Music is among a number of subjects in which vocational provision now dwarfs scholarly approaches. But the latter must be preserved, and grouping scholarship-focused students in fewer departments could be the best way to achieve that. Ian Pace twiddles the knobs 

As Israeli voters go to the polls on Tuesday, senior sector figures hope that a new administration would reverse the politicisation of universities and ease international boycotts. But with higher education low on the campaign agenda, few promises are being made. Juliette Rowsell reports