Management and governance
Shutdown of northern institutions already in its second week
Review cites repeated failures to help thousands during decades of assaults, despite presence of credible evidence
Even women with identical performance ratings to men suffer large pay deficits. This must be fixed, say Ann Brower and Alex James
Removing biases in the system may not be enough to achieve a truly equal gender balance, says Sun Young Lee
Sydney v-c says upcoming move to London ‘made more interesting’ by uncertainty around city’s global position
Virginia leader sees lesson in companies vowing social concern
Mary Beard’s recent admission that she is a ‘mug’ who works 100 hours a week caused a Twitter storm. But how hard is it reasonable for academics to work? Who should decide? And should the mugs be obliged to keep quiet? Seven academics have their say
Legal scholar to return to UK to succeed Michael Arthur in January 2021
Coventry University’s endeavours notwithstanding, other international education initiatives are more sustainable, say Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit
Scottish Funding Council review condemns how bumper payments to secure ‘orderly exit’ of Sir Ian Diamond were awarded
South African political geographer to succeed Baroness Amos in January 2021
Vice-provost for education will replace Alan Langlands at Yorkshire university
The UK’s structures for supporting and nurturing research leaders are woefully underdeveloped, says Matthew Flinders
Ed Byrne warns Office for Students could be creating a model where university leaders have less freedom
Australian university promises ‘carbon negative’ footprint as v-c reflects on a summer of fire, ice and virus
Why is there so little concern about the catastrophic decline in part-time adult learners in England? asks John Butcher
Fallout over claims related to a £200 million development project continues
Academics are key to lifting public engagement with climate change and stopping the spread of nonsense passing as news, says David Lloyd
With careers riding on young scientists’ position in author lists, friction is all too common. A snowballing initiative to list authors’ contributions aims to make sure credit is always given where it is due. But will it be enough to ease the angst? Jack Grove is first author
About 180 students affected by turmoil at Richmond, the American University of London, with some having travelled to the UK before learning of problems
There is evidence of success in changing attitudes, but effects on admissions remain woefully under-explored, says David Robinson
The ‘transvestite potter’ is used to creating a stir, but is his freewheeling approach a benefit or a curse when it comes to being a university chancellor? And should art schools still tolerate students like him? Matthew Reisz fires the questions
Internal documents reveal rapid shift to South Asia in Australian university’s international operations
Complaint to Charity Commission alleges that funding to university was suspended, but foundation chair rejects claims as ‘without merit’
As we enter REF submission year, Nicholas Stern and David Sweeney urge universities to broaden their conception of a good submission
Apparently benign aspirations have their historical origins in concern about high levels of admission of certain minorities, says Kate Eichhorn
Questioning the BBC’s agenda in highlighting the problem in Ghana and Nigeria does not make it any less serious, says Eric Fredua-Kwarteng
IE University in Madrid wanted to grow so, in a crowded city, it decided to build upwards
Catholic institution hires TEQSA chief executive who led QAA and Ucas
Overseeing an Athena SWAN application convinced an anonymous academic that if tasks cannot be properly resourced, they should not be attempted at all
The analogy has lessons for both higher education institutions and the bodies that oversee them, says Richard Oliver
Universities are relieved the Greens have replaced the far right, but see challenges ahead over their management and comprehensive subject mix
Perth university offers concession ‘in the spirit of moving towards a resolution’ with Gerd Schröder-Turk
The blessing of big data can be a curse without resources for analysis. But how much computerised help do we really want, asks Kristen Sadler
Former US secretary of state hails ‘strong relationship’ with Northern Ireland institution
Rachel Kyte’s previous roles in supra-national bodies make the new dean of Tufts University’s Fletcher School of international relations determined to see the academy play its part in rescuing multilateralism and addressing climate change, writes John Gill
The apparently political murder of an undergraduate at a top Bangladeshi university by other students has stunned a nation, writes Nahid Neazy
Figures on English governing body members collated by former HEI head suggest some progress on gender, but less on ethnic minorities
UUK vice-president heading back Down Under after five years in Northern Ireland
Tim Blackman also sees green shoots for part-time higher education in Wales that could nourish revival in England
The season of goodwill is upon us once more. But in an era of hyper-competition, does academic kindness extend beyond passing round the nuts at the departmental Christmas party? Six scholars recount their own tales of collegiate benevolence
Being transparent about the existence of poor-quality provision is essential if we are to tackle it effectively, says Nicola Dandridge
New rules at Murdoch limit staff members who senators can speak to and remove obligation to report corruption to external watchdog
Civil service hostility, legislative complexity and political naivety keep restructure in the slow lane
Strikes notwithstanding, more pay restraint and greater pensions contributions from UK staff seem unavoidable, writes Bernard Casey
Universities concede societal push to handle delicate matters in more legalistic ways
Lisa Roberts to succeed Sir Steve Smith next September
Reporting procedures were woefully inadequate, while senior managers frequently enabled intimidatory behaviour, says an anonymous UK academic
Government retains title for top independent colleges, while accepting all other recommendations of provider category review
Independent process ‘found several areas in which we will need to improve our board of governors’ processes’, says UEL
The UK’s support system for disabled students puts the focus on institutional capacity rather than student need, says Stephen Campbell
Offering two-year programmes at FE colleges as part of four-year degrees could redress the UK’s spending bias in favour of HE, says Geoff Mason
Old and new home trade compliments, as former deputy calls time on six-year sojourn out west
Paper warns that Office for Students must work to build ‘constructive dialogue’ and ‘assure itself’ that it meets legal requirements
The first black leader of an Oxbridge college on the need for careers-based initiatives for students, the joys of parenthood and seeking out moments of calm
As concerns rise about mainstream universities’ affordability, social impact and working cultures, the UK’s Labour Party is mulling the idea of fostering cooperative, comprehensive universities. John Morgan travels to Manchester and Preston to examine some experiments that could point the way
Asking BAME students to spend significant amounts of time helping universities decolonise the curriculum is far from the ideal solution, says Daniel Akinbosede
Backers of 19th century war for slavery get millions to preserve Silent Sam
Precarious contracts ‘damage’ universities’ teaching and reputation, panel says
Junior scholars have always needed to curry favour with their seniors, but quantifying research impact exacerbates the problem, says Jonathan R Goodman
