News

The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media

Lord Johnson urges UK to learn from Canada and adopt measures to ‘de-risk’ growing recruitment 

About one in 20 recent academic papers is a duplicate, with some articles being recycled as many as 27 times in different publications

The Cundill History Prize winner talks about uncovering a forgotten archive to tell the story of a slave rebellion ‘from the inside out’

Fifth of respondents to major global survey said universities were ‘unimportant’ in fight against Covid-19

Report calls for measures on ‘ignored’ issue like more black staff working in halls of residence and other blocks  

But country should also be ‘wary of complacency’ after apparently passing previous goal

Pay, promotions and intellectual property protections set for ‘refinement’ under new action plan

Long-serving director will take helm when Nicola Dandridge leaves Office for Students

Science minister George Freeman claims academics may warm to leaving EU research scheme if homegrown alternative offers attractive global opportunities

Conservative’s appointment as constitutional studies chief derailed over demeaning Biden plan for black female Supreme Court nominee

Nearly 20 HBCUs get phoned-in threats at start of Black History Month, bringing lockdowns, remote classes and vows of resilience

No apparent health rationale for ‘impossible’ new deadline, as requirements rewritten for third time in a week

Long-time postdoctoral scientist says he was ousted when he complained a professor had appropriated his own research

Forty per cent increase in investment by 2030 pledged, with BEIS ring-fencing majority of its spending for areas beyond golden triangle

Growth in co-publications slowed in 2020 and so far shows decline for 2021

Two separate studies, including one that looked at early Covid papers, suggest majority of alterations are minimal

Universities across Europe to launch ‘Stick to Science’ campaign warning against ‘politicisation’, as football-style ‘transfer market’ emerges to tempt away UK-based researchers

‘Unsung heroes’ of UK research are too often denied seat at the table, says major review of technical staff and skills

British-born computer scientist Peter Highnam to lead ‘high-risk, high-reward’ agency

But critics say windfall won’t compensate for the money stripped from basic research

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology reins in plans for expansion as president announces departure

Concern that ‘prioritisation’ process for investigations opens up risk of political interference

Academics nervous as most universities plan to maximise on-campus delivery amid record Covid death toll

Privately backed institutions seen as new model for higher education development

Alumni say the removal of staff-elected deans at top Turkish university may open the door for fresh attacks on dissident students and staff

EU universities bidding to attract UK-based researchers as Brussels-Westminster wrangles delay research deal

Freeze is for one year initially but ‘what really matters’ is long-term decision, economist says

With key funding scheme already months behind schedule, a Christmas Eve resolution could be optimistic

Academics urge policymakers to tackle ‘root issues’ including corruption, unemployment and quality education

Experts back ‘cautious approach’ for universities but stress importance of continuing collaboration

As leadership vacancies rise in factious state, lawmakers push measure that academics fear will add dangerous secrecy to process of filling them

English sector needs a major review ‘more ambitious than Dearing’, says ex-Birmingham v-c at end of long career in sector leadership

More than 1 million students on 68 campuses to be affected, as union splits walkouts by dispute

Assessments of institutions that give biggest boost to low-income students show Hispanic graduates and California publics topping their lists

But new recruits and direct arrivals miss out under new Western Australian rules

Open access platforms are no substitute for peer-reviewed periodicals, says Maria Leptin

Continental students disappearing as post-Brexit funding rules kick in

As more strikes loom, UCU believes fresh assessment of pension fund would show employers’ justification for cuts has ‘evaporated’

Significant additional funding needed to realise Canberra’s commercialisation goals, say scientists

After firing president for employee affair, top public research university still confronts culture of tolerating abuse and difficult state politics

As administration embarks on writing tough new federal rules, prominent proprietary chain loses transfer agreement in California

Private university to offer students chance to pay for fees via future earnings agreements in deal with finance firm

Figures could prompt further concerns over whether pandemic-era grading uplift is now ‘baked in’

College Board promises digital exam will be easier for all and again asserts equity advantages as colleges increasingly abandon its mandatory use

Roles seek to counter dominance of publication metrics in promotion, but scholars say research should remain primary path to career progression

Analysis of global database of policy documents suggests projects, especially in natural and social science, have widespread impact

Laureate recalls his serendipitous route to chemistry and California, and how he would turn the UK’s ‘lean and mean’ science system into a world leader

Nation’s top judiciary agrees to question victories for Harvard and North Carolina upholding long-established right to consider race in admissions

Several people seriously injured, one fatally, after campus shooting, say police

Financial accounts for 2020-21 suggest tension may now grow between saving money and investing in staff and facilities

Undergraduates complain of poor attendance in online classes and cheating in examinations

Call for subcontinent to be recognised as more than ‘just a market for education’

Backing university professors seeking to testify in voting case against state, federal judge compares US conservatives to Chinese dictators

Union faces divisions internally as well as impasse with vice-chancellors in negotiations

Western Australia defers return of quarantine-free travel in response to Omicron variant as eastern states open up

Government cracks open door for select few, but thousands still stuck overseas

Tardy response to UKRI request meant greenlit research projects on pandemic could not begin, investigation concludes

Alice Gast emerges as top-paid leader among Russell Group

Backlash grows to include proposed legislation to remove ministers’ power to cancel funding applications