Opinion

University systems are born from unique historical and social traditions but can be categorised under three coherent models, according to Samuel Martín-Barbero and Adrian Monck

After 12 years, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has begun the second phase of operations and is intent on influencing China's higher education system, says executive president Youmin Xi

As the EU’s proposals for its Horizon Europe research funding framework near publication, the UK must commit to playing a full role, says Paul Boyle

Calling on women and non-white people to speak first in class has a noble aim, but there are better alternatives, says James Kierstead

Politicians and social media warriors could learn a lesson from the ‘ivory towers’ they are so quick to deride: plurality and exchange of ideas are good things

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The new UK home secretary must reinstate workers’ right to participate in industrial action regardless of national origin, says Shreya Atrey

The Migration Advisory Committee’s survey was so poorly framed that any data would have been unusable, so how was it even approved? asks Tanja Bueltmann

Only through disagreement and dispute can we establish what we value most in teaching, argues Paul Ashwin  

Postdoc Boukje Cnossen shares some tips to navigate the subtle cultural differences between European countries that can loom large when you’re looking for a job 

Norway is the second-most gender-equal country in the world, yet its higher education system fails to attract and retain female talent, say members of the Young Academy of Norway

Anxiety is being used as a tactic of governance to fuel productiveness and obedience among academics, argues Vik Loveday

Using a pseudonym, barrister Daniel Sokol puts an essay mill to the test 

Institutions, research funding bodies and publishers must all work together to change the system in the interest of advancing research, says Steven Inchcoombe

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While it is important to reassess behaviour and power dynamics through a post-Weinstein lens, it is harder to make the case for deleting work from the academic record

If his late-night photos of the senior common room Christmas party made it into wider circulation, John Brinnamoor would be a dead man

Critics of his initiative to make the University of Buckingham drugs-free are missing the point about the power of education, says Anthony Seldon

With the consultation now closed, Philip Augar’s review of English post-18 education must begin the hard work of devising substantial but cost-effective proposals, says Andy Westwood 

Gathering intellectual antagonists under the same roof contains the incendiary electricity of controversy and redirects it to generate sparks of new knowledge, says Carel Stolker

Simply adding an ‘open access’ option to the existing prestige-based journal system at ever increasing costs is not the fundamental change publishing needs, says Bianca Kramer and Jeroen Bosman 

The nationwide American College Application Campaign has helped half a million students apply to college by giving them access to the experts, says Melissa Caperton

Mark Walport, CEO of the newly formed UK Research and Innovation, lays out the organisation’s plan to ensure society benefits from the ideas and knowledge it aims to generate

The point of the lecture is to present students with the information they need in an entertaining and structured narrative, says Michael Merrifield

Without understanding how feedback operates, it is difficult for students to appreciate but connecting it to high grades could attract them, says David Carless 

The partnership between VinGroup and Cornell to establish a world-class university in Vietnam has many challenges to overcome, starting with gaining the trust of local students and parents, argues Matthew D. Edward

After tweeting an anecdote of an academic responding to her email the same day as their child was born, Rachael Pells was surprised by the response from other academics on Twitter

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The new remit for the Higher Education Standards Panel flags up various regulatory issues that the minister wants to see addressed, says Gavin Moodie

Overseas students’ academic potential is hobbled if their English does not far exceed current thresholds, says Danijela Trenkic

That the role of higher education is so often misunderstood or misportrayed, even in institutions, means much good work goes unremarked

The demands of the job take their toll, but rigorous application of the smell test can limit the damage, say Stephen Joel Trachtenberg and Francine Trachtenberg

Convincing universities to divest from fossil fuels and use only green energy is a better strategy, says Thomas Smith

The US president’s rhetoric against Latin America has deterred the region’s brightest students, which will benefit its universities, says J. Salvador Peralta

Abu Dhabi’s forward-thinking policies for higher education have already borne fruit, and point towards a bright future for the UAE, says Tod A. Laursen

China is supporting an elite group of universities to achieve world-class status. But this strategy will create a new set of problems, says Ka Ho Mok

We’ve dropped the term ‘BRICS’ not to disparage any country’s feats but rather to recognise an expanding world of strength and diversity, says Phil Baty

Professors Autonomy, Mastery and Meaning hold characteristics beneficial for any academic they supervise, but they also have drawbacks, says Peter Francis 

Based on her satirical attacks on the Prince of Wales’ bravado and immaturity, the author would have plenty to say about the current US president, says Jocelyn Harris

Quality creative graduates can bring desirable skills to any organisation including media literacy and data analysis, argues Lisette Johnston 

Providing quality feedback to members of the public who contribute to academic research will improve the researcher-public relationship and the quality of the work, says Elspeth Mathie

The doggedness required to complete a PhD is underappreciated by non-academic employers and graduates themselves, Jeremy Wolos argues

With millions of young people needing skills for a modern economy, the country is seeking to make bespoke reforms to overhaul its rote-based education system, says David Smith

Objections to the suppression of ‘sensitive’ articles should not be based on outmoded claims about consumption, says Michel Hockx

Relatively liberal eras cannot restrain subsequent authoritarian regimes, but we can teach societies to see through propaganda, writes Paul Jump

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Whichever parties form the new Italian government, higher education and research are unlikely to be priorities, says Davide Donina

Schemes asking us to transform our workplaces in the name of equality, diversity and inclusivity are failing. It’s time to hold our institutions to account, says Rebecca Harrison

Embracing immersive content would aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together, argue Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan 

Sajid Javid’s career shows the power of UK higher education – he should work to ensure that more young people can follow in his footsteps, says John Latham

Looking at past trends, Rahul Choudaha predicts the motivations and expectations of the next wave of global students

Ahead of the British Council's Going Global conference in Malaysia, Simon Baker shows how local impact data could unlock new perspectives on global higher education

Once a key tool in expanding a nation's soft power, knowledge diplomacy must now be used to address our most pressing global issues, Jo Beall says

As Malaysian politicians flirt with fee-free higher education, our Asia-Pacific editor John Ross, reflects on how promises of free tuition are often at the detriment of more useful policy

This should be the new mantra for researchers in a post-Facebook world, argues Andy Turner 

The university lecture should be seen as a special form of human encounter, argue Amanda Fulford and Áine Mahon

Staff qualifications deserve greater weighting in the overall assessment of teaching excellence, argues Geoff Stoakes

Better recognition of the wider social benefits of both teaching and research would help universities regain public goodwill, says Nick Petford 

Thirty years on from the start of the push to get more girls into science, the sense of urgency and commitment is waning, says Karen Russ

Higher education institutions are vital not just to research and economic growth but also to ensuring the health of liberal democracy on the continent