Leader: The big push must come early Given that A-level success is key to entering higher education, perhaps universities should leave widening participation to schools By Ann Mroz 25 February
Leader: Do your job well, and you will rise Despite the tales of jiggery-pokery employed to climb in the league tables, there is no need to sacrifice mission to position By Phil Baty 18 February
Leader: Rise up, freedom fighters The cornerstone of the academy is the liberty to pursue ideas and knowledge without constraint. It needs vigilant defending By Ann Mroz 11 February
Leader: The trust deficit's heavy toll The recession and a succession of government cuts and blunders have robbed young people of their future and of hope By Ann Mroz 4 February
Leader: Is survival all that matters? The financial crisis will force universities to make difficult choices not just about how they operate but to what end By Ann Mroz 28 January
Leader: Reiki riles while Rome burns The wellbeing of individuals matters, but what matters more is the wellbeing of a sector facing swingeing cuts By Ann Mroz 21 January
Leader: Cheap writ buys costly silence English libel law allows all comers from across the globe to chill free speech and still scholarly inquiry. Reform is now essential By Ann Mroz 14 January
Leader: Factor in the human equation The liberal arts feel threatened by indifference and the impact agenda. Can we recognise their true worth before they are gone? By Ann Mroz 7 January
Leader: Get used to life on the edge As we bid farewell to the old unit of resource and usher in a new reduced one, we anticipate a year of fear, uncertainty and pain By Ann Mroz 31 December
Leader: First, let's find out if it will fly Before we commit to linking funding to impact, we should wait for the results of pilots to determine its feasibility By Ann Mroz 17 December
Leader: Fight it out with the facts alone If climate research is seen as 'tribal' and unable to bear scrutiny, the whole scientific edifice is weakened By Ann Mroz 10 December
Leader: Autonomy must be the goal Universities need to be free from government control if they are to succeed in providing the education demanded of them By Phil Baty 3 December
Leader: Competing is fine but make it fair As private providers make inroads into the sector, it's only right that all institutions are subject to the same rules 26 November
Leader: Sing with one voice to be heard Competing mission groups risk undermining the message that all universities are valuable and deserve continued support By Ann Mroz 19 November
Leader: Put all the results out in the open Researchers, government and society benefit when research is made freely available, so the sooner it is mandated, the better By Ann Mroz 12 November
Leader: Only the best for the best Our world rankings are hugely influential but also come under criticism every year, so we have decided to improve them By Ann Mroz 5 November
Leader: China is set to demand respect Asia's giant has universities and research to equal many of the world's best, and its strength and confidence will only grow By Phil Baty 29 October
Leader: Postgrads deserve better The social and personal-development needs of students who study for higher degrees must be taken more seriously By Ann Mroz 22 October
Leader: The value of past masters Historians separate fact from fiction, keeping politicians honest and clearing the way for better thinking By Ann Mroz 15 October
Leader: Class still the secret to success Those with a private-school education still attend the best universities, get the best jobs and hold top spots in academia By Ann Mroz 8 October
Leader: Academic or jack of all trades? Knowledge transfer is a valid concept, but it takes time and effort away from the countless other tasks staff already perform By Ann Mroz 1 October
Leader: Don't drive people to MP3 for HE Hard times are no excuse to restrict access and leave many to experience higher education only through downloads By Ann Mroz 24 September
Leader: Pride is a necessary evil With swingeing funding cuts on the horizon, the sector must not be afraid to boast about its burgeoning economic value By Phil Baty 17 September
Leader: Just who are you here for? Education suffers because teaching gets no respect. That must change, and academics can start with themselves By Ann Mroz 10 September
Leader: Autonomy can be an illusion US academics may face less red tape than those in the UK, but they must also appease students, whose opinions can halt careers By Ann Mroz 3 September
Leader: We must adapt to survive Students no longer have to travel to get a Western degree as UK education centres are setting up overseas in a global market By Ann Mroz 27 August
Leader: I'm afraid it's very bad news The prescription for a higher education sector suffering self-inflicted wounds, a fiscal bruising and hysteria is a rather bitter pill By Ann Mroz 13 August
Leader: Standards issue can't be evaded That v-cs cannot admit to even understanding MPs' worries about quality and consistency bodes ill for the UK's reputation By Ann Mroz 6 August
Leader: Shared scholarly passions Who'd marry a single-minded, career-focused academic? Other academics, it seems. But such a relationship can have downsides By Ann Mroz 30 July
Leader: It's about what you're about It's easy to mock branding, but the vital job it does in telling the world what a university does and why it matters is priceless By Ann Mroz 23 July
Leader: Straight back down to Earth The Moon landings inspired a generation of scientists, but a cash-strapped UK is unlikely to explore the final frontier By Phil Baty 16 July
Leader: Come to build, not to cash in India aims to complete its global rise by inviting foreigners to help revamp higher education, but get-rich-quick artists need not apply By Phil Baty 9 July
Leader: Sacré bleu, as we don't say here Although universities are not to blame for the parlous state of modern foreign languages, some are trying to improve the situation By Ann Mroz 2 July
Leader: Unite to fight the betrayal Ministers led students on then abandoned them in rough weather. Universities must stick together to avoid the same fate By Ann Mroz 25 June
Leader: A breath of fresh air on campus Institutions and individuals across academia are embracing the green agenda. But it's still a long way to go to sustainability By Ann Mroz 18 June
Leader: Into the arms of Mammon The DIUS is no more, the latest sign of the Government's narrow focus on business interests at the academy's expense By Ann Mroz 11 June
Leader: Value is no cause for complaint Students have to see that higher education is worth far more than what they pay in tuition fees and that it must be earned By Ann Mroz 4 June
Leader: Go public to prevent extinction Knockabout popular debate appeals to few scholars, but if intellectuals disappear from the public eye, academia may suffer By Ann Mroz 28 May
Leader: Is that a fist or just a firm hand? The conventions and traditions of academia make it especially difficult to pinpoint what constitutes bullying behaviour By Ann Mroz 21 May
Leader: Watch the devilish details The REF is moving in a direction that most of the sector is happy with, but there is still much at stake in the fine-tuning By Ann Mroz 14 May
Leader: A personal level must be retained An intimate learning relationship is much valued. UK universities cannot afford to lose it - despite the pressures of massification By Ann Mroz 7 May
Leader: Now you see it, now you don't Science and universities are vital to economic recovery, but the Chancellor offered them only budgetary sleight of hand By Ann Mroz 30 April
Leader: Schoolyard rules in the Commons If standards are vital, why is the select committee investigating dumbing down marked by spin, absenteeism and squabbling? By Ann Mroz 23 April
Leader: Sweep in the same direction University governors must do more than take a board meeting or two, they must also take the institution's mission to heart By Ann Mroz 16 April
Our cowed leaders must stand up for academic freedom The Government wants to dictate the trajectory of research and the funding bodies are complicit. This must stop, says Thomas Docherty 9 April
Leader: It's time to show some audacity Blue-skies research could help lead the UK out of recession, but only if ministers give scientists the freedom to operate By Ann Mroz 2 April
Leader: Awkward truths get short shrift Although the Government has said it wants evidence to inform its policies, many academics feel that their voices go unheard By Ann Mroz 26 March
Leader: Where do the curious people go? Academia long gave asylum to awkward geniuses. It is less welcoming now, and scholars and students both feel the loss By Ann Mroz 12 March
Leader: Excellence receives its rewards The shift in focus away from the elite changes the research landscape and fulfils the funding council's promise for the RAE By Ann Mroz 5 March
Leader: A peerless and humble champion Ron Dearing left school at 16, but his unstinting devotion to higher education's highest aims have left the UK sector a better place By Ann Mroz 26 February
Leader: Get serious about teaching By continuing to undervalue and underfund the thing that makes UK higher education unique, we endanger our reputation 19 February
Leader: Short-term outlook, no blue skies By forcing academics to do R&D for industry, ministers stifle the type of curiosity-driven work that delivers the biggest bangs 12 February
Leader: Good work that needs to continue London Met has taken on the difficult job of widening access - it deserves support and backing in this tumultuous climate 5 February
Leader: Update the time-tested models Academics and students alike can gain by breaking with old thinking and moving beyond the traditional assessment methods By Ann Mroz 29 January
Leader: Everyone is talking the talk The increasing use of English in higher education across Europe could cost the UK a vital competitive advantage By Ann Mroz 22 January
Leader: The light of learning in dark days Keeping faith in the academy's core missions of research and education is the best way to serve students, society and the sector By Ann Mroz 15 January
Guest leader: Don't duck awkward truths Post-RAE, Bahram Bekhradnia calls for a renewed commitment to base public policy on evidence, not administrative convenience 8 January
Leader: Seek out the silver linings The struggle for economic recovery will present the sector with opportunities - it must seize them and put them to good use By Phil Baty 1 January
Leader: Raise your glass to UK research RAE 2008 has proved that UK universities are dominant on the world stage, but the proportion of staff submitted is still an issue By Ann Mroz 18 December