University governance

University pulls move to consider ‘other traditions of academic freedom’ in overseas partnerships after outcry

A new HE system based on the UK model should ‘promote rather than regulate’ universities 

The government must guarantee the sustainability of universities, say Richard Watermeyer, Aline Courtois and Hugh Lauder

Six months of devastating and unprecedented destruction has brought home the reality of climate change to many Australians. But with time for mitigation short and some politicians still in denial, what more can universities do to save the ‘lucky country’ – and the rest of the planet? John Ross reports

Coronavirus crisis may make institutions more eager to please to students, but ‘tensions’ already in evidence

Swift decisions are needed on contact hours, attendance and assessment, says Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan 

Death of legendary Australian educator recalls missed opportunity to integrate tertiary education

‘Levelling up’ research spending may imperil regional universities’ sustainability, warn Grace Gottlieb and Graeme Reid 

Campuses see economic woes mounting, but full assault on Covid-19 more urgent

How a young institution in a tiny Japanese city created the country’s first fully bilingual campus 

Holistic sustainability concept meshes with ‘moral purpose’ of institution in Melbourne’s unfashionable west

OfS decision to block loan access at Bloomsbury Institute over quality concerns was lawful, court says

The sudden closure of university campuses across China and elsewhere has necessitated the virtual delivery of vast numbers of courses. And while there have been inevitable teething problems, observers are wondering whether the future might just have become the present. Joyce Lau reports

Governing bodies play an important role in universities, but how can institutions ensure they are functioning at full capacity?

Universities are wrong to assume that they are entitled to use recordings of lecturers however they please, says Robert Cluley

Funding designed around a ‘false premise’ that every university is research-intensive, says Nobel laureate

Capital set to become more crowded, as territory government greenlights sixth campus

Abuse of anonymity is damaging for both academics and students. It should lead to serious consequences, says Stefan Cantore

Shutdown of northern institutions already in its second week

Review cites repeated failures to help thousands during decades of assaults, despite presence of credible evidence

Even women with identical performance ratings to men suffer large pay deficits. This must be fixed, say Ann Brower and Alex James

Removing biases in the system may not be enough to achieve a truly equal gender balance, says Sun Young Lee 

Sydney v-c says upcoming move to London ‘made more interesting’ by uncertainty around city’s global position 

Virginia leader sees lesson in companies vowing social concern

Mary Beard’s recent admission that she is a ‘mug’ who works 100 hours a week caused a Twitter storm. But how hard is it reasonable for academics to work? Who should decide? And should the mugs be obliged to keep quiet? Seven academics have their say

Legal scholar to return to UK to succeed Michael Arthur in January 2021

Coventry University’s endeavours notwithstanding, other international education initiatives are more sustainable, say Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit

Scottish Funding Council review condemns how bumper payments to secure ‘orderly exit’ of Sir Ian Diamond were awarded

South African political geographer to succeed Baroness Amos in January 2021

Vice-provost for education will replace Alan Langlands at Yorkshire university

The UK’s structures for supporting and nurturing research leaders are woefully underdeveloped, says Matthew Flinders

Ed Byrne warns Office for Students could be creating a model where university leaders have less freedom

Australian university promises ‘carbon negative’ footprint as v-c reflects on a summer of fire, ice and virus

Why is there so little concern about the catastrophic decline in part-time adult learners in England? asks John Butcher

Fallout over claims related to a £200 million development project continues

Academics are key to lifting public engagement with climate change and stopping the spread of nonsense passing as news, says David Lloyd

With careers riding on young scientists’ position in author lists, friction is all too common. A snowballing initiative to list authors’ contributions aims to make sure credit is always given where it is due. But will it be enough to ease the angst? Jack Grove is first author

About 180 students affected by turmoil at Richmond, the American University of London, with some having travelled to the UK before learning of problems

There is evidence of success in changing attitudes, but effects on admissions remain woefully under-explored, says David Robinson

The ‘transvestite potter’ is used to creating a stir, but is his freewheeling approach a benefit or a curse when it comes to being a university chancellor? And should art schools still tolerate students like him? Matthew Reisz fires the questions

Internal documents reveal rapid shift to South Asia in Australian university’s international operations

Complaint to Charity Commission alleges that funding to university was suspended, but foundation chair rejects claims as ‘without merit’

As we enter REF submission year, Nicholas Stern and David Sweeney urge universities to broaden their conception of a good submission

Apparently benign aspirations have their historical origins in concern about high levels of admission of certain minorities, says Kate Eichhorn

Questioning the BBC’s agenda in highlighting the problem in Ghana and Nigeria does not make it any less serious, says Eric Fredua-Kwarteng

IE University in Madrid wanted to grow so, in a crowded city, it decided to build upwards

Catholic institution hires TEQSA chief executive who led QAA and Ucas

Overseeing an Athena SWAN application convinced an anonymous academic that if tasks cannot be properly resourced, they should not be attempted at all

The analogy has lessons for both higher education institutions and the bodies that oversee them, says Richard Oliver

Universities are relieved the Greens have replaced the far right, but see challenges ahead over their management and comprehensive subject mix

Perth university offers concession ‘in the spirit of moving towards a resolution’ with Gerd Schröder-Turk

The blessing of big data can be a curse without resources for analysis. But how much computerised help do we really want, asks Kristen Sadler

Former US secretary of state hails ‘strong relationship’ with Northern Ireland institution

Rachel Kyte’s previous roles in supra-national bodies make the new dean of Tufts University’s Fletcher School of international relations determined to see the academy play its part in rescuing multilateralism and addressing climate change, writes John Gill

The apparently political murder of an undergraduate at a top Bangladeshi university by other students has stunned a nation, writes Nahid Neazy

Figures on English governing body members collated by former HEI head suggest some progress on gender, but less on ethnic minorities

UUK vice-president heading back Down Under after five years in Northern Ireland

Tim Blackman also sees green shoots for part-time higher education in Wales that could nourish revival in England

The season of goodwill is upon us once more. But in an era of hyper-competition, does academic kindness extend beyond passing round the nuts at the departmental Christmas party? Six scholars recount their own tales of collegiate benevolence

Being transparent about the existence of poor-quality provision is essential if we are to tackle it effectively, says Nicola Dandridge