Academic life

France’s president responded to the gilets jaunes movement with a surprise plan to abolish the grande école ENA, reigniting debate about the country’s intensely hierarchical higher education system. John Morgan explores what lies behind the proposal and what it says about the role of exclusive institutions in a populist, anti-elitist age

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

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

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

Critical thinking is not enough. Students must be taught dynamics of social media, say Darren Linvill and Patrick Warren

Lennard Davis wonders whether activist academics have wrongly prioritised exuberantly bad behaviour over the hard graft of working for real change

A lecturer describes how her university failed to act when she was racially victimised by a student receiving mental health support

While insults fly on social media, student references can be excessively bland. Is society served by either?

Individuals should be able to choose their own work-life balance depending on their life situation and level of ambition, says Lee Cronin

Mounting workloads and mushrooming publication output are making the task of staying abreast of the latest developments in the literature ever more difficult for academics. Here, eight researchers reflect on their own approaches and offer their tips

Why are an ex-footballer’s views on the game worth so much while academic analysis of the news is worth nothing, asks Peter Wells

A significant minority of tenured faculty spend their lives undermining others when they could be working for progressive change, argues Douglas Dowland

John Brinnamoor’s floundering doggy-paddle is no match for the voracious jaws of his university’s antiquated data-gobblers 

Three scholars reflect on finding new purpose outside the academy

A Times Higher Education survey bears out the growing difficulty of finding time for research

Summer is upon northern hemisphere academics. But its cherished traditional identity as a time for intensive research is being challenged by the increasing obligations around teaching and administration that often crowd out research entirely during term time. So is the 40/40/20 workload model still sustainable? Respondents to a THE survey suggest not. Nick Mayo hears why

Leiden University acted unlawfully, a court has ruled, in using anonymous letter to discredit an applicant for a professorship

Those lucky established academics who want to help precarious colleagues would do better to pay for their lunch, says Sarah Burton

Michael Kosterlitz tells THE how colour blindness shaped his career and why Nobel winners shouldn’t be taken too seriously

The coach, Peter Brand, had accepted high home purchase price from applicant’s father

Human beings can only work at full capacity for so long before they become incapable of doing any work at all, says an anonymous university employee

Only a quarter of biology conferences set rules on attendee behaviour and penalties for misconduct are even rarer, study finds

We must create spaces, resources and communities where individuals and groups can achieve optimal health through everyday activities, says Alan Cromlish

Wolfgang Ketterle says scientists should aim instead for equilibrium in the longer term, and always keep other interests or hobbies

Starting again from scratch every October causes no end of stress, mix-ups and wasted time, says one hourly paid lecturer

Newly arrived undergraduates are typically too immature to be trusted with the conduct of their own lives, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto 

Disengaging from ‘whiteness’ is not alienating: it is an opportunity to reflect on why we are in academia in the first place, says William Barylo

Adam Ginsburg is fighting conference-induced lethargy by tackling high levels of carbon dioxide at academic gatherings – one window at a time

Three vice-chancellors get CBEs, as Anna Vignoles, Lee Elliot Major and Kevin Fong also among those honoured

The serious-minded pursuit of knowledge is not incompatible with an enjoyment of some rather more popular pursuits. Six academics talk about their passion for a topic conspicuous by its absence from the scholarly literature 

A different environment can do wonders for a person; might universities feel a similar refreshment when the UK’s political landscape settles down again?

As summer approaches in the northern hemisphere, six academics give their personal guides to their favourite vacation destinations 

Academics call for development of clear policies on misconduct, and lifetime bans for offenders

Lincoln Allison may have lived through the glory days of academic publishing, but he still wonders whether the countless hours he spent writing his 14 moderately successful tomes would have been better spent on the tennis court

Transparency, plentiful leadership opportunities and the need for self-motivation all benefit blue-collar scholars, says Thomas Anker

Hepi report ties increase to mounting workloads and performance management

Colleagues’ failure to fully grasp the more hostile lived reality for EU nationals post-referendum is furthering alienation, says Jawiria Naseem

The literature expert on online abuse, decolonising the curriculum and Cambridge’s role in the slave trade

Kirkuk hosted students from seven closed universities in captured territory, providing refuge from horror of executions and alternative to fighting for jihadists

Study finds university staff who do up to 10 additional hours each week are more satisfied with their job, but doing more than this has a significant adverse effect

Successful publish-or-perish operators should look in the mirror before writing their next diatribe about marketisation, says Mike Marinetto

Be kind, be constructive and go easy on the free booze, conference veterans advise new and returning attendees

Neil Dagnall and Ken Drinkwater tell Matthew Reisz about the rare pleasures of teaching and researching belief in ghosts, alien abductions and conspiracy theories

New reports uncover widespread gossip, harassment, verbal abuse and ‘scientific sabotage’ in Dutch universities – with women particularly affected

Facilitating flexible working hours and showing gratitude towards team members are among the musts for all labs, according to Fernando Maestre

Higher Education Policy Institute says it is ‘shocking’ that no such dataset exists

International conferences are a huge boon to academics, allowing them to hear about new findings, make new connections and, above all, enjoy the physical manifestation of their virtual global community. But is all that footfall worth the huge carbon footprint it leaves? Joanna Kidman is increasingly unsure 

A small but engaged audience for his reminiscences convinced John Brinnamoor that the future is in safe hands

University sees valuable outreach in letting school pupils use library – but critics claim it is being used as a ‘play centre’

They are full of self-esteem and love social media yet crave high grades and safe spaces. What to make of today’s students? asks Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Study finds evidence of widespread, worldwide corruption in HE and lack of action from quality assurance bodies to stop it

Some institutions now follow the model, but experts question whether it will benefit a sector where 24/7 culture is ingrained

Friendly competition can push us all to do better. But when the competitiveness that fuels excellence and prestige becomes based in the logic of the market, universities lose sight of their true purpose, writes Kathleen Fitzpatrick

The recent death of politics academic David Held left Alix Dietzel shocked and guilty. Why did no one warn her she could feel like that?

Those on the ground are often able to recognise the folly of supposed efficiency measures imposed from on high, writes Peter Barry

Robert MacIntosh considers how university staff should approach the management merry-go-round of vice-chancellors, pro vice-chancellors and department heads

A lack of accountability can permit a toxic culture to linger unchecked, says one former employee, who was the victim of antisemitism

New association will seek to tackle class-based barriers prevalent in academia, says chair

Stronger attention to student mental health appears to overlook need among teachers

A large world-class university may eclipse a less renowned neighbour, but an education ecosystem rich in diversity can benefit all in the area