Opinions and leaders from THE

Ode to a Promethean: the late starter whose star burnt brightest

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Keats, the upstart who overcame all the odds to join the pantheon of literary greats, is an inspiration to Robert Mighall

Leader: Sing with one voice to be heard

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Competing mission groups risk undermining the message that all universities are valuable and deserve continued support

Daytime TV: Of Hell and hounds

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Day is inspired by the language and imagery of Beowulf, but is brought back to earth by a dogs' tale

It's dangerous to ignore it

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Discarding 'unsuitable' proof in policymaking is foolhardy, warns Kevin Fong

It's time to set fees free

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is the best way to maintain standards while at the same time serving public benefit, argues Aldwyn Cooper

Leader: Put all the results out in the open

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers, government and society benefit when research is made freely available, so the sooner it is mandated, the better

Infinity and beyond

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Black holes are a source of mystery for Gary Day, who finds that some TV is far from dumbed down

Future present in the US

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We should learn from the American experience with fees, says Alan Ryan

Reefer madness

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Home Secretary's decision to sack David Nutt for his remarks about cannabis was misjudged, insists Lord Krebs

Misguided philistines in a relationship that is doomed to failure

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

While its aim to widen access is welcome, the strategy document Higher Ambitions is based on a fallacy, says Vernon Bogdanor

Days are numbered for ruthless go-getters in a post-meltdown world

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Universities should learn from other cultures to inculcate respect and prudence, which companies will soon demand, argues Peter Brady

Leader: Only the best for the best

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Our world rankings are hugely influential but also come under criticism every year, so we have decided to improve them

Daytime TV: Ties civic and sexual

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Day learns how Britons made a modern nation and made love, not least on campus

VIP: very irregular podium

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Some speaking engagements discomfort Tim Birkhead, but he is undeterred

Quiet, please

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Libraries are being transformed into rowdy social spaces, with disastrous consequences, says Kevin Sharpe

Do the market research before you try to make the business case

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Thorne argues that the CBI task force's proposals are built on outdated thinking about graduates in a modern economy

Leader: China is set to demand respect

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Asia's giant has universities and research to equal many of the world's best, and its strength and confidence will only grow

Kant trumps cant any day

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

'Intensely relaxed' about the academy's 'filthy rich legacy', Simon Blackburn sees no need to justify his work to ministers

Daytime TV: Minority views

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nick Griffin's recent appearance on Question Time gives Gary Day plenty of food for thought

To celebrate or denigrate?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Poor Colombia deserves a happy birthday, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Collegiate spirit drives us to help advance the academic enterprise

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Administrative staff do not deserve demonisation because they too are committed to the university's unique mission, argues David Allen

Leader: Postgrads deserve better

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The social and personal-development needs of students who study for higher degrees must be taken more seriously

Long-overdue policy points

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

John Beddington welcomes Hefce's plans to recognise and reward academic work that informs policymaking in the REF

Daytime TV: All too human

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Day finds nature thrilling but is filled with gloom by our perpetual desire to reinvent ourselves

Is a G&T growth enabling?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sally Feldman's mentoring sessions don't follow rules, and that's no bad thing

Appendix A: I'm knackered

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Lecturing when fatigued is an inescapable fact of life for Kevin Fong

Leader: The value of past masters

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Historians separate fact from fiction, keeping politicians honest and clearing the way for better thinking

Nurturing critical minds

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Lecturers must do more than lecture, argues Mary Malcolm: they must develop students' intellectual-inquiry skills

Individual and national success demands one path to higher skills

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To meet future challenges, we need a single knowledge infrastructure incorporating higher and further education, says Lord Mandelson

Daytime TV: Putting on the Ritz

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Day admires Joan Collins' chutzpah as she encourages three generations of women to glam up

Leader: Class still the secret to success

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Those with a private-school education still attend the best universities, get the best jobs and hold top spots in academia

A champagne generation

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Student debt is not all down to fees. Kevin Sharpe argues that the desire to live a luxurious lifestyle plays a part, too

Art: whether you love it or hate it, the purpose is to elicit a response

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Artists produce work as a result of internal or external stimuli - the only aim should be to cause a reaction, argues A.C. Grayling

Daytime TV: Bored to death

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Both the art of dying and of Andy Warhol leave Gary Day feeling distinctly underwhelmed

Practical implications

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alan Ryan says technical training is vital - and must be funded properly

Academy strikes back: the fight for 'useless' knowledge starts here

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Scholars have too long acquiesced to policy agendas. They must reassert the value of scholarship for its own sake, argues Claire Fox

Leader: Academic or jack of all trades?

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Knowledge transfer is a valid concept, but it takes time and effort away from the countless other tasks staff already perform

Daytime TV: Profiles in courage

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The efforts of injured soldiers battling and laughing their way back to life leave Gary Day humbled

Is all this on the record?

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Let's not allow recording requests to stifle free exchange, says Tim Birkhead

Get out and join the city life

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

US universities are part of the fabric of their communities. Robin Hambleton says UK institutions should emulate them

Legacies of tarnished revolutionaries rest in far too much peace

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Searching for the resting places of two greats of human sciences, Yiannis Gabriel unlocks the door to Freud and keeps left for Marx

Leader: Don't drive people to MP3 for HE

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hard times are no excuse to restrict access and leave many to experience higher education only through downloads

Play up and play the game

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Felipe Fernández-Armesto experiences a Damascene sporting conversion

Daytime TV: Seat of learning

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Day is unpersuaded by Derren Brown, weeps for Naples and is unenlightened by Trinity

A united front for the future

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Bill Wakeham reflects on the challenges ahead and the need for unions to join employers in overcoming them

Unfair, misplaced vitriol

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Media studies is belittled despite graduates' success, says Sally Feldman

Leader: Pride is a necessary evil

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

With swingeing funding cuts on the horizon, the sector must not be afraid to boast about its burgeoning economic value

Science needs more space

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Research should be aimed at improving our lives, not increasing our bank balances, says Thomas Docherty

Literary champion of moral revival finally gets his homecoming

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Christopher Terry welcomes a re-examination of the work of F.R. Leavis and the legacy of his controversial style of criticism

Daytime TV: Love me do

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

TV histories may struggle for free expression, but the Beatles enjoyed it in abundance, Gary Day finds

The prizes for presence demean those engaged in scholarly endeavour

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Frank Furedi says there is no academic or pedagogic merit in awarding marks to students simply because they've shown up

Leader: Just who are you here for?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Education suffers because teaching gets no respect. That must change, and academics can start with themselves

Daytime TV: All the lonely people

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Gary Day is moved by a film about those who die alone, and finds Miss Marple surprisingly alluring

A tale of two systems

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

US attacks on the NHS also raise issues about the academy, says Kevin Fong

Global? Not remotely

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Universities in the US and the UK want to dominate, not collaborate with, other countries, argues Andy Kirkpatrick

Shakespeare and porn: a topic for theoretical, not practical, analysis

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Being a badly dressed academic is nothing to be ashamed of, says Peter J. Smith. An undressed professor, however, is a step too far

Leader: Autonomy can be an illusion

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

US academics may face less red tape than those in the UK, but they must also appease students, whose opinions can halt careers

Daytime TV: Enduring love

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alain Badiou can't get a word in, but Emily Bronte's doomed lovers speak volumes, says Gary Day

Don't go on the defensive

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alan Ryan ponders why institutions are so uptight about freedom of information

Planes, trains and carbon

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Academics should take the lead when it comes to cutting aviation-related carbon, say Jens Rolff and David Sedley

Tweet yourself to a new circle

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Twitter is not for exchanging trivia. Rather, as Russell Stannard has recently learnt, it’s a powerful networking tool for academics and institutions

Study leave: a right, not a privilege

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Tim Birkhead dreams of time to work, free from day-to-day interruptions

Leader: We must adapt to survive

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Students no longer have to travel to get a Western degree as UK education centres are setting up overseas in a global market

Daytime TV: Moved to action

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A documentary about benefits makes Gary Day uncomfortable. Thank goodness for Timothy Spall

Beyond the here and now

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dianne Berry says the HE framework must account for the future potential of universities, not just their current work

Business could be just what we need to cut through the red tape

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jon F. Baldwin argues that incorporating universities into BIS may lead to a recognition of the real export value of the sector