Opinion

Black holes are a source of mystery for Gary Day, who finds that some TV is far from dumbed down

Wellcome Trust director Mark Walport argues that fellowship schemes are the way forward

Researchers, government and society benefit when research is made freely available, so the sooner it is mandated, the better

Now that her manager has retired, Gloria is left to pick up the pieces

When do you reveal personal reasons behind career choices?

Stage experience is vital for budding performers, says Luke Scott, who enthuses his students with a hands-on approach

Labour’s student-as-customer framework reduces the academy to a glorified apprenticeship system and leaves Donald Braben praying for a predictable future

Libraries are being transformed into rowdy social spaces, with disastrous consequences, says Kevin Sharpe

Universities should learn from other cultures to inculcate respect and prudence, which companies will soon demand, argues Peter Brady

Gary Day learns how Britons made a modern nation and made love, not least on campus

Our world rankings are hugely influential but also come under criticism every year, so we have decided to improve them

Some speaking engagements discomfort Tim Birkhead, but he is undeterred

Tara Brabazon turns up the volume of Ghost Town to hear a soundtrack in keeping with our times

A plan is needed for when my contract comes to an end

University curriculums should include an experience akin to online gaming, which could provide an edge in the jobs market, say Graham Manville and Janice Rippon

The decline of criticism is not democratising: it threatens the development of culture itself, argues Tiffany Jenkins

'Intensely relaxed' about the academy's 'filthy rich legacy', Simon Blackburn sees no need to justify his work to ministers

Michael Thorne argues that the CBI task force's proposals are built on outdated thinking about graduates in a modern economy

Nick Griffin's recent appearance on Question Time gives Gary Day plenty of food for thought

Asia's giant has universities and research to equal many of the world's best, and its strength and confidence will only grow

Poor Colombia deserves a happy birthday, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

A discussion with the head of department proves a mistake

Russell Stannard, a THE Award winner for his work with ICT, offers practical tips on how to increase the visibility of a website with your open education resources

Gary Day finds nature thrilling but is filled with gloom by our perpetual desire to reinvent ourselves

The social and personal-development needs of students who study for higher degrees must be taken more seriously

Sally Feldman's mentoring sessions don't follow rules, and that's no bad thing

John Beddington welcomes Hefce's plans to recognise and reward academic work that informs policymaking in the REF

Administrative staff do not deserve demonisation because they too are committed to the university's unique mission, argues David Allen

A new book about what is free on the internet is no anarcho-syndicalist guide to subversion, cautions Tara Brabazon

What with the pull of book-writing and the need to earn a living, there’s no time to achieve ‘high-impact’ status

Lecturers must do more than lecture, argues Mary Malcolm: they must develop students' intellectual-inquiry skills

To meet future challenges, we need a single knowledge infrastructure incorporating higher and further education, says Lord Mandelson

Gary Day admires Joan Collins' chutzpah as she encourages three generations of women to glam up

Historians separate fact from fiction, keeping politicians honest and clearing the way for better thinking

Lecturing when fatigued is an inescapable fact of life for Kevin Fong

The REF plans are bad news for new universities and promise to negate the fairness and sense apparent in the 2008 RAE, argues Ian M. Marshall

A modicum of respect would do wonders for casual staff’s morale

Gloria Monday is thrilled to learn of her promotion to professor, until she discovers the absence of a corresponding pay rise

The point of a Masters or PhD is not to create art but to build evidence, writes Tara Brabazon

Alan Ryan says technical training is vital - and must be funded properly

Student debt is not all down to fees. Kevin Sharpe argues that the desire to live a luxurious lifestyle plays a part, too

Artists produce work as a result of internal or external stimuli - the only aim should be to cause a reaction, argues A.C. Grayling

Both the art of dying and of Andy Warhol leave Gary Day feeling distinctly underwhelmed

Those with a private-school education still attend the best universities, get the best jobs and hold top spots in academia

Our new weekly online blog on the daily struggles, petty indignities and insecurities of an academic life on casual contracts

Tim Birkhead witnesses Darwin’s anguish as he struggles with personal conflict and loss and the weight of the world’s most powerful idea

US universities are part of the fabric of their communities. Robin Hambleton says UK institutions should emulate them

Scholars have too long acquiesced to policy agendas. They must reassert the value of scholarship for its own sake, argues Claire Fox

The efforts of injured soldiers battling and laughing their way back to life leave Gary Day humbled

Knowledge transfer is a valid concept, but it takes time and effort away from the countless other tasks staff already perform

Let's not allow recording requests to stifle free exchange, says Tim Birkhead

Although the PhD she examined was as bad as the lunch, Gloria Monday chokes down her objections

Dan Stern says that the marketisation of research means that academics must abandon the ivory tower and get down and dirty in the marketplace – or face obscurity