Imprudent pruning
Pity really, if the universities want to persuade the politicians that they could not possibly afford another penny of efficiency gain, that this sparkling campus was the scene of Tony Blair's visit...
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Common error
Second in our short series of implausible claims by election candidates is the boast of Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat hopeful for Kingston and Surbiton, who claims that while a student at Jesus,...
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Road block
As excuses go, the general election is comparatively watertight: but civil engineers at Leeds University did not expect four key speakers to use it as an alibi for suddenly dropping out of their road...
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Three-line clip
The political demise of alumnus to be proud of No 98 comes as a serious disappointment to those who wondered how a former world light-welterweight boxing champion who had successfully defended a...
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Regions ripe for exploitation
Regionalisation is climbing fast up higher education's policy agenda. It is being propelled by the Dearing committee's interest. Dearing is interested because the committee is likely to be reporting...
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Quality matters, so let's get serious about it
Alan Jenkins argues for a reasoned and radical approach to raising esteem for teaching in higher education. I was delighted to see Brian Fender's recent plea for a "national debate that will enable...
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Livid and the dead
Strong reactions greeted the arrest of Anthony-Noel Kelly, whose art involves the use of cadavers. Jonathan Sawday reflects on the issues involved Who owns the dead? What happens when the artist and...
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Beyond honours classification
Richard Hudson's support for abolishing the honours classification system (THES, April 11), however welcome, nevertheless concentrates on the irrationality of the process rather than the purpose it...
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Conspiracy of confusion
Jacky Turner's piece "The Vivisection Void" (THES, April 4) seemed confused. Is she arguing for more public debate about the morality of animal experimentation, or simply for more accurate reporting...
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What about the facts?
A propos of Niall Ferguson's "what ifs?" expanded in Sian Griffiths' article, "The virtual past master" - if Germany wins the second world war, Michael Foot is elected in 1983 etc. "The Communist...
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The joys of research
Yes, it is not necessary to do research to be a fairly good and dedicated teacher (although it is hard to be an excellent teacher without an inside knowledge of research), and assiduous resear-chers...
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Standards relaxed
BERNICE ANDREWS, a member of the British Psychological Society's working party on recovered memories, writes (THES, April 11): "In over 40 per cent of the detailed cases some kind of corroboration...
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Ignorance and distrust
Doubts about whether science is, or even could be, moving towards some kind of synoptic enlightenment are one thing. Actual distrust is another. I am not sure about the reasons given by Mary Midgley...
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Science to the rescue
In his very interesting article "Let there be Darwin" (THES, March 21) Russell Stannard says that the theory of relativity implies that time and space are welded together as a four-dimensional...
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Cod sincerity? You'll fake it at your peril
Groucho Marx once said that the key to success in life is sincerity, and, he added, if you can fake that you have really got it made. Dozens of institutions - and not only political parties - have...