Politics

Reeling from freefalling international enrolments, Australian universities now face renewed threats from geopolitical tensions

Myths notwithstanding, devolving research agendas to disciplines has a poor record of success, says Steve Fuller

New institutions will add nothing unless there is a greater emphasis on quality, says Eric Fredua-Kwarteng

Jeffrey Kennedy, Simon Pek and Graham Smith explore ways of involving students far more deeply in the decisions that affect them

Treasury’s opposition to Universities UK’s rescue package could be overcome if institutions offer extra assistance to graduates, Lord Willetts tells THE event

Emma Hardy calls on government to underwrite HE funding during ‘unprecedented set of challenges’ posed by Covid-19

Partnership approach during pandemic raises hopes of bursting scientific silos 

President, lawmakers allocate money then accuse Harvard and others of taking it

After rejection of virtual peer review, federal agency halts new awards, prompting concerns for younger researchers

Governments are prioritising reopening schools and businesses over campuses. But some academics fear the impact on disadvantaged students – and on their teaching

Continuing remote teaching in the autumn will be unsustainable for some institutions, warns leader of online college

Vice-chancellors’ group makes unprecedented appeal for government aid following dire financial forecasts caused by coronavirus restrictions

Reliance on formulas and philosophies giving way to complexity and case studies

The UK’s existing oversight by external visitors and professional bodies is the best way to safeguard standards, says Colin McCaig 

Such legislation could curtail academic freedom, say scholars

Pace of disruptive change is falling, claims book by Oxford geographer, who says virus crisis could herald a kinder form of politics

Six months of devastating and unprecedented destruction has brought home the reality of climate change to many Australians. But with time for mitigation short and some politicians still in denial, what more can universities do to save the ‘lucky country’ – and the rest of the planet? John Ross reports

Coronavirus crisis may make institutions more eager to please to students, but ‘tensions’ already in evidence

Slashing research will be a dangerous temptation for politicians desperate for savings, warns Jan Palmowski

Minister says overseas students and staff will not be penalised if their visa has expired or they take distance learning courses

Democratic frontrunner raises fear among private colleges after taking on Bernie Sanders’ plan

As their book about the deep links between education and well-being is published, Anne Case and Nobel laureate Angus Deaton tell John Morgan about their jaw-dropping discoveries of a sharp rise in ‘deaths of despair’ among white American people – and an unhealthy obsession with causality among journals

A belief that private colleges open more doors explains US voters’ lukewarm response to free public education, says Kate Eichhorn 

English universities urged to refrain from increasing use of controversial offers after exams cancelled amid virus crisis

‘Levelling up’ research spending may imperil regional universities’ sustainability, warn Grace Gottlieb and Graeme Reid 

Fallout from virus measures could hit poorest students hardest or be basis for advent of PQA, sector figures suggest

UUK says students ‘should not lose out on opportunity to go to university’ after exams cancelled

Compromise needed to avert lost generation of university students, says Australian policy guru

Slightly higher fees would be a reasonable price for a system that responds to student numbers and preferences, says Andrew Norton 

The UK government is determined to make good on its manifesto pledge to crack down on substandard university programmes. But what is quality? Is it best measured by graduate earnings, learning gain, a national university curriculum – or something else entirely? Anna McKie ponders the options 

Campuses see economic woes mounting, but full assault on Covid-19 more urgent

With the state’s governor imperilled, university bosses are hoping that a better year is on the horizon

But budget bonanza will require ‘substantial expansion’ of R&D capacity in many regions

Influential Portuguese MEP calls for rapid UK-EU agreement on Horizon Europe association

Research centre meant to support ‘politically useful ideas’ such as Orbán’s claim of Turkic ancestry for nation as government pivots away from EU, scholars claim

Chancellor goes beyond Tory manifesto pledges and signals immediate £400 million boost for 2020-21

Refusal to release report on post-Brexit demand raises question of whether fee and loan arrangements will feature in UK-EU trade talks

Education portfolio demerged and ethnic tensions set to be inflamed as Muhyiddin announces cabinet

Student number controls on subject areas within institutions could be seen as ‘the most technically feasible’ option, policy expert predicts

Experts call for new prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin to separate universities from education portfolio and foster multiculturalism in senior HE levels

In city state’s budget, outdated mindsets and “elephants in the room” are out, Asian studies and travel are in 

Institution says it will take steps to ensure this does not happen in the future, after former home secretary was disinvited at the last minute

Emerging consensus on tackling costs may wither if students shun elections, some fear

Although his two stints as universities and science minister only added up to 400 days, Chris Skidmore has strong views about the challenges and opportunities that confront institutions as they are thrust to the forefront of the UK’s post-Brexit industrial strategy

Ex-minister also calls for ‘period of stability’ in English funding

Proposal aims to ‘propel the regeneration of manufacturing in the North and Scotland’, but Sheffield pushes back against calls to make centre independent

‘Highly effective’ research hub’s days are numbered, Australian estimates committee hears

We should not be apologising for the way the humanities have been used in the Trump era, but striving to harness their force, says Sara Guyer

Employers value higher and degree apprenticeships. Restricting access to them would be counterproductive, says Jane Longmore

After months of angry vows from the president, formal proposal limits scope and penalties but onlookers remain wary

Silence of academics allowing politicians to abandon pledges to back Horizon Europe funding in crunch talks, observers warn

Helping Americans understand and value science is vital to nation’s continued supremacy, conference hears

Proposal one of several put forward for higher education to bridge post-Brexit divides in UK

As the monumental follow-up to his best-selling Capital in the Twenty-First Century is published, the celebrated French economist speaks to Matthew Reisz about why a detailed historical analysis of inequality boosts the case for redistribution – and why academics should join the public debate

Cambridge representative Daniel Zeichner calls for ‘open discussion’ on university funding once leadership election is over

Experts question whether proposals to give chartered status to private institutions and encourage international branch campuses will deliver quality education  

The financial urge to allow Chinese students to begin the new university year must not trump public health concerns, says Salvatore Babones

Years into the MeToo era, half of nation’s provinces lack campus-specific policy

Billionaire’s detailed plan affirms broad party unity on key Trump vulnerability

With visiting academics’ visa offers suddenly being withdrawn or delayed, one professor says they are being ‘targeted’ by the US government