Opinion

Rigorously and open-mindedly exploring ‘what if’ questions is more necessary than ever in a troubled world, say Brian Ball and Patrycja Kaszynska

The challenges facing the planet can seem overwhelming, but a landmark THE event in Bangkok heard reasons for optimism amid the maelstrom

UK universities’ image is better than many in the sector suppose, but we should be wary of being seen as profit-obsessed, says Bobby Duffy

Expanding the pool of candidates for an unpaid but significant commitment is hard, but there are rich rewards for both sides, says Kim Frost

Too many academics who have lost their motivation mid-career abuse a system that is often unable or unwilling to confront them, says Brian Bloch

We need, instead, to develop structures that allow everyone to flourish, both academically and as parents, says Eleanor Palser

Departments can no longer be singularly tied to their mathematical and engineering foundations, focused only on what can be built, says Beth Mynatt

It is surely not Gradgrindian to ask whether a subject can do without a corpus of factual knowledge and still expect students to study it, says Colin Swatridge

Perhaps AI will be a useful tool. But our obsession with every shiny new object regardless of the harm it might do makes me worry, says Melinda Zook

The less rigorous oversight of foundation courses at private providers poses a risk to the UK’s reputation for quality, says Zahid Naz

As data becomes ever more central to policy and commerce, its creation demands closer scrutiny, say Cristina Alaimo and Jannis Kallinikos

More universities are adopting green financing. Their approaches must have verifiable outcomes and complement institutions’ overall strategies, says Anton Muscatelli  

More nuanced data could help tease out why some disadvantaged students manage to buck the trend and overperform, says Nikolai Elkins

Our public exhibition on maths’ global origins aims to stimulate discussion about decolonisation and inclusion, says John Armstrong  

Some right-wing politicians seem to view a university collapse as a prize to be fought for. But in reality, a disorderly exit would be disastrous for all

If universities won’t cover immigration costs, they must at least help applicants make informed decisions about coming, says Tanja Wingenbach

The colleges need to remember their medieval origins and act with greater shared purpose, says Simon Ravenscroft

Limiting sustainability courses to a subset of interested students will no longer work, warns Alison Taylor, as she shares how to prepare the next generation of business leaders

Like any system, academia is filled with structures and hierarchies that impede action plans to create gender equality, says Caron Gentry

The Universities Accord’s call for full funding is vital to avoid over-reliance on hazardous overseas relationships, says Brendan Walker-Munro

Reversing the gains made by the protests against a woman’s death in police custody could see the nation erupt again, says Roohola Ramezani

The UK needs a skills strategy that values the full variety of training and education pathways and reflects regional needs, says Neal Juster

Undermining universities offering degrees to fund apprenticeships is poor policy. Here are some better ones, says Paul Baines