Opinion

The UK’s support system for disabled students puts the focus on institutional capacity rather than student need, says Stephen Campbell 

The plan promises big leaps in innovation, quality assurance and lecturer training, say Youmin Xi and Xiaojun Zhang  

Universities must work to facilitate discussions about racist experiences if they are to be reported and resolved effectively, argues Jason Arday

Susanne Täuber warns that mandatory gender diversity measures will be no more successful in the corporate world than they have been in academia unless genuine organisational transformation is achieved

Offering two-year programmes at FE colleges as part of four-year degrees could redress the UK’s spending bias in favour of HE, says Geoff Mason

A decade dominated first by austerity and then by Brexit has brought UK higher education to a tipping point as the election looms

Vicky Blake outlines recommendations from the University and College Union’s democracy commission, established after intense infighting at the union’s 2018 congress

Asking BAME students to spend significant amounts of time helping universities decolonise the curriculum is far from the ideal solution, says Daniel Akinbosede

Would-be scholars confronted with academics’ tweets could be forgiven for running for the hills, worries Scott Rich 

Prince Andrew’s fall from grace a full decade after Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction underlines academia’s failure to probe modern power, says Jason Lee

Jonathan R. Goodman is wrong to blame bibliometrics for stifling academic debate, says Craig Aaen-Stockdale

University administrators must meet students on their own terms to truly understand their needs, says Tessa Bravata 

The risks of being an academic are compounded by the unique challenges displaced scholars face, say Lisa Herzog and Özge Yaka

Collaboration and openness are central to Phil Bourne’s takeaways after opening a new school at the University of Virginia 

In a fraught political climate, it is even more difficult than usual for researchers to grab the attention of ministers. Diana Beech imparts her insider’s tips

Association to Horizon Europe would also be positive, but hostile mood music over immigration still reverberates 

Colleagues may judge those with regional accents more harshly, but poorer students respond to lecturers from similar backgrounds, says Ryan Coogan

International student recruitment in sub-Saharan Africa is a long game prone to political disruption, says Anna Esaki-Smith

Unesco’s efforts to enable degree qualification recognition across borders will improve access to higher education for refugees and displaced people, says Joanna Newman 

Junior scholars have always needed to curry favour with their seniors, but quantifying research impact exacerbates the problem, says Jonathan R Goodman

Humanity and deliberate acts of kindness can turn symbolic gestures into action, argues Francis Petersen 

Whether rebuilding or refurbishing hallowed halls, the move to make campuses more sustainable should be an eco-friendly endeavour, says Aidan Bell 

UKCISA has taken over the successful campaign and its chief executive outlines plans to widen its reach beyond higher education 

Like the explorers who set out across the unsettled United States, scientists need a similar pioneering and resilient spirit, says Daniel Bojar

The forcible removal of a visually impaired student should be met with institutional change for one of Britain’s oldest students’ societies, argues Henry Hatwell 

In a marketised system, student numbers are rising. Small universities offer a collegial approach and, for some, better, not bigger, is the key to excellence

Universities preach meritocracy but, in reality, bend over backwards to protect toxic personalities, says Irina Dumitrescu

Fees reform has not quelled popular anger over exploitation, but academics can play a key role in constitutional reform, says Robert Funk

£9,000 fees permitted per-student funding to rise even at the height of austerity, argues former minister David Willetts

Universities are inherently political spaces, but the current explosion in violent protest must come to an end, says Brian Wong

Universities, local authorities and others must heed the Centenary Commission on Adult Education’s recommendations, says Jonathan Michie

More sharing of impact will improve understanding of how it can be promoted and evaluated, says Peter Tufano

Requirements for obtaining the national scientific qualification and good performance despite stagnant funding have contributed to improved citation performance, argue Michele Ciavarella and Pietro D’Antuono

It’s time the higher education community puts old grievances of league tables and excellence frameworks aside to tackle climate change, say Stephen Sterling and Stephen Martin 

Studying the arts and humanities has been a core tenet of democratic ambitions for centuries, so it’s no surprise that underfunding those areas of academia throws democracies into crisis, argues Sarah Churchwell 

Across the world, vice-chancellors’ statesmanship is being put to the test because no campus can escape the intrusion of politics, domestic and international

More account must be taken of pregnancy, assisted fertility and miscarriage, say Christina Hellmich and Marina Della Giusta

Such skills can be learned relatively easily and cheaply. Universities should develop expertise in fields essential to human flourishing, says Andrew Moore 

Management academics need to be supported to bring teaching and research on global warming into the mainstream, say Amanda Goodall and Susan Hill

A north-south network for educators has been instrumental in the Irish peace process and needs its funding from the north reinstated, say Noel Purdy and Maria Campbell 

The competition among 20 Georgian institutions for international medical students raises a host of quality concerns, says Michèle Wera

Successful start-ups aren’t always led by women with business degrees, says Oliver Prill 

The world is full of complex problems but the current degree path isn’t preparing students to confront them, argues Ed Fidoe 

The contemplative and risk-averse nature of academia contrasts with the fast-moving strategies of Silicon Valley, but that is our greatest strength, says Kate Devlin 

Political purity is a badge of honour in the hashtag age. But the real world is nuanced and messy, as universities should know better than most

The Australian National University’s rejection of massification will reap rich rewards for its students, says Brian Schmidt

Politicians are culpable for restricting student loans for prisoners, but universities need to be less wary of released offenders, says Nick Hillman 

Conservative mistrust of the existing research funding system demands a re-examination of its uneasy compromises, says John Womersley

As mistrust between the EU and UK deepens, politics could scupper British association to the next framework programme, says Jan Palmowksi

Healing divides between Hong Kong and Chinese students will never be easy, but the academic community is a good place for discussions to begin, argues Brian Wong

A blanket response to student mental health won’t work, says Richard Gascoigne, who argues for using technology to gain a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ needs

Schools in Vietnam need to recruit careers advisers – but their advice should be aimed primarily at parents, says Matthew Edward

There is a vast world of creative media that can help academics cut through the noise of the internet, says Andy Miah. Here are five platforms you should be using

Rejection can be felt more intensely in academia because of the level of personal investment – but it is a normal and necessary aspect of any career

Look to uncanny ghost walks for new ways to engage students in difficult topics, say four urban researchers 

Allowing university applicants to retake specific sections of the ACT will aid only those able to afford tutors and multiple test fees, says Anthony P. Carnevale

Constant checks on their presence and bureaucratic curbs on their movement leave international students feeling like security threats, says Alexander Mack

If a Canadian programme’s success rates are replicated in the US, it must be adopted, says John Banzhaf

An open letter from academics and campaigners to sector leaders

‘Monk mornings’, work sprints and withdrawal from social media helped Benedict Probst become hugely more productive