News from THE

Abertay appoints new principal

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Abertay Dundee has appointed a new vice-chancellor and principal almost a year after the previous head of the institution left amid a row over his retirement.

Campus Review: Redundancies reduced at Sydney

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Jennifer Bennett for Campus Review

Campaign launched to challenge EPSRC 'diktats'

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The head of a new protest group campaigning for reform of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has called for its chief executive, David Delpy, to take action or step down.

Thinktank attacks 'perverse incentive' on overseas students

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Including students in net migration statistics creates a “perverse incentive” for the government to drive down foreign student numbers even though this does relatively little to cut long-term immigration, a report has argued.

Side effects? Nobody said anything about side effects…

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers into complementary and alternative medicine are disregarding “basic rules of publication ethics” by routinely failing to report the potentially serious side effects of treatments, an academic has claimed.

Inside Higher Ed: Playing Politics With Poli Sci

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Doug Lederman for Inside Higher Ed

It’s good to talk: poll points to wise counsel

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost 60 per cent of graduates who received counselling at university say it played a vital role in supporting their academic work, a poll has found.

Matchmakers invited to share £100 million research partnership pot

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities will be able to bid for up to £35 million in matched public funding for major research capital projects as part of a new programme, the government has announced.

Aberdeen decides against alternative medicine chair

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A university has decided against a controversial proposal to establish a chair in a brand of alternative medicine that advocates mistletoe as a cure for cancer.

UK is 10th among best global environments for universities

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The UK has been placed 10th in a ranking of the world’s best higher education systems, with the US topping the list.

Keep health checks for all, Hefce tells quality consultation

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Funding body would prefer to retain full reviews for every institution. John Morgan reports

Oversight of private providers is introduced as state-funded loans soar

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Ministers have introduced a system of "due diligence checks" for private higher education providers, it has emerged, as new figures show that the number of their students accessing state-funded loans has nearly doubled in a year.

Cambridge leader: going for growth will harm long-term contributions

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Economic benefits are 'by-products' of teaching and research, says Sir Leszek. Elizabeth Gibney writes

Elite play game of thrones with no fear of secession

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Unity confirmed, but Russell Group's new chair will have to deal with Gove. John Morgan reports

REF may push players towards open goal

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

But publishers dismiss Willetts' suggestion as not a 'game changer'. Paul Jump reports

Scholar's paper doesn't add up

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'No scientific content' the sticking point as second mathematics treatise is retracted. Paul Jump writes

Unicorns and sex? Out of this world

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed scholarship takes on demons and ghosts. Matthew Reisz prepares for an encounter

Pianist wants comeback as review hits bum notes

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Middlesex fellow faces 'Kafkaesque' scenario over failure to win Follow-on cash. Paul Jump writes

German leaders, not students, reject charges

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Opposition to tuition fees among German students is waning as they reap the benefits of extra educational funds, a conference has heard.

Tasty morsels on the social science menu

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Leading social scientists are distilling some of their biggest ideas into an easily digestible series of podcast interviews.

That'll tide us over: how overseas students help the bottom line

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This graph, from a Higher Education Statistics Agency report, shows how institutions in the four nations of the UK rely on very different types of student for their tuition fee income.

Scholar lost in desert of despair guided by beacon of hope to oasis

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Matthew Reisz meets a refugee academic given new life, just like the one saved by THE readers' support

It is the East, and Rising Sun is the new object of affection

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jack Grove reports from Tokyo on De Montfort's canny cultural diplomacy

KAUST head to underline role in job creation

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The president of a flagship research university in Saudi Arabia will emphasise his institution's role in creating jobs for the country's burgeoning youth population in the Higher Education Policy Institute's annual lecture.

Sea turtles homing in on China must swim against academic tide

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Scholars returning after years in Western universities can struggle to assimilate. Carolynne Wheeler writes

Campus round-up

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University of St Andrews

News in brief

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Australia

News in brief

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Patent protection

Odds and quads

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

These signed drawings of pigs, many of them dated between 1903 and 1910, are held in the archives of the Royal Northern College of Music.

The week in higher education

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• A former MI6 man has become the UK's oldest recorded graduate after gaining his third degree at the age of 90, The Independent reported. Bertie Gladwin took a master's in intelligence history at the University of Buckingham, specialising...

Raising the tone

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A university was the venue for an aerial concert by brass players from the Lancashire Sinfonietta. Five of the musicians donned hard hats and harnesses to scale the climbing wall at Lancaster University to play excerpts from the James Bond...

Hefce: let’s keep a closer eye on overseas collaborations

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities’ overseas activities should come under closer scrutiny in the new risk-based quality assurance regime, England’s funding council has proposed.

Queen’s Speech signals libel law ‘guided by public interest, not powerful interests’

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

But still no sign of higher education bill. Simon Baker and David Matthews report

Campus Review: Conflicts of interest are not transparent, Australian study finds

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Susan Woodward for Campus Review

Newport vice-chancellor to step down

Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The vice-chancellor of the University of Wales, Newport, is to resign from his post for personal reasons at the end of this academic year.

Inside Higher Ed: Tragedy, flexibility, graduation

Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Mitch Smith for Inside Higher Ed

Scholars challenge OUP’s standards

Mon, 7 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A group of leading scholars has presented a petition to Oxford University Press calling on the renowned publisher to uphold what it describes as “basic scholarly standards”.

Bologna not to taste of German critics

Sun, 6 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Reforms instigated by the Bologna Process are damaging German universities and producing lower-quality graduates, a conference has heard.

Complex bursaries and waivers leave students on ‘cliff edge’

Sat, 5 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The different means-tested bursary and fee-waiver schemes introduced by universities to mitigate the impact of higher tuition fees on poorer students will create “further complexity”, including “cliff edges” where support disappears at particular...

‘Wanderlust’ is the key factor for studying abroad

Fri, 4 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost a quarter of students and school-leavers in the UK intend to study abroad, with the main motivators being a desire for adventure, plans for an international career or financial worries about pursuing university at home, a survey has...

Rally round the ring fence - the budget battle is not over

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sector prepares to repel raids on research budgets as spending review looms. Paul Jump writes

Marginal incentive: coalition 'blinks first in game of chicken'

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Fees could rise at lower end as pool shrinks, while ABB allows expansion at top. David Matthews writes

UUK chief denies backing private Fair fees scheme

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The president of Universities UK floated proposals for uncapped tuition fees to be paid by private investors in return for a proportion of a graduate's salary, it has emerged.

I don't see a plan at all, Lampl says

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Government's confused and 'negative' social mobility strategy attacked. Rachel Williams writes

Disgruntled ex-lecturer and his muse show stomach for a fight

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sarah Cunnane on the former Kingston employee taking terpsichorean aim at a 'circle of corruption'

Collegiate Million+ leader seeks to tap potential and stimulate economy

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For Patrick McGhee, appointed last week as chair of the Million+ group of new universities, widening participation boils down to some fundamental principles about society.

'Univer-cities' told to learn some home truths

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Although universities are in an excellent position to drive economic growth in their regions, too few institutions see it as a priority, according to a thinktank.

'Death-defying' or 'death-denying'? Scholars probe our holidays in hell

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Institute will study the appeal of death-camp tours and kitsch tourist traps. Matthew Reisz reports

Have it our way, NI tells its sector

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Institutions get targets on 'economic relevance', income and dropout rates. David Matthews writes

Exeter means business with rich pickings for City types

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

REF and students' desire for insider insights spur career-switch scheme. David Matthews reports

Signs of the Times

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A dozen of the huge LED advertising screens in New York's Times Square are coordinating for the first time to bring video art created by an academic at the University for the Creative Arts to millions of people. The project, organised by...

Willetts pledges partial grant to encourage overseas study

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Minister keen to improve global mobility ranking, but students will face costs. Matthew Reisz writes

I want scholar-leaders, not corporate managers, v-c says

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Academics must be more involved in decision-making, David Matthews hears

Full-court press hits athletics as students count the costs

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities are beginning to find the price of sporting glory too high to bear, writes Jon Marcus

News in brief

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Australia

The week in higher education

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Academics at a Jesuit university in the US who challenged a leading Catholic Republican politician over his proposed budget cuts have earned themselves a pious response. Staff at Georgetown University criticised Paul Ryan's "continuing...

Odds and quads

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

These images, held in the archives of the University of Strathclyde, come from the papers of William J. Ireland (1924-2002), a graduate of the Scottish School of Physical Education who went on to become a well-known teacher of country dance.

News in brief

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

National Union of Students

Campus round-up

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Middlesex University

Willetts turns to Wikipedia founder for advice on open access

Wed, 2 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Willetts has reaffirmed his support for full open-access publishing and has drafted in the Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales to advise the government on how best to make the transition.

Scientists appeal to cereal killers' reason

Wed, 2 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Academics at the Rothamsted Research laboratory have launched a direct appeal to protesters not to trash a trial crop of genetically modified wheat at a protest planned for later this month.

Campus Review: Low entry scores will not hit standards, say v-cs

Wed, 2 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Jennifer Bennett for Campus Review

UKBA restores Teesside’s highly trusted status

Tue, 1 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Teesside University has had its licence to sponsor international students reinstated after it was suspended in early February.

Event celebrates universities’ golden efforts

Tue, 1 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities’ contributions to the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer are in the spotlight as part of the third annual Universities’ Week.

Imperial creates two new leadership roles in drive for external funds

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Imperial College London on 30 April announced that is to create two leadership roles of “president and rector” and “provost” in a shift to a US-style senior structure.

Inside Higher Ed: Doctrinal matters reignite tensions on Catholic campuses

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Libby A. Nelson for Inside Higher Ed

Universities are central to economy, but cannot stand still, Blair says

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Former prime minister Tony Blair has called for UK higher education to be seen as “a major export” – but warned that universities risk being “left behind” if they do not adjust to change, including public-private partnerships.

Harvard backs open access in face of ‘prohibitive’ journal costs

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A committee of senior Harvard academics has urged the university’s staff to publish in open access journals amid concern that the cost of journal subscriptions is becoming “untenable”.

Ministers unveil plan to step up market for places

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The government has announced that uncapped recruitment of the highest-achieving students at A-level will be extended to the ABB threshold in 2013-14, while a further 5,000 places will be allocated to cheaper institutions through the margin...

UEL v-c to lead Million+

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Million+ group of post-1992 universities has appointed Patrick McGhee, the vice-chancellor of the University of East London, as its new chair.

Dundee tops THE Student Experience Survey as fees put focus on 'value for money'

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Many universities are improving the experience for their students, as our survey shows. And they are achieving it by making the effort to understand their students' particular needs. Zoë Corbyn reports

Sector awaits signal on student numbers

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

BIS/Treasury face-off over AAB policy is near an end, report David Matthews and Rachel Williams

Aberdeen looks to feather its nest in a field dubbed 'pure quackery'

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Critics decry plans for an alternative medicine chair funded by 'holistic' clinic. Paul Jump writes

'Overreacting' managers take impact too far, debate hears

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The overreaction of university managers to the impact agenda is narrowing the kinds of research scholars feel able to carry out, academics have warned.

My readers? I buried them!

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dense, wordy, wooden, Foucault-flaunting prose? There is another way, scholar tells Matthew Reisz

Internationalisation should be about collaboration, says IAU

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As the internationalisation of higher education increases competition between institutions, universities risk losing sight of their true academic values, according to a report by the International Association of Universities.

Institutions may use swipe cards to keep tabs on overseas cohort

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities may be forced to use swipe cards that monitor student attendance to comply with tough new immigration rules, a vice-chancellor has warned.

College of Law sale sets legal precedent for raising of funds

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

QAA agrees that degree-awarding powers will move with institution. John Morgan reports

State schools fare poorly in inaugural class, but calibre delights Grayling

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Only one in five offers by the New College of Humanities has gone to a person from a state school so far, according to A.C. Grayling, the master of the new institution.

Bring on market dash and cash

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Staff don't see that sector needs initiative and funds, says Charles Clarke. David Matthews writes

Student Experience Survey: what matters most?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As annual tuition fees treble to a maximum of £9,000, Jack Grove looks at the elements that affect prospective students' choices

Student Experience Survey: A room of one's own

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Wi-fiand en-suite facilities are a must, but so is a sense of community - and universities are working hard to accommodate students' needs, finds Olga Wojtas

Student Experience Survey: Great expectations

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In trying to attract students, institutions must be clear about what they are offering - and careful not to make promises they can't keep. Jack Grove reports

Student Experience Survey: Who's satisfied with their course?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Suzanne Bearne examines the reasons for a split between arts and science students

Don economic armour or face more blood-letting, says Hefce's leader

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Higher education may become a prime target for government cuts unless the sector presents a compelling case for its importance within the wider economy, the head of England's funding council has warned.

Punishment doesn't fit social sciences crime

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The proposed "concordat" on research integrity will impose more burdensome regulation on social science, even though the disciplines show no evidence of misconduct problems, according to the Academy of Social Sciences.

Archives offer adventures in time and cyberspace

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Cengage's plans to digitise the 19th century could open up a whole new world, finds Matthew Reisz

Modern managers need a compass to navigate stormy market waters

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Higher education MBA fetes 10th year as sector's need for 'strategy' rises. David Matthews writes

Your annual awards need you...to participate

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The countdown to the eighth annual Times Higher Education Awards begins this week, with a call for entries from universities across the UK.

Market forces turn one-trick ponies into one-stop shops

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

More traditional US institutions are playing for-profits at their own game by offering short professional courses. Jon Marcus reports

News in brief

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

The week in higher education

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• David Willetts escaped much of the flak in February's row over the appointment of Les Ebdon as director of the Office for Fair Access despite being behind the decision. Two months on, the universities and science minister might well have...

News in brief

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Undergraduate retention

Campus round-up

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Durham University

Odds and quads

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This photograph features a scene from the 1904 revival at the Moscow Arts Theatre of Maxim Gorky's play The Lower Depths, about a group of impoverished Russians living together in a shelter by the Volga river.

NUS re-elects Burns and calls for Willetts to resign

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Liam Burns has been re-elected as president of the National Union of Students

V-c 'alcohol ban' comments could prompt attacks on Muslim students, London Met Islamic groups claim

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two Islamic societies at London Metropolitan University have launched a scathing attack on “undemocratic, ill devised and misleading remarks” by the vice-chancellor, who proposed banning alcohol from parts of the campus in case it offended...

Strict government targets for NI universities

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Northern Ireland government has issued the region’s two universities with a checklist of targets as part of its higher education strategy.

London Met UCU returns ‘no confidence’ vote on v-c

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University and College Union has called on the governors of London Metropolitan University to “intervene and re-direct” the institution after a survey returned a 91 per cent vote of no confidence in the vice-chancellor.

V-cs urged to fork out tax savings for fair access

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The National Union of Students has called on university heads to donate their tax savings to its new programme for student-led outreach.

Campus Review: University of Queensland defends coal seam gas centre

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The head of a new Australian research centre says the institution is not prepared to stand idly by as a new energy source is developed. Susan Woodward reports

Unions reject 0.8 per cent pay offer

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities have pitched their latest pay offer for next year well short of the 7 per cent claim from the unions, tabling a 0.8 per cent offer that was quickly rejected.

Inside Higher Ed: When Can Faculty Show Porn?

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Mitch Smith, for Inside Higher Ed

AHRC recruitment ‘not connected’ to Big Society resignations

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Arts and Humanities Research Council has insisted that the appointment of more than 200 new members to its peer review college is unrelated to a spate of resignations last year.

Liam Burns battles to keep top NUS job

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The president of the National Union of Students will face a strong challenge for his job at next week’s annual elections.

Stoker experts bite back against Twilight and ‘Americanised’ teen vampires

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

“My revenge is just begun,” proclaimed Count Dracula in the original 1897 novel. “I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side.”

Price of avoiding the market: your freedom

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Devolved governments are constricting autonomy of universities, Hepi says. David Matthews writes

London Met links with stag-do firm

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Master's course offers expert oversight from 'spa with strippers' tour operator. Jack Grove reports

Restructuring metrics could fail to add up

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Queen Mary job cuts may lead to sliding standards and debased teaching. Paul Jump reports

Sector urges give and take to stop 'charity-tax' policy deterring donors

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Group says philanthropists are already shutting their chequebooks. David Matthews writes

Vogue for media-run courses reaches Guardian

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Concerns have been raised over fair access to internships after the publisher of The Guardian became the latest firm to express an interest in providing higher education.

Fast and slow lanes in the long march to success

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Academic freedom key to innovation in China, says politician. Carolynne Wheeler reports from Beijing

Rammell: I'll criticise but won't be partisan

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

New Bedfordshire v-c voices concerns but says role won't be platform for politics. John Morgan reports

Innovation boss in duplication row

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Paper sprouts fresh charges against Thai official found to have plagiarised PhD. Paul Jump writes

Buckingham defends its Ugandan venture as v-c quits after two months

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The vice-chancellor of a Ugandan university opened in collaboration with the University of Buckingham resigned less than two months into its first term, it has emerged.

Carry on loving, the Roman way

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Ancient mores met modern times at a conference exploring 'Romosexuality'. Matthew Reisz writes

Salaries soar for Russell Group senior staff

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Spending on the highest-paid staff at Russell Group universities has doubled in less than a decade, according to a report.

Average cost of FoI compliance equals £121

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A study into the costs of answering Freedom of Information enquiries suggests that less than £10 million was spent across the sector last year.

LSE bloggers divine the future of academia in European politics

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Website will 'maximise' impact by bringing debate to policymakers and public. John Elmes reports

Finland's frozen assets thawed by Arctic fusion

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

But while mergers boost competitiveness, campus commutes leave some cold. Ed Dutton writes

Boston College dispute moves to appeals court

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A transatlantic wrangle over whether material collected in an oral history project can be used as evidence in a criminal investigation has moved to a US appeals court.

THE Leadership and Management Awards 2012

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards 2012 celebrate the talented and dedicated staff working to steer universities and colleges through a time of unprecedented change. The awards feature 15 categories crowned...

Campus round-up

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Odds and quads

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This sample comes from the laboratory where Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) left a number of glass plates coated with bacteria overnight in 1928. It was this that led him to stumble upon the antibiotic powers of "mould juice" - later known...

News in brief

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

News in brief

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Biomedical research

The week in higher education

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Sociology featured heavily in most media outlets this week, although it was down to research showing that stripping skills are on the slide because of the recession. Researchers at the University of Leeds found that standards had dropped...

AAB announcement imminent, as government reflects on ‘strong views’ in sector

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Willetts has said that he intends to let universities know “by the end of the month” whether the grade threshold at which university places are removed from the cap on numbers is to be lowered in 2013-14.

Private equity firm buys degree-awarding powers

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The charitable College of Law, one of only five private providers in the UK with degree-awarding powers, has been sold to a private for-profit firm.

Degree premium on ice as graduate salaries are frozen

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Graduate starting salaries are set to fall to their lowest real-terms level since 2003 this summer as 90 per cent of businesses freeze their offers to recruits, according to analysis released today.

Inside Higher Ed: No longer afraid to consult

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Allie Grasgreen, for Inside Higher Ed

Universities’ black and minority ethnic staff still encounter ‘significant disadvantage’

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Efforts to promote race equality in higher education have petered out and had "little impact", a conference has heard.

London Met v-c urged to apologise for alcohol comments

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The president of London Metropolitan University students’ union has called for the vice-chancellor to apologise after he suggested the sale of alcohol should be banned from parts of the campus because some Muslim students believed drinking...

Rammell to take over in Bedfordshire

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Bedfordshire has appointed Bill Rammell, formerly a higher education minister under Labour, as its new vice-chancellor.

Oxbridge appeals to Osborne: allow donors to keep giving generously

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The universities of Oxford and Cambridge have joined the campaign against a cap on tax relief for philanthropic donations amid fears that it could cost the sector millions of pounds.

Junior researchers led a merry dance as up to 300 circle each post

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As many as 300 academics are chasing each junior research post at top institutions.

Want to know who may not stay the course?

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Service outlining prospective students' likelihood of dropping out worries some, writes David Matthews

Raising the bars a 'moral' matter

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

V-c: London Met's large Muslim population makes booze 'culturally sensitive'. David Matthews reports

Concordat will not call for new integrity overseer

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Research funders' long-awaited "concordat" on research integrity deliberately steers clear of "heavy-handed regulation", one of its authors has said.

AUA to grade its members

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Administrators to get status for good 'behaviours' in accreditation scheme. David Matthews writes

The ifs and buts of a potential takeover

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Finance school's vice-principal is keener on a level playing field than private suitors, John Morgan hears

Complaints over standards on hypnosis course earn QAA scrutiny

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Investigation sparked by questions about staff qualifications and contact hours. Jack Grove writes

Capital funds follow places to FE colleges

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Some capital funding for universities is being reallocated to further education colleges as a result of the government's core-and-margin system.

QAA's new riff on student feedback: positive notes or waves of jargon?

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sector experts cool on 'bureaucratic' engagement plans proposed by watchdog. Jack Grove reports

Colombia all ears after students vote with their feet

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

State to consult public, staff and students over disputed university reforms. Graham Jarvis writes

Soldiers of fortune: for-profits reap federal spoils

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For-profit higher education firms received half of all spending from a US government programme that allows military servicemen and women to study while on active duty, according to figures released by a senator.

Austerity knocks, sociology listens

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Scholars restate the public value of their discipline in age of shrinking mobility. Matthew Reisz writes

Illustrators must draw outside the lines to fulfil their creative urges

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A lecturer in the subject urges his peers to escape the commercial straitjacket. Matthew Reisz writes

Campus round-up

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Coventry University

Odds and quads

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This cast reveals the circulation within the heart of a greyhound. It was made by injecting coloured liquid acrylic into structures such as blood vessels and air-filled spaces and then allowing it to harden. When the soft tissue was soaked...

Norse code

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Academic study of these runes on the island of Orkney is among the work that is helping to boost the University of the Highlands and Islands' international standing in the field of Viking studies.

The week in higher education

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Higher education has a new and unlikely champion: Noel Edmonds. The man responsible for Deal or No Deal and Mr Blobby has apparently offered to fund the doctoral studies of a Canterbury Christ Church University student who launched...

News in brief

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Impact agenda

News in brief

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

Passion drives students, not urge to cash in, survey finds

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Passion for a subject remains the number one reason for going to university, outpacing the desire to improve job prospects, according to a poll of young people.

Cambridge Pre-U pitches for support as battle over A levels continues

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An alternative examination to A levels is gaining a foothold in state schools, its creators claim.

Ministers risk ‘debacle’ with core and margin delay

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Newer universities have criticised the government for delaying the announcement of student number controls in 2013-14.

Welsh funding council ‘forces through’ 20 per cent cut in places

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Wales, Newport, has started “emergency discussions” after the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales confirmed that the number of students entering the institution will be cut by more than a fifth in 2013-14.

Inside Higher Ed: A call to respect rights

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Mitch Smith, for Inside Higher Ed

US pay rises fail to match inflation

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Full-time academic staff in US universities continued to receive below-inflation pay rises in 2011-12, a report has found.

Thinktank’s plans to spread university news to the poor

Sun, 8 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Bolder measures are required to ensure students from poorer families have access to information about university courses, a thinktank has said.

Government’s sums must be right…or else, says Hefce head

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The head of England’s funding council has warned that government calculations on student loan repayments “have got to turn out to be robust” if the new higher education system is to be financially sustainable.

Four-fifths of institutions set to spend at least £5m on estates ‘wow factor’

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost eight in ten UK universities will embark on major capital projects worth more than £5 million in the next year as they face up to fiercer competition for students under the new regime.

Sector shuts out external consultants in era of austerity

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

But cutbacks at a minority of institutions may mask overall spending increase. David Matthews reports

Hefce chief stands by policy comments

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The head of England's funding council has maintained that government policy on higher education contains "contradictions", despite being "in trouble" for his comments.

0.5% offer piles pressure on pay bargaining

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The pressure on universities to abandon national pay bargaining is likely to grow after another minimal pay offer to staff, a prominent personnel chief has argued.

Honours sacrificed to vocational growth

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hefce in dark over extent of transfer to sub-degree courses under new system. John Morgan reports

No shortage of managers but academics bemoan a 'leadership lacuna'

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When lecturers are asked who they look to for academic leadership, they cite colleagues and even dead people - but not their own managers.

No shame in the name - we meant the university, not the autocrat

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Cambridge college defends and then withdraws 'Nazarbayev Fellowship'. David Matthews reports

College principal cheated Herts and students

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Overseas students in the UK could be unwitting holders of fake University of Hertfordshire degrees after a man was jailed for forging them, according to police.

Ethical and time constraints equal network failure

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers' scruples about networking may be hampering their careers, a report has suggested.

Travel broadens career horizons

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Year abroad pays rich professional and personal dividends, case studies show. Matthew Reisz writes

Just like that, the hand is faster than the brain

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Neuroscientists use illusions to illuminate what's going on inside our heads. Matthew Reisz reports

A little less égalité, a little more income, please

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

With public finances stretched, the French think the unthinkable on fees. Clea Caulcutt reports

Game on as 'top X' plans fail to hit diversity spot

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

US policies that guarantee top-performing school pupils a place at university in order to increase racial diversity on campus have failed because middle-class white families "game" the system by moving children to weaker schools.

The three Rs: resources, research and Robin Hood

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

R&D and philanthropy are at the heart of a Turkish university's ambitious plans. Matthew Reisz reports

Campus round-up

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Brunel University

The week in higher education

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• The 1994 Group was dealt a blow last month when four member universities - Durham, Exeter, York and Queen Mary, University of London - announced that they were ditching the network of "small but beautiful" universities for the gorgeous,...

Odds and quads

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

These formidable Victorian women all appear in a photograph album which forms part of the archives of the Association of Head Mistresses (AHM), now held in the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick.

News in brief

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Private provision

News in brief

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Russia

Head of Sciences Po found dead in New York hotel

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Richard Descoings, the head of the Paris institution Sciences Po and one of the leading reformers in French higher education, has been found dead in a New York hotel room.

Gillies defends London Met course cuts

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The vice-chancellor of London Metropolitan University has defended his decision to cut the number of courses at his institution by two-thirds, and set out lessons for other universities that embark on similar overhauls.

Campus Review: New website not quite the face universities want to show

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Susan Woodward, for Campus Review

Gove asks for universities to determine A levels

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Russell Group universities should determine the content of A-level examinations, the education secretary Michael Gove has told exam regulator Ofqual.

US outperforms UK on social media strategy

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities in the US are better at using social media than their UK counterparts, a report has found.

Geographer to show Loughborough the way

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Loughborough University has appointed Robert Allison, geographer and head of research at the University of Sussex, as its new vice-chancellor.

Inside Higher Ed: Invest in What You Know

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Kevin Kiley, for Inside Higher Ed

Pasty is another country

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Controversial plans to force Russell Group universities to show they are “in touch with ordinary Brits” have been condemned by academics.

Cancer Research UK to join forces with venture capitalist

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The charity Cancer Research UK has teamed up with a venture capital organisation to launch a £50 million investment fund aimed at boosting the translation of its discoveries into new cancer treatments.

Unions attack Ucea pay offer

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Union leaders have condemned a 0.5 per cent pay offer by universities.

Pledge from universities on additional course costs

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities will work to give students “clear and accurate” information about the additional costs of courses following an agreement between the National Union of Students and bodies representing UK institutions.

Glyndŵr loses out after setting fees low

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Glyndwr University claims that it has been “disadvantaged” for “following government policy” after funding allocations for Welsh universities indicated that it could suffer a 20.3 per cent drop in its income in 2012-13.

'Squeezed middle' feels pinch as grant and numbers decline

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Post-92s hardest hit by AAB and core-and-margin plans, Hefce projections show. John Morgan writes

Elite fare badly in latest Hesa statistics on widening access

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost all Russell Group universities have failed to reach independently set levels for admitting pupils from state schools and poorer backgrounds, new figures show.

Elite powers of concentration

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Great news for Russell Group but bad tidings for its mission group competitors. Paul Jump reports

Majority unscarred by EPSRC's final cuts

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'Shaping capability' plan proceeds cautiously, with reductions in just 14 fields overall. Paul Jump writes

Ucas ditches 'unworkable' post-results plan

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Consultation reveals overwhelming rejection of proposed PQA system. Jack Grove reports

Wellcome Trust gets tough on open access

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Wellcome Trust has reacted to Research Councils UK's beefed-up open-access proposals by indicating that it will get "much tougher" on compliance with its own mandate.

Beef over Bologna's 'elitist' origins

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Critic calls for legal integration of 'undemocratic' process into EU policy. Matthew Reisz reports

Low-quality teaching detrimental to 'brand UK'

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Failure to protect teaching quality at low-cost higher education providers could threaten the health of the entire university sector, the former president of Universities UK has warned.

Fly the nest or be left behind

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'More must be done' to entice UK students to spend time on foreign soil. Matthew Reisz writes

Drawing insights from the depths of disaster

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A century on, the Titanic's tragic tale remains a valuable focus for teaching. Jon Marcus writes

Unexpected climate change as course joins two cultures

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MA/MSc in environmental issues draws on both humanities and sciences, reports Matthew Reisz

The forecast for Gloucestershire: sunny, open and collaborative

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Local college links pay a places bonus as v-c puts storms behind him. David Matthews reports

UK flag waves in a growing global village on the Nile

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

BUE seeks extra British backing in competitive environment. David Matthews reports from Cairo

Joint effort, mutual benefit for UK-Asian partners

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Medical Research Council has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan's main science funding body to pool resources on projects of "mutual strategic importance".

India's got talent - but too few places where it can grow

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Private help is needed to upgrade the country's higher education sector, business college chief tells Rachel Williams

Odds and quads

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This 19th-century stuffed cyclopic piglet and plaster cast of a rattlesnake - brought to Scotland by Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1904 - are among the strange and sometimes shocking natural history treasures of the Bell Pettigrew Museum...

The week in higher education

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Well done to the University of Manchester for clinching this year's University Challenge title. It is the third time a Manchester team has won the television quiz show in seven years, noted Rebecca Armstrong in The Independent...

Reflected glory

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This glass brain and spinal column, which pulsates electromagnetic light and reacts to human contact, is part of an exhibition currently taking place at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland.

News in brief

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

News in brief

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dementia research

Campus round-up

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Goldsmiths/Edinburgh/Hertfordshire

University participation rate stalls

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The growth in the proportion of young people participating in higher education has stalled after years of steady increases, according to new figures.

Ucas ditches PQA plan

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Plans for students to apply to university after getting their grades have been abandoned in the face of opposition from schools and universities.

London lecturers strike over pensions

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Lecturers from post-1992 universities in London are joining school teachers in a walk-out to protest against changes to their pensions.

Campus Review: Hecs black hole reaches A$500m

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Susan Woodward, for Campus Review

University donations up but Budget raises worries over future

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities have once again seen a rise in philanthropic donations, but there are warnings that a cap on tax relief announced in last week’s Budget could stop this progress “dead in its tracks”.

Student visa system criticised by NAO

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The National Audit Office has called for tougher action against overseas students who are breaking visa rules, prompting Universities UK to warn that “legitimate concerns about immigration” should not be allowed to cause “irreversible damage”...

Study highlights fees deterrent for postgraduates

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Higher fees for UK master’s courses are deterring students from continuing their studies and the deterrent is strongest for those from poorer backgrounds, according to a new study.

Inside Higher Ed: Bad behaviours

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Kaustuv Basu, for Inside Higher Ed

Don’t shrink science in the House of Lords, Cameron told

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Four learned societies have written to the prime minister to protest against plans to reduce the resources of the Lords Science and Technology Committee.

Student’s suspension is a matter for Cambridge, Willetts says

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Willetts has declined to offer any support to a University of Cambridge student who was suspended for two and a half years for heckling him.

Academic salaries no longer attract top talent, survey finds

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Scholars' remuneration packages fail to match pay in many other professions. Jack Grove reports

Teesside licence suspended as UKBA cracks whip

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An English university has become the first UK higher education institution known to have had its licence for sponsoring international students suspended since rules were toughened.

Publishers cry foul over RCUK access plans

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Tensions between publishers and funding bodies over open access to research papers have flared up again after the Publishers Association accused Research Councils UK of riding roughshod over publishers' concerns in a new draft policy on...

Peers call for U-Multirank U-turn after failing to discern its value

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

House of Lords report advises Europe to 'prioritise other activities'. Jack Grove writes

Group wants AHRC to clarify 'broken' position on funding

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Subject heads to quiz Rylance over signs support for postgraduates will fall 27%. Paul Jump writes

Cuts threaten access reputation, Ulster staff claim

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Academics fear that 'provision of teaching will be seriously diminished'. Matthew Reisz writes

Impact refreshes parts sector ought to reach

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Requiring academics to justify the importance of their research via "some kind of slogan that somebody in a pub is going to be able to repeat" is "much more healthy than the Stefan Collini line that the liberal academy is owed a living by...

Pakistan has the antidote to brain drain: cash

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Developing countries wanting to improve their universities should emulate the success of Pakistan in retaining top academics by paying them hefty salaries, according to the country's former science minister.

Memory block: how to keep awkward bits of history alive

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Save all, read all? Matthew Reisz on the archivists devising protocols for preserving born-digital data

'Education allows our people to make a living anywhere'

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Palestinian universities are determined to expand despite limited resources. Matthew Reisz writes

Continental drift towards global alliances 'not in Africa's interests'

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Build bridges closer to home to stop best minds going West, conference is told. Jack Grove reports

Hunting parallels, but don's life is stranger than fiction

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jack Grove hears how a chance encounter propelled Arthur Gibson from Bradford's slums to Cambridge's high table

A sister act of positive discrimination to benefit all

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Afghan politician strives to promote equal opportunity in divided land. Lianne Gutcher writes

US study highlights need for wider leadership pool

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Meet your average American college president: he's a 61-year-old married white man who has been in his current role for seven years and boasts a doctorate in education.

News in brief

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

News in brief

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University access

The week in higher education

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• A British student has been "sold down the river" by the government, his mother has said, after his extradition to the US was approved by Theresa May, the home secretary. Richard O'Dwyer faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted by a...

Campus round-up

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Manchester/Manchester School of Architecture

Odds and quads

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This stained-glass triptych of saints, including St Agnes and St Hilda, has been restored to its original splendour in the former chapel of what is now the University of Chichester.

Budget package holds £100m for research

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced investment worth £100 million for universities in a bid to boost private-sector investment in research.

A quarter of students expect more contact time

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost one-quarter of students in the UK receive less lecture time than they thought they would get before they started university, a new report has revealed.

Taking students out of immigration tally would be ‘nonsense’

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Removing international students from official immigration figures would reduce government statistics to “nonsense”, the head of a migration pressure group has claimed.

Record donation to King’s College law school

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

King’s College London has received the largest donation from an individual in its history - a £20 million gift for its School of Law.

Warwick and Queen Mary collaborate on teaching and research

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Warwick and Queen Mary, University of London, could share lecturers as part of a new programme of research and outreach collaboration.

Cardiff Met students say ‘no’ to merger

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students at Cardiff Metropolitan University have voted against plans to merge the institution with the University of Wales, Newport and the University of Glamorgan.

Inside Higher Ed: Unlikely Shelter

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Arab uprisings push US students from Egypt to Lebanon

Call for more university research on impact of design

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The need for further “university-led research” to track the contribution of design to UK businesses and the economy came up for debate at a forum organised by the Design Council last week.

‘Apocalypse’ row: scientists attack European Commission over Fukushima overreaction

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A group of scientists involved in public discussions about nuclear power have written an open letter to David Willetts protesting about the European commissioner for energy’s “bizarre” talk of an apocalypse in relation to last year’s Fukushima...

Million+ attacks government Dux scheme

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A government scheme to reward top state-school pupils with a visit to a Russell Group university has been branded “tokenism” by a university mission group.

Archbishop to take on Cambridge college role

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Archbishop of Canterbury is to step down at the end of the year to become the head of a University of Cambridge college, it has been announced.

Cetls' impact assessed: the sector hardly felt a thing

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hefce-backed teaching programme failed to raise standards significantly. Jack Grove writes

US and UK stars still shine, but sunrise seen in the East

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Asia and Europe up the pace as Harvard tops THE World Reputation Rankings. Jack Grove reports

Russell Group 'a more natural fit'

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Quartet abandon 1994 Group for new home among elite body. John Morgan reports

Hefce expects more marriages of financial convenience in the sector

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Rise in CAM-do spirit foreseen as Birmingham and Nottingham mark anniversary. John Morgan writes

Communication crisis as head and demand fall

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The London College of Communication has suffered a 28 per cent drop in undergraduate applications for 2012-13 - greater than almost every university in England.

Don't throw stones...build bridges, says EPSRC chair

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Paul Golby pledges a more conciliatory approach to 'shaping capability' agenda, reports Paul Jump

'Risky' business feared as private college closes in on degree powers

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

UUK 'positive' about Regent's membership, but critics demand proper scrutiny. John Morgan writes

Campuses 'off menu' in à la carte model

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Classroom-based activities may be a rarity in the university of tomorrow. Jack Grove reports

Judging panel chosen for THE leadership gongs

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The judges for this year's Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards have been announced, as the deadline for entries draws closer.

CaSE warns of working-class gap in physics and maths study

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Working-class students are less likely to study physics or mathematics than other subjects at university, research has found.

Flexible learners are on fast track to success

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students on accelerated two-year degrees often performed better than those on traditional three-year degrees, a report has said.

Centre puts a forensic focus on rot at the heart of power

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sussex unit to investigate ways to keep politicians honest. Matthew Reisz reports

Laissez-faire attitude to Sarkozy's reforms as election looms

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Economic crisis leaves French politicians tight-lipped on universities budget. Clea Caulcutt writes

Simulacra and simulation to make dreaming spires reality

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Inside a Hackney sixth form, a mini Oxford gives pupils an appetite and an aspiration for higher study. Joseph Lee writes

My fellow Americans, college is not a priority

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Presidential hopefuls' attitudes to sector range from indifference to hostility. Jon Marcus reports

China continues pouring cash into basic science

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Chinese government's budget for basic research is set to increase by more than a quarter this year.

News in brief

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

Campus round-up

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Birmingham City University

The week in higher education

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Racism is usually blamed on complex factors such as socio-economic background, peer group influence and political propaganda, but one academic study has suggested that rock music also has a case to answer. Researchers at the University...

News in brief

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Knowledge transfer

Odds and Quads

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This "flying machine" is suspended from the ceiling of the Athena Building in Teesside University, where it forms part of a suite of 26 pieces called Dream Migration.

‘Record’ boost to EPSRC doctoral grants

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is to invest a record amount of money into its doctoral training grants in 2012-13.

Funding bodies push for team effort on bids

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers are being “strongly encouraged” by state-sponsored funding bodies to consider whether their bids could be strengthened by collaborating with other groups and institutions.

Students walk out over university policy

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students are taking part in a national walkout at campuses across the UK today as part of a “week of action” calling on the government and universities to “come clean” on their plans for higher education.

Overseas student numbers ‘to rise by 30,000’

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Overseas student numbers are set to rise by 10 per cent over the next decade, a British Council study has said.

Russell Group expansion leaves 1994 Group short

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The universities of Durham, Exeter, York and Queen Mary, University of London, have joined the Russell Group, it has been announced.

Hefce still cautious despite ‘record’ surpluses for universities

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Measures of the financial health of universities are the “best on record” but the sector faces “a large degree of uncertainty” in future, according to England’s funding council.

University is about job prospects, say parents

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Only a quarter of parents believe the primary purpose of university is to broaden children’s minds, according to a new survey.

Inside Higher Ed: No kidding: birth control and college completion

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Paul Fain, for Inside Higher Ed

Student finds historic letter from women's rights campaigner

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A PhD student at the University of St Andrews has discovered a letter pleading with the institution to allow women to study medicine and written by one of the pioneers of the fight to allow female access to higher education.

Former head of energy giant approved as EPSRC chair

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The former head of energy firm E.ON UK will become chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council after his appointment was approved by MPs.

University fees tipping point reached

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Tuition fees and education contracts took over from funding body grants as the most important income source for UK universities in the most recent full academic year, according to the latest statistics.

Ucas withdrawal threat puts PQA in jeopardy

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

1994 Group fires shot across bow of admissions service's proposed reforms. Jack Grove reports

Fee cap frozen for English universities

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The maximum tuition fees that can be charged by universities in England are to be frozen at £9,000 for the 2013-14 academic year, the government has announced.

Margin won't widen too much next year, Willetts suggests

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities and science minister looks to avoid giant leap in student places open to competition in 2013. John Morgan writes

ERC rejects 'impact agenda'

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

European funder puts faith in 'the cunning of reason'. Paul Jump reports from Brussels

De Montfort ga ga as Queen selects it for Jubilee party

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Staff and students 'pinching themselves' over monarch's choice of launch pad. Paul Jump writes

Student lifestyle survey - More debt, more paid work, more pressure...less alcohol

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The fifth biennial Sodexo-Times Higher Education University Lifestyle Survey is the last to quiz students under the lower tuition fees regime - and it reveals some telling views on the changing nature of the sector. Worries about...

Let us introduce you to potential partners and higher citation counts

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The British Council's Jo Beall tells John Morgan how it can smooth the path to 'transnational education'

Private equity firm enters 'exclusive' talks on College of Law purchase

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Charity Commission will not automatically block the sale of the College of Law - a deal expected to create a model for the purchase of universities in whole or in part by for-profit private operators.

Bumpy ride in California's international student drive

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

UCLA hopes campus culture shock will ease as overseas cash boosts income. Phil Baty reports

Check this out: aisle be listening

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Supermarkets' consumer-led strategies proposed as a 'model for institutions'. Jack Grove reports

Irish court gives pay-off parity to contract lecturer

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A union representing Irish academics has welcomed a landmark legal decision that removes an incentive for universities to employ staff on fixed-term contracts in a bid to avoid larger redundancy pay-offs.

Open equation, but perhaps it is 'unintelligible'

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The future of open access to academic work was high on the agenda as researchers and leading scientific publishers came face to face at a debate in Oxford.

Kazakhstan goes West, but only so far

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Matthews reports on ambitious plans to modernise the country's post-Soviet academy

Open-ended answers for questions of demand in cash-strapped Europe

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Open courseware is a shop window and a pressure valve, Delft leader argues. Jack Grove reports

Arab MC-turned-scholar keeps it real (and brief)

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The average master's thesis does not rework the 1990 album Fear of a Black Planet by legendary US hip hop group Public Enemy into a modern version about discrimination against Arabs.

What's in a name? Plenty, scholars attest

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University reputation is the most important factor for academics deciding whether to take jobs in another country - although the small size of European houses is also a consideration for US scholars.

The week in higher education

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Sally Hunt, the University and College Union's general secretary, has vowed to fight "fewer battles" while focusing on "members' priorities" after she was re-elected by a landslide. Ms Hunt defeated her only opponent - Mark Campbell, a...

Odds and quads

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

John Gay's celebrated "ballad opera", The Beggar's Opera, was written in 1728. These striking wax figures - of Elsie French as Mrs Peachum and Violet Marquesita as Lucy Lockit - were created by Agatha Walker on the basis of a production...

News in brief

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

News in brief

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Government departments

Campus round-up

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University of Roehampton

FE colleges win over half of lower fee student places

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Anglia Ruskin University and London Metropolitan University are the biggest winners in the allocation of 20,000 “margin” student places for next year, but 155 further education colleges have grabbed more than half the pot.

So long and thanks for all the restructuring

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The head of the London College of Communication has resigned after several days of negotiations with senior managers over her future.

Independents dominate in UCU election results

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Independent candidates have triumphed in the University and College Union elections by snapping up almost three-quarters of the contested places on its national executive committee.

Share of graduates in low-skilled work rises

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

More than one in three recent graduates are working in lower-skilled jobs compared with around one in four a decade ago, according to new data from the Office of National Statistics.

Universities failing to consult students on access - NUS

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two-thirds of universities have failed to adequately consult students on their access agreements, the National Union of Students has claimed.

Inside Higher Ed: Off limits

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Scott Jaschik, for Inside Higher Ed

'Name and shame' threat to universities over low pay

Sat, 3 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two unions have threatened to use a new campaign to "name and shame" universities that fail to award all staff a "living wage".

Sally Hunt wins landslide in UCU general secretary poll

Fri, 2 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sally Hunt has been re-elected as general secretary of the University and College Union after defeating her only opponent Mark Campbell by a margin of 6,835 votes and gaining 73 per cent of the ballots cast.

Controversial head of college 'suspended'

Fri, 2 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The head of a higher education college criticised for her management style and handling of course cuts has been suspended from her full role, Times Higher Education understands.

University manager numbers rising 'twice as fast as academics'

Fri, 2 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The percentage increase in the number of managers in higher education in recent years is more than twice that for academics, an analysis of new figures has suggested.

Speculation grows that Gove is making play for academy brief

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Conservative education secretary is said to be pushing for oversight of higher education. Simon Baker reports

BPP boss' £738K was 'exceptional'

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

State-backed student loans 'irrelevant' to size of leaders' pay, for-profit says. John Morgan reports

BIS official keen on foreign student 'flow'

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Recent Home Office concessions over immigration rules have not eliminated the threat posed to the UK's research base, according to a senior official at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Record windfall can't change UK postgrad tune

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The University of Oxford has received a multi-million-pound gift for postgraduate humanities study aimed at the world's most promising scholars amid concern that public funding cuts could make such courses the preserve of elite institutions.

Spend Offa cash on interns, Wilson says

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Report calls for sandwich courses and subsidised work experience. David Matthews writes

An academic career? I'm not sure I fancy it

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Vitae uncovers gap between PhD students' career aspirations and destinations. Paul Jump writes

The LSE is bigger than Gaddafi

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Libya's rulers forgive and forget UK links with despot. David Matthews reports from Morocco

Higher entry tariffs to show Greenwich means 'quality'

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

V-c set to boost research strength and speak 'the right language' to students. Jack Grove reports

Cool but cruel: creative industries' toxic fallout

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Society needs to look beyond the images of "cool", "unconventional" creative workers and find better ways for them, and for academics, to lead "liveable lives", a speaker at the British Academy argued last week.

Alumni take law into own hands over jobs 'hype'

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Legal graduates sue alma maters after employment prospects fail to materialise. Jon Marcus reports

Texas hold-up: legal challenge to affirmative action

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Selecting students on the basis of race in the US could be outlawed if a Supreme Court action is successful.

Teacher training (and kids go free)

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Simon Baker asks if a unified department would mean more institutions open free schools

Learn lessons from underneath the Ivy League

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The UK's higher education system must become "less precious" and emulate the "messier" half of the US model if it wants to succeed, a leading scholar has argued in an analysis of the policy errors affecting the sector.

For a fast-track business route to Asia, go via campus

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities offer essential access to Asian market, Dearing conference hears. Jack Grove reports

Boston makes 11th-hour Belfast Project appeal

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Boston College has appealed against part of a US court decision forcing it to turn over transcripts of oral histories of sectarian violence to police in Northern Ireland after weeks of international criticism.

African leader wants end to 'slave trade' in education

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Head of universities group criticises self-interest of 'globalising' institutions. Phil Baty writes

UUK chief leaps to defence of post-1992s

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Social prejudice is driving "reactionary" press attacks on post-1992 universities, the president of Universities UK has argued.

Excellence - but those missing out don't see it that way

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Germany's elite programme has some Länder up in arms. Frances Mechan-Schmidt reports

News in brief

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Working conditions

Odds and quads

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This sculpture by Francis May Favata depicting a child being lifted from the rubble after a bombing stands on the campus of the University of Plymouth, marking the site of one of the UK's worst civilian disasters during the Second World War.

Campus round-up

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University of Kent

The week in higher education

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Rick Santorum has again denounced US universities as secular "indoctrination mills" as the race for the Republican presidential nomination continues. In an hour-long interview with GBTV's Glenn Beck on 23 February, Mr Santorum said that...

News in brief

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

India

Settlement boost for PhD-level students

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Home Secretary has exempted PhD-level jobs from a new pay threshold preventing lower-paid workers from settling in the UK.

'Little evidence' that wider access succeeds on underprivileged, researchers claim

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The expansion of higher education over the past 15 years has largely benefited middle-class rather than working-class children, a study has suggested.

UUK renews appeal to government on student visas

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Nearly two thirds of people underestimate the value of international students to the UK economy, a new poll has found.

Internships for all students, government review urges

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

All undergraduates should be offered 10 to 12 week internships to improve their employability, according to a government-commissioned review of links between universities and business.

UK state school students encouraged to study in US

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Sutton Trust has launched a US version of its summer school camps to give UK students the chance to study at an American university.

University keeping link with A4e ‘under continual review’

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Glyndwr University and controversy-hit recruitment company A4e have agreed they need more time to negotiate a partnership that would see the institution validate the firm’s awards.

Inside Higher Ed: Santorum’s attacks on higher education

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Scott Jaschik, for Inside Higher Ed

‘Beyond the call of duty’: lecturers top unpaid overtime figures

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Teachers and lecturers are more likely to work unpaid overtime than workers in any other occupation, according to union figures.

Huddled masses yearning to study faster and cheaper: US students head for UK

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A record number of Americans are studying at British universities, new data show.

QAA in the dark on 63 of 94 private providers

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Most institutions receiving SLC funds have had no quality review. John Morgan reports

Spin doctor pays call to ailing LCC

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Max Clifford discussed reputation with college head after row over resignation. David Matthews writes

Ebdon's 'nuclear option' could be challenged

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Les Ebdon could face a legal challenge from universities if he tries to use the "nuclear option" of capping their tuition fees because they are failing to recruit enough students from poor backgrounds.

Arts and humanities offer Hobson's choice

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Budget-driven cuts mean language studies are now unavailable in some regions. Simon Baker reports

Reforms may make master's degrees unviable

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Debts of £65,000 seen as 'huge disincentive' to further study in Stem subjects. Paul Jump writes

Interest increases in issuing bonds to fund improvements

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Institutions seek competitive alternative to bank loans for facility upgrades, writes Simon Baker

Brunel to offer a special sort of Self-assessment

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

'The young have fewer preconceptions' - Will Self talks to Jack Grove about his new professorship

Now everyone will know that Cornell means business

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Expanding into the Big Apple provides a platform for high-tech start-ups. John Morgan reports

Think global or stay local? Finnish sector weighs its options

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Unease with internationalisation echoes growing concerns in other Nordic nations. Ed Dutton reports

Off-script email leads to suit centred on bad handwriting

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Student claims lack of promised dyslexia support cost him a first-class degree. Jack Grove writes

Let's take their words on that

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

David Matthews reports on debate about whether claiming students' IP rights could halt plagiarism

Early loan repayments a 'gift to the government'

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students who repay their tuition fees early may simply be making an unnecessary "gift to the government", an economist has warned.

Canadians feud over 'attack' on academic freedom

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A row about a redefinition of academic freedom has escalated in Canada, with the head of the representative body for academics condemning the document as "a full-scale attack on academic freedom like no other we have seen".

'Everyone loses' in the A-level waiting game

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Plans for students to apply for university after getting their A-level results have been strongly criticised by an admissions advice group.

'Dangerous' bird flu research available to all

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two leading scientific journals are likely to publish in full two controversial papers detailing a new version of the bird flu virus that may be transmissible between humans despite a US federal advisory body warning of its potentially "catastrophic"...

Odds and quads

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

These striking wire-mesh sculptures of naked, falling figures hanging from the ceiling often attract attention and comment from students and visitors at the University of Sunderland's automotive engineering department.

The week in higher education

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Two teenagers ruffled feathers at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills by bringing a legal challenge against this year's tuition-fee hike. Lawyers for Callum Hurley, from Peterborough, and Katy Moore, from Brixton, South...

News in brief

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Private facilities partnerships

Campus round-up

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Queen Mary, University of London

News in brief

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Germany

UK is citation sensation in physics

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The quality of US physics has been surpassed by that of both Canada and the UK over the past decade, new analysis commissioned by the Institute of Physics suggests.

Promote a benign state of mind, peacekeeper urges global academy

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Universities must foster in their students the “benevolent and amiable temper of mind” defined by the novelist Henry Fielding, a leading international peacekeeper told the Association of International Education Administrators’ annual conference,...

Cable holds firm to appoint Ebdon

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Les Ebdon has been formally appointed as the new director of fair access, with business secretary Vince Cable telling the parliamentary committee that rejected him there were no “new, relevant facts” preventing his selection.

Inside Higher Ed: Attack of the memes

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Steve Kolowich, for Inside Higher Ed

Private firm extends student accommodation empire

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A private company that specialises in long-term multi-million pound deals to build and run student facilities has extended its reach in the sector with a new £57.2 million contract with Nottingham Trent University.

UUK fails in bid for amendment to FoI Act

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The government has rejected calls for an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act that would specifically exempt pre-publication research data from release.

‘Consensus statement’ on research integrity released

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The UK Research Integrity Office has welcomed calls for it to be placed at the centre of a toughened research integrity oversight regime in the UK.

Legal challenge to fees hike fails

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two teenagers have lost their legal battle against the increase in tuition fees this year.

Institutions count cost of exceeding student cap

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Stiff fines await over-recruiters, with London Met facing a possible £6m bill. John Morgan reports

Cable to make selection panel an Offa it can't refuse

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Business secretary overrules committee on Ebdon in a politically charged process. Simon Baker writes

Payback time as Tories win student loans concession

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students will not be penalised for paying back their tuition fees early, the government has indicated.

Chilly reception in a Tory high-pressure zone

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Ebdon's Iceland holiday may have facilitated BIS panel's cold shouldering, reports Simon Baker

EPSRC rolls out 31 shapes but puts off decisions on the difficult subjects

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has deferred until the end of March more decisions on which areas of mathematics and physical sciences will grow or shrink.

US for-profit universities 'unworthy of the name'

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The poor research record of US for-profit institutions makes them unworthy of the term "university", UK academics have claimed.

Core and margin plan tests the limits of collegial behaviour

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Small gains for colleges may come at cost of university collaborations. David Matthews reports

Times Higher Education announces new editor

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

John Gill has been appointed the new editor of Times Higher Education following the promotion of Ann Mroz to a new position within its parent company, TSL Education.

Fee increase outweighed by 'return on investment'

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Survey finds course suitability is still the overriding factor influencing applicants. Simon Baker writes

Cheaper by the virtual dozen as students net a real deal

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Lecturer's agreement with publisher gives first-years core psychology texts for free. Matthew Reisz writes

UK postgrads 'shocked' at sight of foreign peers

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"I was a bit bewildered at the beginning. It was like, 'ooh', surprise, no English people!"

Nerc shrinks pool of PhD partners

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Studentships will be restricted to 20 centres as council keeps numbers steady. Paul Jump reports

Poorly performing institutions told: the bucks stop with you

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jon Marcus examines the trend for basing US university budgets on outcomes, not enrolments

Law and academy clash in the long shadow of the gun

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A legal battle over IRA interview tapes held by a US college is nearing its climax. Jon Marcus reports

Plans aim to build 'directed diversity' into Irish sector

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Blueprint will address tension between standards and participation levels. Matthew Reisz reports

Teaching should be student-centred: discuss

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A "cultural shift" is needed to embed "student-centred teaching" in universities, a new report claims.

The week in higher education

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

• Losses on the government's student loans book could be offset by the state's ability to borrow at record-low costs, two economists have argued. In a letter to the Financial Times on 8 February, Tim Leunig, of the London School...

Odds and quads

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Broadlands Archives at the University of Southampton include a huge quantity of material from Broadlands in Hampshire, the country residence of the 19th-century prime minister Lord Palmerston and later of Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy...

News in brief

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

United States

Campus round-up

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University of Brighton

News in brief

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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