La Trobe is first Australian university to require vaccination Melbourne university cites occupational health obligations and students’ desperation to return to campus By John Ross 21 September
The ‘lost art’ of mischief-making academic indexes Evolution of indexes closely tied to development of universities, says author, who outlines how they have been used for centuries to settle scholarly scores By Matthew Reisz 21 September
‘National collection’ plan to join up UK historical resources Ambitious AHRC-funded programme should help break down barriers and enable scholars to ask difficult questions about heritage By Matthew Reisz 21 September
Northeastern ‘to preserve Mills mission’ as global empire grows Boston-based university’s 11th campus aims to fill major Silicon Valley need, with a vow of social conscience By Paul Basken 21 September
Welsh v-cs fear ‘unintended consequences’ of English reforms Universities Wales chair says institutions are waiting on Westminster reforms, when England should instead be following their lead By Anna McKie 21 September
Female Australian doctoral graduates ‘out-earn men’ Rare example of a reverse gender pay gap suggests that at least early on, female and male PhDs are on a level pay pegging By John Ross 20 September
Stephen Toope to step down as Cambridge v-c next year Canadian cites challenge of being separated from family during pandemic By Chris Havergal 20 September
‘Kowtowing v-cs’ denounced by former Malaysian education minister University leaders would not exercise freedom even if the state did not have them under its thumb, says Maszlee Malik By John Ross 20 September
Just-retired Indiana president sees path out of partisan division While other red state campus leaders struggle, Michael McRobbie stresses consultation and rural services By Paul Basken 20 September
Progressive reform of English student loan system ‘impossible’ Any changes to borrowing terms likely to hit average earners hardest, warns IFS By Chris Havergal 20 September
Chinese province tries speed dating to retain graduates Anhui launches ‘marriage assistance project’ in response to concerns that too many graduates are going elsewhere By Jing Liu 19 September
Population shift gold mine for Australia’s regional universities Non-metropolitan campuses in the box seat as pandemic escalates exodus from the cities By John Ross 18 September
Union halts boycott as Toronto renews job offer to Israel critic Valentina Azarova declines to take human rights position, but CAUT suspends censure and claims academic freedom win By Paul Basken 17 September
George Freeman replaces Amanda Solloway as UK science minister Former life sciences minister founded series of Cambridge biomedical start-ups before entering politics By Chris Havergal 17 September
Reach out to Chinese alumni, Rudd tells Australian universities Nuclear submarine announcement elevates importance of universities’ soft power influence, says former PM By John Ross 17 September
Yale-NUS closure ‘nothing to do with academic freedom’ College’s defenders say its demise will dilute free expression, but education minister says its original critics opposed it for the same reason By John Ross 17 September
English coastal towns ‘lose one in three graduates’ to cities IFS report suggests retention of graduates may be key to ‘levelling-up’ agenda By Simon Baker 17 September
Zahawi arrives with entry bar and loan changes on agenda New education secretary may have limited opportunity to significantly change direction of travel at Westminster, say experts By John Morgan 17 September
European universities plan long-term travel cuts post-Covid Most institutions plan to swap short trips with virtual meetings By Anna McKie 17 September
New science minister awaited as Solloway heads to Whips’ Office Derby North MP had held role since February 2020 By Chris Havergal 16 September
Health and science subject rankings 2022: results announced UK reinforces its lead in clinical table and tops psychology for first time, while US dominates physical sciences and is on the up in life sciences By Ellie Bothwell 16 September
Former Georgetown tennis coach admits admissions fraud Ernst enters guilty plea and faces up to four years in prison as first trial of parents begins in Boston By Paul Basken 16 September
Cost of degrees shifted onto students as participation soars Public investment in higher education falling in many OECD countries, says Education at a Glance By Simon Baker 16 September
The week in higher education – 16 September 2021 The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media By THE reporters 16 September
Jing Wang, 1950-2021 Tributes paid to ‘an innovator, activist and passionate teacher’ who provided essential support to Chinese NGOs By Matthew Reisz 16 September
Administrators ‘help relieve stress burden’ on academics Mix of survey and employment data offered as caution to those blaming high costs on administrative bloat By Paul Basken 16 September
Putting lectures on ice: students study less in extreme weather Researchers call for universities to pay greater attention to impact of temperature on study habits, as climate change pushes weather to extremes By Anna McKie 16 September
Jemma Wadham: I got up on stage – as a dying glacier The glaciologist discusses falling in love with ‘ice rivers’, how emergency brain surgery changed her outlook, and the tragedy of global warming By Matthew Reisz 16 September
Survey: most university staff feel unsafe returning to campus Fewer than one in three respondents happy with measures taken to protect employees’ well-being as in-person teaching resumes in major sectors By Anna McKie 16 September
UK Cabinet reshuffle: Nadhim Zahawi appointed education secretary Former vaccines minister succeeds Gavin Williamson By John Morgan 15 September
UK Cabinet reshuffle: education secretary Gavin Williamson sacked Controversial post-holder says he is ‘proud’ of ‘transformational reforms’ By Chris Havergal 15 September
UK reproducible science project wins £8.5 million UK Reproducibility Network will run training on open research methods thanks to ‘major strategic investment’ by Research England By Jack Grove 15 September
Chinese facial recognition scholar ‘ignored questions, went home’ AI expert re-emerges at top Chinese university as former employer finds Uighur study breached Australian research code By John Ross 15 September
Science editor: scrap top US accreditor to widen student outlook Holden Thorp says Abet course rules hinder well-rounded strategies to fight major social burdens By Paul Basken 15 September
‘Dramatic’ variation in universities’ occupational health spend FoI requests suggest some UK institutions have spent just a few hundred pounds per academic over the past six years By Simon Baker 15 September
‘Joined-up government’ key to UK international education goals Trade minister Graham Stuart says cross-government support will allow UK universities to grow overseas student numbers by 30 per cent By Jack Grove 15 September
China moves to halt universities’ eastern branch campus rush Ministry of Education says it does not ‘support or encourage’ institutions setting up outposts beyond their home province By Jing Liu 15 September
Bite-sized courses provide sustenance in Australia Despite scepticism about the business model, short courses prove an earner for cash-starved institutions By John Ross 15 September
‘Proportionate’ free speech bill would be ‘welcome’, says UUK But Royal Holloway principal warns against ‘frivolous and vexatious claims’ under planned legislation By Anna McKie 14 September
Campus practices in spotlight as first US admissions trial opens Accused of bribery to gain entry for their children, parents draw parallels to legal forms of favouritism By Paul Basken 14 September
Australian Research Council abandons preprints ban But thousands of Australian researchers remain in limbo, with reviled rule still in force for grants under consideration By John Ross 14 September
Crunching the Covid crisis: ‘everybody was in the same boat’ Technologically proficient teachers ‘struggled just as much’ in pandemic-induced online stampede By John Ross 14 September
Graduate salary metrics ‘help push leavers towards London’ Fixation on outcomes data means universities have little incentive to persuade their graduates to stay local By Simon Baker 14 September
Chinese universities ticked off for ideological education ‘gaps’ Inspectors tell Ministry of Education to ‘study deeply and systematically about Xi Jinping’s thoughts on education’ By Jing Liu 14 September
Experts urge caution on positive UK study visa data Factors such as students ‘hedging’ applications across countries could mean data overstate final recruitment By Simon Baker 14 September
Pandemic job losses ‘accelerating’ in Australia Permanent rather than casual staff now being targeted, report suggests, but expert queries data underpinning the analysis By John Ross 13 September
University of Sydney underpaid staff by millions, review finds Acknowledgment comes days after apology from Melbourne By John Ross 13 September
Pandemic institute launched with gift from antigen test maker Institute in Liverpool will involve universities, hospital and local authorities in ‘holistic’ research on pandemics By Simon Baker 13 September
V-cs tread tightrope with students and ministers as strikes loom Walkouts expected as government decides on English reforms in wake of Covid disruption By Anna McKie 13 September
Canadians protest as on-campus voting axed for snap election Despite chronically low youth turnout, federal agency sees bigger pandemic need to aid elderly with ballots By Paul Basken 13 September
Sweden risks brain drain with ‘crazy’ post-PhD residency rules New requirements to ensure migrants are financially self-sufficient will ‘weaken’ Sweden’s universities and high-tech industries, critics warn By Jack Grove 13 September
UK’s first greenfield university in a generation opens NMITE director Elena Rodriguez-Falcon says engineering institution has delivered on founding vision despite discarding more radical proposals By Jack Grove 12 September
‘Old farts’ get no favours from research’s new epsilon index Researcher rating tool ‘corrects for most biases’ and allows comparisons across disciplines By John Ross 11 September
Harvard to divest from fossil fuels after decade of protests Ivy League standard-bearer cites climate wreckage in cutting oil industry from its $42 billion (£30 billion) endowment By Paul Basken 10 September
China spying case ends as US judge acquits Anming Hu Former Tennessee researcher wins first court trial of Trump-era crackdown, while Biden stance remains unclear By Paul Basken 10 September
Australian regulator signals doubts about Turnitin-Ouriginal deal Buyout could remove ‘particularly innovative competitor’, watchdog warns By John Ross 10 September
Tell families if students are at risk of suicide – new guidance Forthcoming UUK statement says it is ‘good practice’ to involve relatives but that decisions ‘must be based on appropriate clinical judgement’ By Chris Havergal 10 September
Student who hacked university and sold exam answers jailed Hayder Aljayyash made £20,000 from fraud, court hears By Chris Havergal 10 September
Wealth gap widening as US elite report record enrolments Disadvantaged students struggle as private institutions offer discounts and community colleges hope for rebound By Paul Basken 10 September
Fears for future of pan-Pacific university Observers worry that treasured institution could fracture, just like the region’s political partnership By John Ross 10 September