Britain’s EU membership is a win-win for higher education The UK is an energising force on the Continent, with staff and student mobility crucial to our ability to compete internationally By John Gill 10 March
One VIP, coming right up The rise of ‘super scholarships’ that aim to turn out future world leaders signals a new front in a global war for the best students By John Gill 3 March
Don’t be afraid to get vocal With PowerPoint presentations and group work dominating, we would do well to remember the pedagogic power of a voice By John Gill 25 February
Internationalisation 2.0: scaling up to meet the challenges Universities are finding that feeding the growing worldwide hunger to learn requires an international team effort By John Gill 18 February
Who ought to pick up the tab? While buoyant student numbers may imply that £9K is OK, the jury is still out on the ‘right’ split between student and state By Paul Jump 11 February
Went the day well? Good managers will digest the full spectrum of responses in our workplace survey to protect the system’s creative heartbeat By John Gill 4 February
Deserts begin to bloom States across the Middle East and North Africa have invested heavily in the sector and we all have an interest in the returns By John Gill 28 January
There’s no satisfaction in seeing how biased we can be We must be alert to unconscious bias at work across the sector and develop ways to tackle the issue to achieve greater diversity By John Gill 21 January
Radicalism leaves a toxic cloud over campuses Claims of being soft on Islamic extremists put institutions that value open and free speech in a very uncomfortable spot By John Gill 14 January
Science needs to be given credence as well as cash As Canadian scientists look forward to a better deal under a new regime, respect for their findings is as vital as fair funding By Paul Jump 7 January
What lies ahead for higher education? With 2016 just ahead, we ponder the state of campuses past, present and future By John Gill 24 December
Listen to your students Letting students co-design their own curriculum is pedagogically sound and delivers real satisfaction, say advocates By John Gill 17 December
What’s in your skills portfolio? Employability matters, but it is poorly defined. Only by spelling out what the term means can the concept be put to work By John Gill 10 December
Scholars on the public stage deserve a hand It is time to consider more structured support for academics who undertake the vital task of improving public engagement By John Gill 3 December
Imposing a views blackout Do students’ rising demands for ‘safe space’ reveal a reluctance to be challenged, or a new zeal for political engagement? By Paul Jump 26 November
Keeping calm and lobbying on With less panic than it showed prior to 2010’s flat-cash result, science hopes for another round of it-could-have-been-worse By Paul Jump 19 November
Redbricks, Green and Browne Arguably the natural end to a long process, this sector shake-up could end up implementing the aims of a five-year-old review By Simon Baker 12 November
On improving diversity, the sector has a clear choice: lead or be led With a minister intent on ‘revolution’, there is a tactical, as well as a moral, case for universities to focus on improving ethnic minority representation By John Gill 5 November
Trust is a coin of the realm In accepting industry funding, universities must be transparent if they are to sustain public faith in the independence of research By John Gill 29 October
Africa needs education, not exploitation For-profit operators are needed to help feed the continent’s hunger for degrees but regulation is key By John Gill 22 October
Turning four words into deeds ‘Something must be done’: deep dismay at the human toll of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis is spurring the academy to act By John Gill 15 October
Step up and join the band The definition of teaching quality may be tangled up, but it’s in everyone’s interest to find a satisfactory measure By John Gill 8 October
Not all that counts can be counted The UK has performed well in our expanded World University Rankings, but intangible assets are a vital source of strength By John Gill 1 October
Cut from a different cloth In an age of extroverts, a scholar’s paean to shyness and Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘radio phone-in’ PMQs tack against the prevailing winds By John Gill 24 September
We’ve been here before Jo Johnson’s debut UUK speech offered variations on a Willettsian theme, but with a few chords to make his audience shift uneasily By John Gill 17 September
Disorders of orders of magnitude China’s sheer size means that its present economic woes will be felt worldwide, not least across the higher education sector By John Gill 10 September
Holding a mirror up to science A bid to reproduce key studies is less a tale of failure than of researchers’ willingness to put their own practices to the test By Paul Jump 3 September
Give PhD students credit where it's due As the trend for mass-authored papers in science spreads to other fields, PhD students’ work is still going unacknowledged By John Gill 27 August
Interest in borrowings is not mere linguistics With individuals and institutions alike calculating potential costs of Brexit, recouping loans from EU students can’t be ignored By John Gill 20 August
Fair prices and market limits Loans could push up the price of master’s courses, but with such degrees becoming sine qua nons, should fees be restrained? By Paul Jump 13 August
Valuing research rectitude Peer review may not spot fraud – so universities need to be vigilant in tackling any wrongdoing among their staff By Paul Jump 6 August
Roaming between networks From Africa to the UK, countries must find ways to capitalise on the global ebb and flow of today’s mobile scholars By John Gill 30 July
Building the perfect beast As the sector debates the design of a teaching-ometer, campuses wait to discover the strength of the TEF’s power over fee levels By John Gill 23 July
Brexit, pursued by a scare Leaving the EU would be a disaster for UK universities, but pro-Europe campaigners have to choose their message carefully By John Gill 16 July
Taking appropriate measures Metrics have become prevalent – and problematic – throughout universities, but they can be effective tools if used correctly By John Gill 9 July
From lab gigs to headliners It’s a long way to the top if you want to make it as a PI, but there are many positives on the path to that big break By Paul Jump 2 July
Time can play tricks on minds Some practices thought to be long established are anything but, while others considered novel have lengthy histories By John Gill 25 June
Losing our place in the vanguard? Senior figures worry that the UK is lagging behind the innovators and entrepreneurs pushing the frontiers of higher education By John Gill 18 June
Count sheep, not metrics Given the run of campus, some academics would target what they see as cult practices that raise stress and cut productivity By John Gill 11 June
Coming to a campus near you From senior appointments to student surveys, pedagogy is again centre stage – and waiting in the wings is a teaching REF By John Gill 4 June
The fad for extensions is cooling The move away from overseas branches attests to the fact that such operations are hard to get right and offer no quick returns By Simon Baker 28 May
What’s casually cast aside? Insecure employment takes a toll on individuals, but its effects may also cut to the very core of universities and their missions By John Gill 21 May
The storm in the aftermath How will universities fare during the Tories’ defining second term – during which ‘Cameronism’ may, at last, fully reveal itself? By John Gill 14 May
Which way will we go? Change happens only when people genuinely participate – but is the enthusiasm there for a structural shift in education? By John Gill 7 May
Red ahead; staying in the black Whatever the outcome of the election, strong financial leadership will be key both to the country and our universities By John Gill 30 April
Party lines and party lapses What would politicians do for higher education in the next government? To find out, our panel gave them a grilling By John Gill 23 April
A change for the better Research reveals that sabbaticals boost productivity – but be sure not to take work phone calls or check the email By John Gill 16 April
A growth spurt with challenges The uncapping of student numbers may not result in a surge across the sector - but things are changing all the same By John Gill 9 April
It’s not just bad, it’s wrong The pay gap between men and women is an issue that never goes away. It’s time for action, not more reassuring words By John Gill 2 April
Penalties and prize money George Osborne’s ambitions for northern research powerhouses may be undermined by post-REF funding allocations By John Gill 26 March
Cash and je ne sais quoi, too Overseas students are key to universities’ success, bringing valuable fee income and adding value for home students, too By John Gill 19 March
Strong ties are best defence University terror inquiries flag the vital role of strong pastoral care and good tutoring in guarding against disengagement By John Gill 12 March
From the cradle to the ballot Labour has given birth to its £6K tuition fees baby but doubts still remain about the costs and benefits of the policy By John Gill 5 March
Owning up to the bias in all of us We need an honest conversation about unconscious prejudices and how they can hold back individuals and their work By John Gill 26 February
Don’t let others ruin your name The use of recruitment agents is rising, but are universities putting their reputations at risk as competition hots up? 19 February
Like it’s going out of fashion Institutions splashed the cash to stay competitive, resulting in a REF price tag that may be far higher than the official estimate By John Gill 12 February
Measure still for measure? Is the sector placing too little trust in academics and too much in performance management techniques? By John Gill 5 February
The extras that make a difference Enrichment of university life by academics’ ancillary activities is threatened as the workforce is pushed towards casualisation By John Gill 29 January
UK can’t afford to fall behind Countries worldwide are investing to get ahead in the global game of research. Not doing so will cost the UK dear By John Gill 22 January
A cliff is no place to start Building an academic career is hard, but high initial hurdles and a lack of clear progression paths make it unnecessarily daunting By John Gill 15 January