World University Rankings 2022: Australasian universities hold firm While Antipodean institutions have fended off competition from Asia, the full impacts of Covid are yet to flow through By John Ross 2 September
World Academic Summit: indigenous reconciliation ‘can get in way of action’ Notions of reconciliation and treaty should be treated as ongoing journeys rather than destinations, summit hears By John Ross 1 September
Australian universities ‘need prudential oversight’ Economist says scrutiny could boost transparency of university accounts, provide benchmarking advice and avoid risky excesses By John Ross 31 August
New Zealand academic freedom ‘in crisis’ Management blamed for ‘constraining of voice’ that corrals public interventions into academics’ disciplinary areas By John Ross 31 August
Self-confessed cheats ‘the tip of the iceberg’ Australian research suggests swapping assignments is more prevalent than buying or selling them By John Ross 31 August
Hindu nationalism fears spur US scholars into action A recently formed group and an attendant conference hope to bring greater attention to issues being faced in India By Joyce Lau 30 August
Hijacked journals ‘siphon millions of dollars’ from research International action needed to eliminate ‘cloned journals’ that prey on early career researchers, says Indian research integrity adviser By Jack Grove 30 August
‘Slow’ thinking key to winning the ‘infodemic’ battle, says study Australian findings on receptiveness to Covid misinformation have implications for teaching as well as engagement By John Ross 29 August
China and Japan keep borders shut as new term starts Hundreds of thousands of foreign students continue to be left out as classes resume in September By Joyce Lau 27 August
Ryerson University to change name over indigenous abuses Regents accept task force recommendation that namesake is a ‘symbol of colonialism’, although exact legacy less clear By Paul Basken 27 August
Toll of ARC’s preprints rule revealed Fears for physics pipeline as 32 researchers relinquish up to A$22m for citing preprints By John Ross 26 August
Australian ERA probe ‘kicked the can down the road’ Review of Australia’s research assessment exercise focused on known problems and left inadequate time to fix them, critic says By John Ross 26 August
Australian Senate intervenes on research grant eligibility Government told to disclose impacts on academics as outrage escalates over preprints rule By John Ross 24 August
Civil servant to run Charles Sturt University Australia’s largest regional university the latest to choose a leader from outside academia By John Ross 24 August
Fears for science as Australian university sheds more staff Proposed redundancies target science, engineering and IT – disciplines supposedly favoured by funding reforms By John Ross 24 August
Recruitment rebounds in Australian academia Analysis of Australian job advertisements points to recovery, particularly in non-traditional research By John Ross 23 August
Famed Duke expert on human dishonesty suspected of fraud Manipulated data in study of truth and behaviour threatens career of popular TED Talk star Dan Ariely By Paul Basken 23 August
Article offers rare look inside a North Korean university Former foreign students recount memorable experiences in world’s most isolated country, including being openly spied on by their hosts By Joyce Lau 23 August
US medical schools found to be falling short on equity promises Series of analyses in JAMA concludes that a promise to achieve greater racial balance in training doctors remains largely unfulfilled By Paul Basken 20 August
Academics under threat here too, Australians stress While the dangers can be extreme in autocracies and war zones, nowhere is immune By John Ross 19 August
‘Heartbreak’ as research careers ruined by Australian rule tweak ARC says it communicated rule change clearly, but applicants say it forces them to plagiarise to qualify for funding By John Ross 19 August
Government funders ‘suppressing health research’ One in five public health researchers pressured to conceal or change their findings, study finds By John Ross 19 August
Study casts doubt on whether anti-cheating laws work Some students still cheat despite thinking it is illegal, international survey finds By John Ross 18 August
Microcredentials don’t stack up, academics warn New paper dismantles arguments for higher education’s latest ‘craze’ By John Ross 18 August
Politics ‘the biggest hurdle’ for overseas students Electoral rather than immunological considerations could determine when international students are allowed into Australia By John Ross 17 August
China could ‘go it alone’, Australian conference hears Strategist also warns that politicisation of funding means universities in countries most dependent on the government would fare worst By John Ross 16 August
Labor: stop the ‘bickering’ on Australian university policy Tanya Plibersek proposes accord with political opponents, while former Liberals accuse ex-colleagues of lacking leadership By John Ross 16 August
‘Worst to come’ for Australian university finances, warns minister Education minister concedes impact of plummeting international enrolments, but says things would be worse without intervention By John Ross 16 August
Universities ‘just another knowledge provider’ by 2030: report EY ‘thought experiment’ probes a 2030 where teaching costs have evaporated and universities have lost their primacy By John Ross 15 August
Overseas student hopes rise as New Zealand plans for open borders Access and safety in the one package, as island nation banks its Covid management success By John Ross 13 August
Australian pay code seeks to ‘dampen’ executive salaries Voluntary principles may be a fait accompli, with chancellors who endorsed them also sitting on remuneration committees By John Ross 12 August
Policy details ‘portrayed as science’ during Covid Australian epidemiologists pressed to defend unscientific aspects of lockdowns, as politicians exaggerate the evidence base By John Ross 11 August
University leaders ‘sided against us’ on China: Turnbull Vice-chancellors acted like fawning retail attendants in Pretty Woman, former prime minister says By John Ross 10 August
Everybody needs good neighbours: Sydney heavyweights pledge détente Sydney and UNSW vow to collaborate more, while shrugging off snarky stereotypes By John Ross 10 August
University of the South Pacific v-c secures reappointment Pal Ahluwalia to run multi-country university from Samoa, as audit clears management of breaches By John Ross 9 August
With borders closed, ANZ universities reach out via ‘hubs’ Asia operations are either being expanded or newly opened as the countries' universities aim to keep students engaged and enrolled By Joyce Lau 9 August
THE Live ANZ: homespun delivery ‘boosts engagement’ Many might be digital natives, but students warm to academics’ warts-and-all e-learning efforts By John Ross 8 August
THE Live ANZ: ‘free’ education ‘taken for granted’ Whitlam and HECS fostered a ‘social psychology’ of indifference towards higher education, Australasian conference hears By John Ross 7 August
Chinese universities shutting campuses amid new Covid cases Thousands of university students are now living under strict quarantine rules to meet local regulations By Jing Liu 7 August
THE Live ANZ: overseas students slow to take up New Zealand return Continuing students slow to return despite government green light, while visa applications from first-timers are binned By John Ross 5 August
THE Live ANZ: Australian international recruitment ‘can rebound’, Tudge says Education minister cites buoyant student experience ratings as evidence of the country’s ‘fundamentals’ By John Ross 5 August
University ‘fudging figures’ on sociology cuts Course cut critics castigate Australian institution for using data selectively, as sociologists elsewhere watch on nervously By John Ross 3 August
Australian universities to profit from students going elsewhere Investment in education services provider IDP set to pay multimillion-dollar dividends as students use its language tests to head to Canada and UK By John Ross 3 August
Australia pioneers ‘stacking’ of microcredentials into degrees Comparison websites on the way as admissions centres reinvent their services amid emerging needs and demographic change By John Ross 2 August
Peter Bellwood: the uneasy harmony between mankind and nature While humanity’s coexistence with nature is not always harmonious, Cosmos Prize winner says it can be hard to pick the aggressor By John Ross 30 July
Using AI in university admissions ‘could reverse equity progress’ Departing Australian human rights commissioner expects v-cs to be among the students of his new AI ethics initiative By John Ross 29 July
New Zealand seeks all gain, no pain in ‘high value’ overseas pivot Discussion document seeks feedback on vision of international education Utopia By John Ross 28 July
Most overseas study plans ‘unchanged by pandemic’ Traditional worries like cost and job prospects trump would-be international students’ safety and travel concerns, survey finds By John Ross 27 July
Rare victory for Turkish scholars as protests force rector’s exit Campaigners at Boğaziçi University say their victory could inspire others – but also fear a harsher crackdown under a new appointee By David Matthews 27 July
Defence research ‘antidote’ to Covid’s lost billions: thinktank Formalised defence R&D ties could recoup one-quarter of the research funds lost from Australia’s ailing international education industry By John Ross 26 July
Academic conclusions differ wildly even on same data, study finds New study raises questions over validity of single studies and suggests detailed tracking of researchers’ decisions during analysis By David Matthews 26 July
US universities push for fewer hurdles on gene editing farm animals Veterinary schools lead campaign protesting regulatory obstacles applied to an array of food-related genomic research By Paul Basken 26 July
Former science dean ‘faked threats to gain sympathy’ Sydney academic orchestrated campaign after striking resistance to course closure By John Ross 22 July
Honorary doctorate revoked over ‘incompatible’ views Controversy over honorary degree granted by Edith Cowan University highlights the risks of awarding so many By John Ross 21 July
Covid fears for Australian academic detained in Myanmar Economist’s ordeal highlights the risks of lone advisory roles in unstable countries By John Ross 21 July
Covid ‘just a blip’ in rising Australian vice-chancellor earnings Notwithstanding their generosity in 2020, most university leaders will be back to seven-figure earnings as the crisis really bites By John Ross 21 July
Australian Covid research trials ‘wasteful and misdirected’ Research teams worked separately to investigate similar problems when combined studies might have delivered meaningful results By John Ross 20 July
New wave of redundancies sweeps Australian universities Hundreds of roles at risk as fresh wave of coronavirus restrictions sweeps across country By John Ross 18 July
Gender transition leave rises up Australian union’s agenda Paid time off for gender affirmation among the latest categories of special purpose leave demanded of universities By John Ross 15 July
French historians ‘being shut out of state archives’ Years of restrictions have stymied scholars’ work on topics such as the Algerian war of independence, and a new law could cement this lack of access By David Matthews 15 July