolio careers

Why settle for a single career when you could have six? Take a look at your skills, plan ahead and diversify

Come back Zenodotus. All is forgiven.

Beware digi-evangelists and search engines, says Tara Brabazon. It is still real-life librarians, past and present, who remain the true custodians of human knowledge

Agency workers: the Court of Appeal rules

Agency workers are considered to "miss out" because many important employment rights, such as protection against unfair dismissal, are only enjoyed by those who can bring themselves within the legal...

Discipline and Punish

Poppleton University's successful history of outsourcing was given a new boost with last week's announcement that academic staff discipline was to be outsourced to HM Prison Service.Jamie Targett,...

Clear heads in the clouds

Up in the Andes is a university worth emulating, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Leader: Measuring up the yardsticks

Despite their imperfections and controversy, league tables still add more to our understanding of the sector than they subtract

John Sizer, 1938-2008

From humble beginnings working in the trawling and frozen food industries while studying for accountancy exams at Grimsby College of Further Education, John Sizer went on to become chief executive of...

'Pernicious tosh' of top-up fee defenders 1

Gerard Kelly (Leader, 3 April) calls for a debate on top-up fees, but insists that they are "necessary". What about the graduate tax? If I were a student, I would rather know that I would pay tax at...

'Pernicious tosh' of top-up fee defenders 2

Your leader states that "it is right that those who personally benefit should pay when they are able and that those who do not should not be taxed for someone else's privilege". This is pernicious...