Blog

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

Academics are increasingly prioritising work-life balance. Peer review is one of the first commitments they drop, say Davor Pavlovic and Rebekah Gundry

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

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

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

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

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

Claudine Gay did not plagiarise, and those who add her to the list of leaders who did ignore the hostile context of the accusations, says Harvey Graff

It is vital for academics to speak science to power, from bona fide billionaires to hard-pressed policymakers, says Stuart Brocklehurst

Previous output is by far the best predictor of future success, but has become far less important for Dutch funding allocation, says Raymond Poot

A reinforced focus on access and participation plans belies the collaboration that makes a real difference, say Graeme Atherton and Philip Dent

Stealing other people’s research students corrupts collegiality, the cornerstone of academic life, says T. Prabhakar Clement

Making good the human capital losses resulting from Russia’s invasion will be vastly easier if the existing workforce can be reskilled, says Alexander Kostyuk

Required remedies include harsher punishments, more flexible research design stipulations and stronger social sanctions, says Akhil Bhardwaj

The British Library cyber-attack underlines that HE and research libraries’ technologies and policies put us at too much risk, says Fiona Greig

Universities must address the deficit by offering training in public speaking to all undergraduates regardless of course, says Simon Hall 

Relying on search firms and ignoring faculty input is one big reason why incumbencies are shortening and success is becoming rarer, says Harvey Graff

Both publishers and the editing firms they outsource to must seek informed consent to use academics’ IP, say Alan Blackwell and Zoe Swenson-Wright

Confusion abounds but UK law is clear: universities can share personal data to prevent harm, says Viv Adams of the Information Commissioner’s Office

By instilling a passion for innovation and interdisciplinary exploration, higher education can and must remain relevant, say Teruo Fujii and Joseph Aoun 

Consultancy not only transcends disciplinary boundaries within universities, but also between academia, industry and other actors, says Amanda Zeffman 

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Claudine Gay case, proper referencing should be insisted on to encourage critical, original thinking, says Ian Pace

A significant amount of money goes unclaimed even during a cost-of-living crisis because of arduous and opaque application processes, says Eve Dullabh

Our research suggests students of colour are more likely to have negative encounters with campus guards, say Remi Joseph-Salisbury and Laura Connelly

Codes’ vague, narrow and toothless provisions are failing to promote the safety and well-being of all university community members, says Richard Joseph

Generation Z students may hold different views on risk, conflict and identity from prior cohorts, but who did they learn them from, asks Musa al-Gharbi

By having their own lawyers, panels can ensure all positions are considered regardless of who else (if anyone) has appointed one, says Andrew Brown

The UK government must pledge to maintain the graduate route and confine its review to genuine abuse, says Jamie Arrowsmith

By learning from each other’s successes and shortcomings, college systems can advance equitable and affordable student success, says Nancy Zimpher

A series of open letters on Israel-Gaza underlines that scholars rarely have superior knowledge, moral insight or political acumen, says Adrian Kreutz   

The concept of privilege is much more complex and dynamic than those who wield it often assume, says Noam Schimmel

Everyone, from funders to individuals, has a role to play in building a research system that operates with integrity and robustness, says Alexandra Freeman

The global battle for talent means attracting students who simply can’t and won’t choose the UK if post-study work is curtailed, says Sanam Arora

The Covid Inquiry underlines the need to train political leaders to identify the best options under pressure, says former NAO director David Finlay

Aberdeen’s proposal to slash its provision belies positive recent developments, say Wendy Ayres-Bennett, Charles Burdett and Emma Cayley

Civic mission demands close collaboration with combined authorities to ensure graduates, research and relationships are fit for purpose, says Katy Shaw

Equal collaboration demands investment from the Global North in key research infrastructures in the Global South, say ’Funmi Olonisakin and Jan Palmowski

Too often, studies are atomistic and avoid the more complex, large-scale questions that vex politicians and system leaders, says Andrew Noyes

The government-sponsored review makes important recommendations, but the US is not the only source of good ideas for boosting impact, says Max Lu

Beyond despair’s cold comfort lies the possibility of doing things differently, starting with what is within our own power, say Carl Rhodes and Alison Pullen

Universities have long taken diverse stances on difficult current issues, proud of their ability to intervene thoughtfully and respectfully, says Harvey Graff

AI agents are what they ingest. Rather than scraping the internet, better to confine their diets to books and encyclopedias, says Sorin Adam Matei

Trickling down funding through grants that can only be accessed by Global North colleagues intrinsically perpetuates inequity, says Manuel Barcia

AI is helping us mine 200,000 stakeholders’ ideas, sensible and silly, about core elements of the new Adelaide University, say Peter Høj and David Lloyd

The test aims to flag potential that school-leaving exams miss. But not all applicants to the hugely oversubscribed courses are cheering, says Brian Bloch

Unlocking potential will need huge injections of funding, proper devolution and the type of long-term planning that has long been absent, says Sue Hartley

It defies history and logic to lay decades of failure by administrators, trustees and legislators at tenured professors’ door, says Harvey Graff