Politics

The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media

MPs criticises government, which would have recouped £1.7 billion sale price in just eight years’ repayments

Officials give GSM green light for public funding despite knowing of its financial worries, while ministers ‘refuse to back public universities’

‘Aspiration is not enough’, says Sir Paul Nurse of goal to spend 2.4 per cent of GDP on R&D

Scholars subject to ‘threats’ and arrests in the wake of Jair Bolsonaro’s presidential victory

‘Cost recovery’ levy defies logic, institutions argue

After consultation, proposals set to go to Parliamentary vote

New regulations outlined by Trump officials would hand stronger rights in some areas to those facing sexual misconduct complaints on college campuses

Call for university funding to be tied to institutions’ role in their local communities

Minister’s intervention self-defeating, representative body claims

Government claims universities are neglecting the regions, as relations continue to fracture

If those researching topics disliked by politicians can’t make a living in universities, scholarship will be impoverished, says Mark Steven

If access to European research funding is to be maintained, more UK research universities need to forge formal links with EU institutions, says Peter Coveney

The UK’s Commons Education Committee has surveyed many issues, but its simple-minded approach is largely unhelpful, says Andrew McRae  

Association of Colleges head says new route should be coupled with ‘limit’ on number of students taking bachelor’s degrees

While universities warn of ‘heavy-handed external regulation’, choice of reviewer is unlikely to raise objections

Opposition urges jilted researchers to try again

In what could become a model for the rest of the country, Corvinus University of Budapest will have to rely on tuition fees and endowment interest

Democrat gains may not convert into legislative wins for higher education, lobbyist warns

European governments urged to consider banning certain nationals from working on sensitive technology on national security grounds

Ardent pro-European calls for government to ‘go back to the people’

Andrei Volkov says rankings are only part of the initiative, alongside improved culture and diversity

Academic says unpredictable visa refusals ‘damage’ students and the country’s higher education reputation

If businesses regard upskilling their middle managers as a high priority, universities should not be criticised for meeting that need, says Alec Cameron

Political efforts to silence academic critics are unlikely to end despite clarification that universities are not obliged to ban them, says Pushkar

Voters back increases in university spending in series of local ballots

Leaks suggesting plans to lower fees could chime with government agenda on tackling cross-subsidy

Office for Students chair says institutions must be ‘better at managing their affairs’ after reports that some are in financial trouble

Response to row over vetoing of humanities grants could result in curiosity-driven scholarship being pushed out

Education Committee calls for radical reshaping of higher education towards ‘flexible’ model, and for breakdowns of how fees are spent

Sector representatives sceptical of ‘kickstarter’ spending

Academics express anxiety about ultimate reach of proposed policy tying gender to birth

The University of South Australia’s merger with its prestigious Adelaide neighbour may be off, but the fact that it was even considered illustrates how much can change in 30 years, says Adam Graycar

Latest tweaks to Australian research grant rules will just add to paperwork, critics say

Department tasks KPMG with surveying universities on their teaching costs, in work for Augar review

Canadian university leader said he would be ‘worried’ if he were at an institution in the province 

Education minister refuses to rule out future interventions in grant awarding process

Scholar says Western students may be more reluctant to study in Taiwan, but others question China’s influence on overseas student flows 

Authoritarian populist governments prevent bloc from taking action to protect academic freedom, say scholars

Donald Trump’s election prompted US scientific leaders to get more of their own into public office. However, as the midterm elections loom, progress on bringing analytical skills into the political arena looks like being very slow, writes Paul Basken

UK universities ‘engaged in intensive planning’ for no-deal Brexit impact across range of activities

Uclan role in Preston Model sheds light on what a Labour government could mean for universities, beyond the fees pledge

Frances Arnold says she feels ‘deeply distressed’ by public mistrust of science

Boosts to numbers of poor and black students entering university overseen by Workers’ Party candidate Fernando Haddad could unravel if right-wing populist becomes president, writes Stephanie Reist

Women and Equalities Committee call for UK to follow US Title IX example, accusing government, regulators and institutions of ‘passing the buck’

Government says rules on conduct of civil servants should apply to scholars at central universities

King’s College London scholar says that ‘a growing tide’ of academics now recognise that scientific meetings can no longer be held in the US

Government support for rural university initiative may not get it across the line

The withdrawal of funding for Ontario’s basic income pilot highlights the perils of working on politically funded research, says Evelyn Forget

Oxford professor and inequality scholar predicts English universities may be forced to orient themselves towards towns and cities

The trial beginning on Monday in Boston will assess whether Harvard’s admissions policies discriminate against Asian-Americans in favour of black applicants

Recruitment experts say visa and safety concerns ‘spell trouble for all but the highest-ranked American institutions’

Ahead of Brexit, country’s plight highlights vulnerability of countries that associate to the bloc’s framework programmes

A landmark analysis of several government data sets will help policymakers make more effective interventions, says Roger Smyth

Rise of right-winger Jair Bolsonaro sparks concerns over freedom of speech as well as the financial hardships facing universities

Study raises questions about merit of government-driven improvement schemes

Details of proposals to be set out in coming months

If academics object to students’ intended destinations, they have a right not to write, says David Palumbo-Liu

More Democrat candidates than ever running on some kind of free college plan, but there are splits within party

Universities minister continues campaign on campus free speech at Tory conference