Octopus aims to grasp ‘publishing revolution science needs’ Creator of ‘fast, free, fair’ platform hopes to help researchers shift away from journals and ‘increase meritocracy’ By John Morgan 12 August
Japan ‘will miss the boat’ if it doesn’t innovate and go global Remote research institute acts as model for cross-border innovation By Joyce Lau 12 August
Policy details ‘portrayed as science’ during Covid Australian epidemiologists pressed to defend unscientific aspects of lockdowns, as politicians exaggerate the evidence base By John Ross 11 August
London university ‘determined to re-energise’ Ruskin College Staff at troubled and historic institution ‘relieved’ by last-minute reprieve, and hopeful that institution’s traditions will live on By Matthew Reisz 11 August
UKRI open access policy: a revolution in scholarly communication? Sector relishing support for wider dissemination of scholarship but takes issue with some of the details By Anna McKie 11 August
Elite UK universities take lion’s share of bump in recruitment Highly selective institutions’ recruitment of English school-leavers up 31 per cent year-on-year, as medical students offered incentives to transfer By Anna McKie 10 August
Minister ‘goading v-cs to ignore health fears’ with fees warning Gavin Williamson says universities should provide face-to-face lectures and should offer refunds if they fall short of student expectations By Chris Havergal 10 August
University leaders ‘sided against us’ on China: Turnbull Vice-chancellors acted like fawning retail attendants in Pretty Woman, former prime minister says By John Ross 10 August
A levels: record number win place at first-choice university Proportion of school-leavers achieving top grades expected to soar By Chris Havergal 10 August
Average classroom master’s fee jumps £1,200 for UK students Rise could prompt concerns about sustainability of current postgraduate loans system By Simon Baker 10 August
Everybody needs good neighbours: Sydney heavyweights pledge détente Sydney and UNSW vow to collaborate more, while shrugging off snarky stereotypes By John Ross 10 August
Unions concerned as Georgia pushes post-tenure review At partisan moment, governing regents pursue new processes allowing for firing of tenured faculty By Paul Basken 10 August
Senators warn Biden on international student visa delays Major delays in embassy processing times suggest State Department is not prioritising issue, lawmakers say By Paul Basken 9 August
UK funds ‘as it happens’ research publishing platform Octopus breaks down traditional scientific outputs into smaller chunks which can then be linked to form ‘chains’ of broader work By Chris Havergal 9 August
University of the South Pacific v-c secures reappointment Pal Ahluwalia to run multi-country university from Samoa, as audit clears management of breaches By John Ross 9 August
Hong Kong seeks to put traditional Chinese medicine on the map University-run hospital will be part of a larger push to legitimise local expertise By Joyce Lau 9 August
With borders closed, ANZ universities reach out via ‘hubs’ Asia operations are either being expanded or newly opened as the countries' universities aim to keep students engaged and enrolled By Joyce Lau 9 August
THE Live ANZ: homespun delivery ‘boosts engagement’ Many might be digital natives, but students warm to academics’ warts-and-all e-learning efforts By John Ross 8 August
THE Live ANZ: ‘free’ education ‘taken for granted’ Whitlam and HECS fostered a ‘social psychology’ of indifference towards higher education, Australasian conference hears By John Ross 7 August
Chinese universities shutting campuses amid new Covid cases Thousands of university students are now living under strict quarantine rules to meet local regulations By Jing Liu 7 August
UKRI open access policy mandates free-to-read monographs Publishers criticise continued embrace of ‘green’ model alongside ‘gold’, but funder insists it has struck the right balance By Anna McKie 6 August
UK universities brace for ‘significant’ A-level grade inflation Government adjusts cap on medicine places to deal with demand By Anna McKie 6 August
Moving India to amber list may ease UK quarantine capacity fears Tens of thousands of students from subcontinent set to arrive in Britain this autumn By Chris Havergal 5 August
THE Live ANZ: universities fret over hiring staff with borders shut Responsible border control has, ironically, left Australia and New Zealand trailing their competitors By Joyce Lau 5 August
THE Live ANZ: overseas students slow to take up New Zealand return Continuing students slow to return despite government green light, while visa applications from first-timers are binned By John Ross 5 August
Canada’s top court backs universities on copyright law Unanimous decision for York University lets lecturers keep sharing portions of published works with students By Paul Basken 5 August
THE Live ANZ: Australian international recruitment ‘can rebound’, Tudge says Education minister cites buoyant student experience ratings as evidence of the country’s ‘fundamentals’ By John Ross 5 August
Peter Kopelman, 1951-2021 Tributes paid to leading medical expert on obesity who was friend to, and former leader of, the University of London By John Morgan 5 August
Picking fights with students ‘deflection strategy’ for ministers Ex-Labour adviser claims Westminster government wants to hear students’ views only when they agree with policy agenda By Chris Havergal 5 August
Universities ‘must win value argument’ as lectures stay online As THE survey reveals teaching plans for autumn term, MP warns negative perceptions of digital tuition could figure in fees debate By Anna McKie 5 August
UK universities seek to improve external examining standards Standardised appointment requirements and training under consideration in sector-wide drive to tackle grade inflation By Chris Havergal 5 August
China makes mental health courses compulsory for undergraduates Move puts issue on a par with other credit-bearing modules such as English and Marxist theory By Jing Liu 5 August
The week in higher education – 5 August 2021 The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media By THE reporters 5 August
Wang Gungwu: academic exchange key to Asian understanding Former Hong Kong v-c and expert on the overseas Chinese experience talks about living through nearly a century of Asian history By Joyce Lau 5 August
Biden backs university Covid mandates as governors clamp down US president follows higher education associations in condemning Republican bans on public health measures such as vaccination and face coverings By Paul Basken 4 August
University of California strikes open access pact with PNAS Agreement to waive author fees similar to one with Jisc, which together serve as model for future expansion By Paul Basken 4 August
Ethnic minority awarding gap ‘largely down to low exam grades’ Difference in scores given to white and non-white students largely disappeared in coursework, UCL study finds By Chris Havergal 4 August
Turing scheme launches with 120 universities on board Australia, Canada and US confirmed as potential exchange destinations, alongside key European sectors By Chris Havergal 4 August
Time for a home-grown English language test, Indian agents say Outflow of cash prompts calls for change in nation with world’s second-biggest English-speaking population By John Ross 4 August
Oxbridge v-cs and unions call for ‘urgent’ pensions redesign Ending automatic inflationary increases in benefits should keep contributions below 30 per cent of salary, says joint statement By Anna McKie 4 August
University ‘fudging figures’ on sociology cuts Course cut critics castigate Australian institution for using data selectively, as sociologists elsewhere watch on nervously By John Ross 3 August
Fresh strike over Liverpool job cuts targets clearing Union members overwhelmingly back action even as number of compulsory redundancies slashed to two By Anna McKie 3 August
US revives pursuit of academic in China spying case Amid silence from universities and protests from Democrats, Biden prosecutors seek new trial for Anming Hu By Paul Basken 3 August
Ruskin College joins University of West London after cash crisis Takeover will preserve ‘rich heritage’ of trade union college, say leaders By Chris Havergal 3 August
Australian universities to profit from students going elsewhere Investment in education services provider IDP set to pay multimillion-dollar dividends as students use its language tests to head to Canada and UK By John Ross 3 August
Don’t delay publishing English funding plans, ministers urged Wrangling between DfE and Treasury over direction of policy appears to be main roadblock By Simon Baker 3 August
Research intelligence: how to write a compelling narrative CV With ‘storytelling’ CVs becoming crucial in hiring and funding decisions, Jack Grove explores how academics can craft compelling research statements By Jack Grove 3 August
Universities refuse to ‘slavishly follow’ teacher training plans Westminster reforms would force leading providers out of sector, representative body warns By Anna McKie 3 August
Ole Miss settles with lecturer who claimed sacking was political University insists historian Garrett Felber was let go for failing to communicate effectively with department chair By Colleen Flaherty for Inside Higher Ed 2 August
Australia plots international education restart from the bunker Representative groups put preparatory work in place as latest infections undermine plans to reboot arrivals By John Ross 2 August
Prioritise women for research funding, Chinese universities told Policy revamp aims to tackle gender inequality By Joyce Lau 2 August
Australia pioneers ‘stacking’ of microcredentials into degrees Comparison websites on the way as admissions centres reinvent their services amid emerging needs and demographic change By John Ross 2 August
Hewitt: policymakers’ ‘narrow’ view of sector could hurt post-92s New MillionPlus chief executive says blinkered focus on graduate employment data could make life ‘very difficult’ for modern institutions By Anna McKie 2 August
‘No plans’ for vaccine passports on English campuses Ministers to encourage, not compel, inoculation ahead of return to halls and lectures By Chris Havergal 1 August
Per-student grant funding in England down 19 per cent since 2018 Smaller campuses and providers in London bear brunt of latest reforms By Chris Havergal 30 July
Beijing loosens rules on hiring graduates from top universities Redrawn hukou rules indicate changing attitudes towards talent but could reinforce urban-rural divide, experts say By Jing Liu 30 July
Peter Bellwood: the uneasy harmony between mankind and nature While humanity’s coexistence with nature is not always harmonious, Cosmos Prize winner says it can be hard to pick the aggressor By John Ross 30 July
Cancer research leader: Covid shows value of fundamental science Kristian Helin, incoming head of the Institute of Cancer Research, reflects on lessons learned from pandemic By Jack Grove 30 July
Nobel laureates ‘outraged’ by Chinese censorship State media defend China’s call to remove two speakers from summit By Joyce Lau 29 July
Using AI in university admissions ‘could reverse equity progress’ Departing Australian human rights commissioner expects v-cs to be among the students of his new AI ethics initiative By John Ross 29 July