Cash is king as UK universities shore up finances Financial accounts for 2020-21 suggest tension may now grow between saving money and investing in staff and facilities By Simon Baker 24 January
Marking boycott looms as UCU promises more strikes next month Union faces divisions internally as well as impasse with vice-chancellors in negotiations By Chris Havergal 21 January
Covid recovery projects held up for months by red tape Tardy response to UKRI request meant greenlit research projects on pandemic could not begin, investigation concludes By Jack Grove 21 January
Pay rises stall for v-cs as rank-and-file staff face freeze Alice Gast emerges as top-paid leader among Russell Group By Simon Baker 21 January
The EU’s university strategy is a good start – but more is needed Kick-starting a conversation on national funding levels is useful, but collaboration on frontier-led research needs attention, says Jan Palmowski By Jan Palmowski 21 January
Ministers cancel campus mask advice as Plan B rolled back English universities should ‘deliver face-to-face teaching without restrictions’, says Department for Education By Chris Havergal 20 January
Six in 10 graduates must get professional jobs, universities told Latest stage of English plan to tackle ‘poor quality’ via absolute baselines for student outcomes brings threat of punishment for institutions that fall short By John Morgan 20 January
Universities spend £600 million on severance pay in four years Data reveal 69 per cent increase in outlay between 2016-17 and 2019-20 in England By Simon Baker 20 January
TEF gets ‘requires improvement’ badge for ‘absence of excellence’ Label would apply to providers failing to get a rating and in England would limit the fees they can charge, according to consultation By Simon Baker 20 January
Christ Church’s internecine war is a huge failure of governance The Oxford college’s vast expenditure of charitable funds to try to dislodge its own dean could have serious repercussions, says Alan Rusbridger By Alan Rusbridger 20 January
UK universities near Elsevier deal after publisher drops price Rigorous ‘no deal’ planning paved way for significant concessions, says library head By Jack Grove 19 January
Flights for one ERC funding round ‘equivalent to 12 Moon trips’ Researchers decry ‘ridiculous’ travel for 30-minute interviews and ask colleagues and funders to commit to flying less By Ben Upton 19 January