Ilana Akresh says ending Steven Salaita’s employment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the grounds of hate speech was overly simplified
Giving students the time and space to make informed decisions about where to study will set them up for success on their educational journey, says Christina Edgar
Nurturing students’ enthusiasm for a subject during their time at university will give them a solid grounding to respond to a lifetime of career changes, says Trevor McMillan
Threats to cut all postgraduate funding from 2019 in Brazil were thankfully scuppered, says Justin Axel-Berg, but signalled that a long-term strategy for Brazilian higher education is sorely needed
Real-life experience in hospitality operations is vital for a career in this field, but so are courses in psychology, languages and theatre, says Georgette Davey
A guaranteed offer of a place on a degree course gives students peace of mind, but it also means they are unlikely to make considered decisions about their most appropriate future path, argues Jane Baker
Academics must be able to walk among colleagues in the ivory tower and distil their thoughts to the non-technical masses in order to protect democratic norms, says Alex de Ruyter
There’s a collegial obligation to recognise that although we’re writing and speaking in English, it’s not the same language for everyone, says Richard Kerley
The risk-taking and coping with rejection needed to find love are very similar to the skills that PhDs will also find useful in their job hunt, says Alfredo Cumerma
In developing digital teaching and learning environments, institutions must maintain focus on the essential task of connecting students with their teachers and each other, says Rebecca Galley
Hybrid journals can extend open-access publishing to authors in journals with a strong reputation and that still have a stable subscription model, says Steven Inchcoombe
The benefits of active learning may be backed by numerous empirical studies, but it’s no replacement for the lecture and should not be the dominant teaching method in higher education, argue James C. Conroy and Robert A. Davis
Gavin Maggs reflects on why philanthropy must mean more than money, and how institutions can find their voice when building long-term relationships with alumni
Developing an open-access policy for long-form scholarly works that allows for flexibility and a wide range of exceptions will be a slow and steady process, says Helen Snaith
In their enthusiasm for faculty to engage on social networks and have online brands, universities need to prepare academics for the toxicity that can come with it, argues Philip Moriarty
There’s no better way for the UK to show its collegial spirit to the EU than through a commitment to student mobility, similar to what Australia and New Zealand enjoy, says David Phoenix
Promoting active learning is nothing close to ‘religious fervour’, but rather follows the findings of robust, evidence-based research, says Carl Wieman
Educators accusing students of not working hard enough is simply a shirking of their responsibility to actually meet learners’ needs, says Katherine Gould
The accounting magic the UK government performs to handle outstanding student loans has once again been questioned, but the timing couldn’t be worse for universities, says Andy Westwood
Don’t believe the hype; Finnish universities face just as many problems with professional mismanagement and staff morale as those in other countries, says Gareth Rice
Changing the language we use for student loans while increasing student maintenance will not improve access to higher education as the Money Saving Expert suggests, argues Amatey Doku
A plan outlining the zombie excellence framework was found on the laptop of estranged academic Jolliest Vendettas of the University of Neoliberalia, who believes it is 2044 and she now works for the Office for Zombies
Free and open debate is alive and well on UK campuses, but new guidance on how universities can best encourage and protect free speech is welcome, says Peter Tatchell
Postgraduate enrolments in the UK are growing, but a Ucas study shows that almost a quarter of current postgrads aren’t satisfied with the university they chose, Helen Thorne says
Other industries have been disrupted by bold new approaches to funding models and higher education seems ripe for its own revolution, says Robert MacIntosh
In response to Richard Arum’s charge that higher education research is failing to sufficiently investigate university teaching, Anne Tierney gives concrete examples of the contrary
Quick wins are important in the UK’s efforts to improve student mental health, says Richard Black, but paybacks from long-term projects will create the sea change needed, he argues
Communicating with students on platforms they’re comfortable with is convenient and more engaging during clearing, but universities must abandon marketing scripts to be truly effective, says David Seaton
Universities have a responsibility to introduce students to critical thinking and counter the rote learning that schools employ in preparation for the high-stakes university entrance exam, says Matthew D. Edward
Richard Joyner gives his ‘Description of Science’ scores for scientists’ biographies that are written by academics, which, he says, can often contain no details of the subject’s work at all
Holding scientific meetings in the US discriminates against scientists who are barred entrance to the country under the recently upheld travel ban, argues Bryan Ford
As two new mothers living thousands of miles apart but juggling the same academic and childcare demands, we found solace in connections with other studying parents, say Nicola White and Rebekah Farrell
A critical and questioning intellectual community of social scientists is a core component of a confident and flourishing democracy, but can academic critique go too far? asks Matt Flinders
Professors should embrace the digital transformation of higher education but eschew the commercial interests that will inevitably come with it, argues Markus Giesler
Compliance rules around the UK's open access policy are good, but we need more support from vendors, publishers and institutions to make research outcomes truly accessible to the public, says Helen Blanchett
Behavioural interventions have been successful in improving graduation rates among first-generation and underrepresented students in the US and should be embraced by more educators, say Ben Castleman and Ethan Fletcher
The University Mental Health Charter will be funded by the UPP Foundation and will reward universities that improve student well-being outcomes, says Richard Brabner
Investors’ immense appetite for allocations of the University of Cambridge’s CPI-linked bond is evidence there is plenty of capital available to institutions through debt deals, says Dominic Kerr
The UK government is committed to cracking down on grade inflation but there are steps universities themselves can take towards solving the problem, says Tim Horder
At a gathering of young scientists and Nobel prizewinners, David Matthews detects a whiff of mutiny in the air stirred by the pressures of a modern research career
The age-old dispute over Western civilisation courses has bubbled up again in Australia. It could do more harm than good to cash-strapped humanities courses, writes Steven Schwartz
The chaos at the UCU congress reflects the same concerns around democracy and accountability that members have about university leaders, writes Mike Finn, who argues for a member-led union
While advancements in artificial intelligence could streamline the daily responsibilities of a university leader, we should leave the big decisions to a human being, says Vijaya Nath
Compulsory A levels in maths and physics is contributing to the problem of low engineering enrolments, especially among female students, argues Elena Rodriguez-Falcon
