Opinion

After years of warnings, a dip in international enrolments risks tipping universities into crisis. It is deeply strange that government seems not to care

The British Library cyber-attack underlines that HE and research libraries’ technologies and policies put us at too much risk, says Fiona Greig

Some narcissistic v-cs have lost sight of their real job – to be the custodian of their university’s heritage and to safeguard its future, says Kieran Walshe

Elitist, undemocratic activists’ revolutionary aspirations explain their enthusiasm for futile industrial action, say John Kelly and Adam Ozanne

Universities must address the deficit by offering training in public speaking to all undergraduates regardless of course, says Simon Hall 

Relying on search firms and ignoring faculty input is one big reason why incumbencies are shortening and success is becoming rarer, says Harvey Graff

Both publishers and the editing firms they outsource to must seek informed consent to use academics’ IP, say Alan Blackwell and Zoe Swenson-Wright

Confusion abounds but UK law is clear: universities can share personal data to prevent harm, says Viv Adams of the Information Commissioner’s Office

By instilling a passion for innovation and interdisciplinary exploration, higher education can and must remain relevant, say Teruo Fujii and Joseph Aoun 

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Claudine Gay case, proper referencing should be insisted on to encourage critical, original thinking, says Ian Pace

A significant amount of money goes unclaimed even during a cost-of-living crisis because of arduous and opaque application processes, says Eve Dullabh

Our research suggests students of colour are more likely to have negative encounters with campus guards, say Remi Joseph-Salisbury and Laura Connelly

Codes’ vague, narrow and toothless provisions are failing to promote the safety and well-being of all university community members, says Richard Joseph

Recent years have thrown up both predictable challenges and unforeseeable exogenous events at universities. What do sector leaders foresee in 2024?

Generation Z students may hold different views on risk, conflict and identity from prior cohorts, but who did they learn them from, asks Musa al-Gharbi

During every teaching session, students’ minds inevitably wander. We need to accommodate this part of the learning process, too, says Brad Evans

South African HE must move to a culture where information sharing and support are second nature to institutions, says Francis Petersen

The recent election result underlines that international student recruitment is encountering limits, both physical and political, says Michèle Wera

The Russian invasion has only engendered a fierce and united front to preserve freedom of enquiry and freedom of expression at all costs, says John Austin

By having their own lawyers, panels can ensure all positions are considered regardless of who else (if anyone) has appointed one, says Andrew Brown

The UK government must pledge to maintain the graduate route and confine its review to genuine abuse, says Jamie Arrowsmith

As the year ends, the problems facing universities seem to be stacking ever higher. But will a general election next year bring any respite?

The Elizabeth Magill case notwithstanding, presidents should focus on how conflicts affect the primary mission of their university, says Nicholas Dirks

A professorship comes with prestige, but appointments are opaque and there are other rewarding ways to cap off an academic career, says Ron Iphofen

Financial strain shrinks risk appetite, but Kingston is teaching and assessing the skills employers crave as a core part of every subject, says Steven Spier

Gen Z students need immediate, practical courses in how to distinguish fact from opinion and assess online sources’ credibility, says Eli Gottlieb

By learning from each other’s successes and shortcomings, college systems can advance equitable and affordable student success, says Nancy Zimpher

A series of open letters on Israel-Gaza underlines that scholars rarely have superior knowledge, moral insight or political acumen, says Adrian Kreutz   

The concept of privilege is much more complex and dynamic than those who wield it often assume, says Noam Schimmel

Everyone, from funders to individuals, has a role to play in building a research system that operates with integrity and robustness, says Alexandra Freeman

The global battle for talent means attracting students who simply can’t and won’t choose the UK if post-study work is curtailed, says Sanam Arora

The Covid Inquiry underlines the need to train political leaders to identify the best options under pressure, says former NAO director David Finlay

Aberdeen’s proposal to slash its provision belies positive recent developments, say Wendy Ayres-Bennett, Charles Burdett and Emma Cayley

With its funding system on life support, and its ‘science superpower’ ambitions, the UK must stop treating international talent as an imposition

A web of ambiguity around personal data is stifling universities’ ability to safeguard students’ mental health, say Iria Giuffrida and Alex Hall

Civic mission demands close collaboration with combined authorities to ensure graduates, research and relationships are fit for purpose, says Katy Shaw

The nectar of power and prestige is sweet, but modern editors have to swallow an embittering volume of hard graft, too, says Adrian Furnham

My interviews revealed that even before the latest conflict, good research relied on the determination and sacrifices of returnees, says Sheren Saad

As academics are replaced by religious scholars, those that remain fear the worst, while student interest is plummeting, says an Afghan observer

Equal collaboration demands investment from the Global North in key research infrastructures in the Global South, say ’Funmi Olonisakin and Jan Palmowski

Too often, studies are atomistic and avoid the more complex, large-scale questions that vex politicians and system leaders, says Andrew Noyes

The government-sponsored review makes important recommendations, but the US is not the only source of good ideas for boosting impact, says Max Lu

Beyond despair’s cold comfort lies the possibility of doing things differently, starting with what is within our own power, say Carl Rhodes and Alison Pullen

Universities have long taken diverse stances on difficult current issues, proud of their ability to intervene thoughtfully and respectfully, says Harvey Graff

AI agents are what they ingest. Rather than scraping the internet, better to confine their diets to books and encyclopedias, says Sorin Adam Matei

Trickling down funding through grants that can only be accessed by Global North colleagues intrinsically perpetuates inequity, says Manuel Barcia

AI is helping us mine 200,000 stakeholders’ ideas, sensible and silly, about core elements of the new Adelaide University, say Peter Høj and David Lloyd

The test aims to flag potential that school-leaving exams miss. But not all applicants to the hugely oversubscribed courses are cheering, says Brian Bloch

Unlocking potential will need huge injections of funding, proper devolution and the type of long-term planning that has long been absent, says Sue Hartley

A year after ChatGPT brought generative AI to the masses, we now know it has the potential to change everything – the AI-augmented future is now

Singling out particular disciplines makes no sense, but we need cross-subject standards that are recognisable to employers, says Ian Pace

The rise of antisemitism on campus is the inevitable consequence of leaders’ failure to call out the Hamas atrocities for what they were, says Joseph Mintz

Why are advocates for free speech over gender issues so silent when it comes to the right to speak out in support of Palestine, asks Maryam Aldossari 

If politicians and donors disagree with student or faculty views, they should challenge their soundness, not threaten defunding, says Richard Joseph

It defies history and logic to lay decades of failure by administrators, trustees and legislators at tenured professors’ door, says Harvey Graff

Recent pronouncements and government actions could undermine ordinary Indians’ faith in science and stifle critical thinking, says Mukhtar Ahmad

The idea that the US is far better at commercialising academic IP simply isn’t true, say three US licensing experts

As UK home secretary, James Cleverly should offer a warmer welcome to people who bring skills, resources and so much more, says Tim Bradshaw

Ushering poorer students into short-term, non-degree programmes will suppress their wages and upward mobility, says Ben Wildavsky

The shadow chancellor’s book on female economists is emblematic of UK sociology’s struggle for disciplinary status, says Robert Dingwall