Funding council chief investigates v-c pay rises
The generous pay rises enjoyed by vice-chancellors are to be investigated. Sir Howard Newby, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, has demanded an explanation from the chair of governors at each of the 18 institutions that awarded their vice-chancellors a pay rise of 15 per cent or more in The THES league table.
Williams appointed QAA chief
Peter Williams has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Quality Assurance Agency. He has been acting chief executive since John Randall's resignation last September. He intends to implement a new light-touch audit-based quality assurance regime, expected to be finalised next week.
Gum chewers stretch their memory
Chewing gum may not help concentration - but it does wonders for the memory, researchers said today. Tests by a team of psychologists at the University of Northumbria showed that chewing improved the ability to recall remembered words by 35 per cent. The findings were presented today at the British Psychological Society annual meeting in Blackpool.
Physicists fail to win research council support
The Institute of Physics has launched an investigation of complaints that growing numbers of physicists are failing to win research council support for fresh ideas. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is compiling data to check the anecdotal evidence.
Financial backing for Medway campus
The University of Kent, the University of Greenwich and Mid-Kent College will build a joint campus at Medway after winning £4 million from the Higher Education Funding Council this week.
Scots millionaire to launch Pakistan scholarship
Scottish millionaire businessman Yacub Ali will tomorrow lead an all-party delegation to Pakistan to establish a £400,000 scholarship fund, enabling a running total of 72 students to complete higher education in Pakistan. Mr Ali said this was a practical way to recognise Pakistan's support against terrorism.
Brazilian teaching staff begin hunger strike
Teaching staff at the Universidade Estadual de Paraíba in north-eastern Brazil have begun a hunger strike after being given five days to present a legal defence of their 146-day strike for a 75 per cent pay rise.
Long-serving Nairobi vice-chancellor replaced
Francis Gichaga, the long serving vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi, has been replaced by deputy Crispus Makau Kiamba.