Opinion

The sudden rise of generative AI offers an opportunity for reflection and renewal of our scholarly values, say Ella McPherson and Matei Candea

If, as it must, engineering is to contribute to restoring the planet, it needs to attract holistic-thinking carers, says Tim Ibell 

Russian studies is one of many disciplines that can and should loudly tell the story of how authoritarianism strips people of citizenship, says Ani Kokobobo

Mutual support networks and mentoring can help more women attain senior positions, say Efthalia Chatzigianni and Bryony Whitmarsh

No journey in strange new waters can be smooth sailing, but healthy conflicts have a place in innovation and transformation, say David Lloyd and Peter Høj

As battles over industrial relations and identity politics rage, higher education’s fault lines are increasingly a matter for the courts. Is anyone winning?

Universities are not doing enough to police misconduct. We need an independent register from which bullies can be struck off, says Nicholas Rowe

Libraries no longer accept donations, but targeted giving to colleagues and students is a way for retired academics to keep teaching, says Harvey Graff

Power dynamics inevitably temper the ideal of a self-correcting knowledge system, but robust mutual critique remains vital, says Ian Pace

Institutions must instead provide fora and establish rules for debating issues and their moral implications, says Carolyn Hughes Tuohy

Our department obliges Jewish studies students to study Islamic civilisation and vice versa. But will extremism put off applicants, asks Jonathan Judaken

UK universities should leverage Saudi resources to build partnerships that will advance science and technology for mutual benefit, says Andrew Griffith

With the University of Kent becoming the latest lower-tariff English university to mull course closures, students might be frozen out, says Becky Muradás-Taylor

The science secretary’s demand that UKRI take action against its EDI committee underlines how far UK science’s independence has slipped, says Fiona Fox

The document gestures to some key barriers, but Indigenous knowledge is valuable in itself, not just for improving outcomes, says Ian Anderson

Tolerance and respect are still expected, but a new kind of deference to group identity is emerging among students, say Stephen Hawkins and Mylien Duong

Recommended reforms, such as abolishing the Job-Ready Graduates fee hikes for humanities, will gold-plate the Help system, says Maxwell Yong

AI will make courses cheaper to deliver, more professionally relevant and more pedagogically effective, says Max Lu 

Cryptocurrencies will change the landscape of international finance. We can no longer think of money as a background phenomenon, says Richard Holden

To make maths programmes viable, we must make them more attractive to a wider pool of applicants, says Jens Marklof

The desire of bereaved parents to establish a statutory duty of care towards students is understandable – but for universities it remains a fraught issue

Keeping highly trained people on tenterhooks for so long undermines the conditions necessary for innovation, says a university manager

Power relations would be more equitable if all leading disciplinary journals and books were published in multiple languages, says Simon Marginson

Maintaining authority, professional distance and ‘authenticity’ is hard among people who knew you pre-academia, reflects Brad Evans

Historical ties and cultural cachet mean that even as outbound South Korean student numbers fluctuate, the US remains the top choice, says Kyuseok Kim

Higher international fees for in-person courses are vital to universities, but online students can be charged the same wherever they live, says Tim Dunne 

Opportunities that enhance employability and the student experience will boost both enrolments and donations, says Robert Phillips

No one should assume that university managers and consultants have all the solutions to UK universities’ financial woes, says Chris Moore

Upfront costs can run into thousands of pounds, so speedy repayment is vital for equal access to permanent employment, says Eleanor Palser

Institutions should push the Qatar government harder to improve conditions and wages for their migrant labourers, say Karl Widerquist and Ian Almond

The behaviour of some has effectively served to chill the views of others. But this flies in the face of universities’ core role, says Dawn Freshwater

Debate risks legitimising dehumanising ideologies, but rebutting such views is how progress has always been made, says Eric Heinze

Scholarly inquiry is already improving UK society, but its full impact won't be felt until researchers better engage with policymakers, says Rita Gardner

The weaponisation of plagiarism allegations to remove Harvard’s president is no cause for celebration, says research fraudbuster David Sanders

We won’t stop until staff and members in every branch, every department and every team feel that they are treated fairly and equally, says Jo Grady

Across the Western world, decades of growth in university participation are being repainted as a policy error as funding woes come to a head

A competing human rights framework would help the likes of Jo Phoenix and her critics into a dialogue shaped by active listening, says Andy Hargreaves 

As a woman concerned by gender inequality, I could be tolerated coming up to the elbows of the men in power, but not to their shoulders, says Pat O’Connor

The nature of the job differs dramatically depending on how one physically presents. Teaching support needs to catch up, says Hannah Kim

Academic leaders should stay out of politics to encourage debate and promote expertise, says Daniel Diermeier

The sudden imposition of political restrictions on recruitment causes students from countries such as Iran a lot of anguish, says Roohola Ramezani 

Most students want universities, first and foremost, to boost employability. Underplaying that purpose will only alienate them, says Samuel Abrams

Despite a court’s endorsement of controversial virologist Alexander Kekulé’s suspension, suspicions linger that it is politically motivated, says Brian Bloch

Endless accommodations and coaxing are only encouraging student uninterest and indolence, says Michael Baumann

The Technical University of Munich is moving beyond outreach and creating a two-way dialogue with society, says Jeanne Rubner

Scarce funding means only the library-driven Subscribe to Open scheme is viable outside the sciences, says Christina Lembrecht

UK research funding urgently needs to become less onerous and less unfair if we don’t want applicants to simply give up, says Melvyn Smith

When it launches next year, the lifelong learning entitlement could boost both university finances and social mobility, says Zahir Irani

We must research the impact of predicted grades on students’ well-being and learning behaviour at a critical stage in their education, says Luke Ellmers

Swansea University and TATA Steel’s steps towards fossil-free futures, in the geographical heart of extraction, offer hope for the planet, says Anna Pigott

Oxford Brookes’ confirmation of its decision this week is another blow to the UK’s status as a global music powerhouse, says Daniel Grimley

It is not easy for university management to push back against large numbers of people, but resisting harassment should be paramount, says Ian Pace

Higher education has long been a trump card for the West, helping it to win hearts and minds. If that advantage slips, the impact will be far-reaching

The pension scheme’s healthy reported surplus could allow us to put benefits and contribution rates on a more stable long-term footing, says Carol Young

With careful prompting, the AI can offer personalised tutoring that helps students understand where they need to go, says Dan Sarofian-Butin

Allowing a thousand flowers to bloom is no longer practical for universities aspiring to be better known for their research, says Robert Brown

Amid creeping political influence over universities, both academics and students are oddly quiet, says Mukhtar Ahmad

When adjunct faculty contribute so much to US academia, why are they denied basic benefits such as health insurance and medical leave, asks Josh Hiller

Would someone who found effective software for their department never have to buy a beer again? Not according to my survey, says Paul Breen

Far from being elitist, UCU Left members see collective decision-making as key to campaigning strength, says general secretary candidate Saira Weiner