Opinion

Revelations that a Chinese university suspended an academic for ‘moral misconduct’ provoked weeks of online controversy

The volatility of current affairs means that the old certainties about how to identify receptive markets are gone, says Anna Esaki-Smith

Time, money, planning and monitoring are key to improving standards, say Eric Fredua-Kwarteng and Samuel Kwaku Ofosu 

Duncan Ross outlines what’s new for the 2020 edition of the University Impact Rankings and how universities can get involved 

More action needs to be taken to confront the toxicity around academic research and job precariousness, argue five academics

Steps are being taking to improve faculty diversity, but real progress requires a long-term commitment to a holistic approach, argues Lee Hedgepeth

As student numbers pass the 50 per cent mark, it is more important than ever to promote the value of HE, and counter perceptions that more means worse

Academic lawyers have helped to resolve legal puzzles, but wider engagement can be demanding and ineffective, says Kenneth Armstrong

Universities should offer a safety net for recent graduates forced into menial work by financial circumstances, says Roy Celaire

Stronger ties between educators and companies will be essential if humans are to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution, says Adenekan Dedeke

Improved citation performance amid falling funding is the result of gaming, say Alberto Baccini, Eugenio Petrovich and Giuseppe De Nicolao

Open access requirements for arts, humanities and social sciences need to reflect the distinctive nature of those disciplines, writes Sarah Kember

Universities should offer residence halls that support students’ socialising rather than expensive luxury-style apartments, argue Fred Volk and Joshua Brown 

Are distance learning programmes still a profitable and academically beneficial pursuit for universities? Neil Kemp asks

Obama’s election supposedly heralded a ‘post-racial’ era, yet inequalities persist for the black community. Today, HBCUs have lessons for us all

Universities rightly make every effort to protect learners’ feelings. But what about teachers’ feelings, asks Alice Wickenden 

Spaces can energise or demotivate. Using them to nurture well-being should be seen as an investment not a cost, says Derek Clements-Croome

History suggests that universities will lure students with the chance to repay fees via post-graduation work, says Peter Brady

A cross-continental push to improve Europe’s best universities will make them more globally competitive, says Jan Palmowski

Encouraging students to adopt active lifestyles alongside traditional mental health treatments could help to improve outcomes, says Jem Spectar

Academics need to be more aware of this most insidious form of bullying, say Bailey Sousa and Alex Clark

Major advances in our ability to acquire data on human health mean we now need to equip biomedical engineers with data science skills, says Frederick Epstein 

Universities’ international experience is a boost to knowledge transfer beyond national borders, says Baiba Pētersone

Eddie West outlines a method for disrupting commissions-based international student recruitment to higher education institutions

Universities have a responsibility to prepare students for an uncertain future, 11 scholars from around the world argue

Universities should be engines that drive social well-being and mobility, but this noble purpose can so easily be hampered by inappropriate incentives

Helping students with mental health issues requires an approach that teaches them resilience, argues Frank Haber

The international, multicultural attitudes vital for living and working in diverse environments can be developed without travelling abroad, writes Elspeth Jones

Caring duties and environmental responsibility do not signify a lack of commitment to scholarship, says Danielle George

The iconic dictionary’s misogynist descriptions of female genitalia were ripe for revision, say Emma Rees and Ellie Stedall

Students’ needs are as diverse as their backgrounds but all of them deserve to be recognised and supported, writes Julie Allen

Monica Jitareanu and Agnes Leyrer reflect on the fight for academic freedom as the university moves from Budapest

A new humanities-based major focused on how global commerce, businesses and societies shape one another points the way forward, says Karen E. Spierling

President Bolsonaro’s education cuts and opposition to racial quotas will hit current policies, says Marry Ferreira

Discipline-based educational research can challenge academics to think about their fields in new ways and can deliver unique benefits to learners, write five scholars

Higher education is about more than giving graduates an earnings boost, but institutions should be able to detail such returns among evidence of their many contributions to society, argues Anna Vignoles

Gender studies is becoming a dangerous field in Latin America and Europe. This has implications for the fight for gender equality everywhere, says Sally Gimson 

Greater links between universities, the government, entrepreneurs and charities will help tackle social inequalities in Hong Kong, writes Jeff Streeter 

Encouraging Chinese students to access non-Chinese media sources can ease fears of systematic bias, says Tao Zhang

Using free online teaching materials instead of textbooks lessens student debt and sparks pedagogical innovation, says Steven Murphy

A policy to recruit genuinely the brightest and best students would have to look beyond revenue maximisation

Judith Lamie argues that the impact of the UK’s newly reinstated post-study work visa shouldn’t be measured in just pounds and pence

Lennard Davis’ recent THE article was wrong to dismiss the utility of subversion, says David Palumbo-Liu

It is unfair and dangerous that, unlike academics, researchers in the private sector operate with no ethical oversight, says Ron Iphofen

Free of Communist-era secretiveness, the new president might be willing to tackle abuses of power on campus, says Ararat Osipian

Colonial hangovers and political interference are holding back India’s large public universities, says Saikat Majumdar

The pursuit of impact remains controversial, but it has opened doors to more varied careers, says Andrew McRae

Underinvesting in universities in the face of international competition and political upheaval will be to countries’ social and economic detriment

Incorporating the UN’s SDGs and updating the citations measure will ensure our data remain as relevant and accurate as possible, writes Duncan Ross

Brexit, domestic funding threats and declining public trust could conspire to undermine a critical national asset, says Louise Richardson

The rankings are a collaborative global effort, and all who contribute deserve thanks, says Phil Baty

Historic prompts on how to keep overbearing expectations at arm’s length should be taken up by modern academics, says Michael Marinetto

International students want to know that they are studying in a country that can set them up for a successful career, says Seema Kennedy

Universities are well placed to collaborate on achieving sustainable cities, gender equality, healthy oceans and global partnerships, says Santa Ono

Recent clashes over Hong Kong and Tiananmen Square have strained universities’ diplomatic sinews, says Roger Smyth

Strong decision-making and a focus on culture enabled a rapid shift in the performance of an Australian behemoth, says Michael Spence

A new survey of employers raises questions about the labour market value of higher degrees, says Tristram Hooley

Steven Beschloss and Gaymon Bennett argue for academics to take their role as public intellectuals to the next phase, one that is personal, engaging and responsive to the problems of the day

A Jisc survey of librarians reveals confusion and discontent with publishers’ access costs. Peter Findlay offers tips for negotiating better deals

With responsible research and innovation at the heart of its mission, TUM is investing and adapting to meet society’s needs, says Thomas Hofmann