Opinion

A rising proportion of university applicants will have vocational qualifications. The sector must respond, says Mary Curnock Cook

Kevin Fong boldly takes science to pupils in post-Thatcher, post-Spock galaxies

The need to run a tight financial ship is important, but it cannot be the sole determiner of the shape of higher education

Gurminder Bhambra supports the students and staff contesting the hollowing-out of the University of Sussex’s collegial ideals

LSE director condemns BBC tactics over controversial Panorama documentary

European ombudsmen must share best practice to improve resolution of students’ grievances, advocates Rob Behrens

Improved procurement could be the secret to balancing the sector’s books in tough times, Nick Petford and Andy Davies suggest

Efficient and inclusive decision-making will help universities to gain the support of their communities, says Ferdinand von Prondzynski

Academic input would boost a neglected war museum, says Sally Feldman

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If the UK wishes its sector as a whole to be as well regarded as its elite stars, the right balance must be found in funding

Institutions have a delicate line to tread in being open about their organisations versus the pressures of competition

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The continent’s burgeoning economies could prove a major source of future student recruitment, says Marguerite Dennis

In an alternative universe, Christopher Bigsby is coining it in Vegas

Universities should vet research outputs before they get to the publishing (and scandal) stage, say Roger Watson and Mark Hayter

The UK must build work experience into higher education with the same vigour as it did in the 1950s, Quintin McKellar argues

Open-access terminology needs to be employed accurately, argues Cameron Neylon

Without a shot in the arm for commercial drug development, our science base will suffer, argues David Nutt

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The public-private balance of funding sources needs to be adjusted to protect the public interest, says Roger Brown

Alan Ryan considers a new method of governance

When pension pots are full, generosity would fit the zeitgeist better than salary top-ups

Attempts to crush dissent, silence alternative thinking and promote conformity jeopardise higher education’s future

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The sector should take the lead on the mooted national widening-participation framework, says Graeme Atherton

Despite hard times and fruitless protest, there is still power in a union, argues David Reed

Felipe Fernández-Armesto calls for clearer protocols in cases of suspected abuse

Steve Sarson’s first-years were tasked with a CV exercise on study time, so he reminded them of the alternatives to the market

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By providing moral and intellectual leadership, university heads will help to protect the bottom line

Sian Lawson extols the virtues of independence from the academy

A feud at the heart of the discipline is undermining efforts to build a unified science of humanity, warns Camilla Power

Venezuela’s revolution will not die with its leader, but will live on in its academy, says Mike Cole

Asia is the focus of new pathways to study, says Malcolm Gillies

A disastrous open-access policy lashes the promise of the digital age to an outmoded buggy of a model, laments Martin McQuillan