Leader

As battles over industrial relations and identity politics rage, higher education’s fault lines are increasingly a matter for the courts. Is anyone winning?

14 March

Higher education has long been a trump card for the West, helping it to win hearts and minds. If that advantage slips, the impact will be far-reaching

1 February

After years of warnings, a dip in international enrolments risks tipping universities into crisis. It is deeply strange that government seems not to care

18 January

Recent years have thrown up both predictable challenges and unforeseeable exogenous events at universities. What do sector leaders foresee in 2024?

4 January

As the year ends, the problems facing universities seem to be stacking ever higher. But will a general election next year bring any respite?

21 December

It may be true that higher education rarely tops the agenda in electoral campaigns, but don’t be fooled – the politics is as fevered as ever

9 November

If you get what you measure, then a new framework for assessing universities’ efforts to support interdisciplinarity will provide welcome impetus

26 October

University rankings wield enormous influence. But if constructed and used correctly, they should be a mirror and support, not a straitjacket

28 September

For over a decade, the UK government has urged ‘challenger’ institutions to shake up the higher education status quo. But there is scant evidence of success

14 September

As financial pressure takes its toll, the Oxford vice-chancellor’s clarity and commitment to the health of the whole sector show a way forward

14 July

University funding systems are complex and misfiring. A sustainable future requires root-and-branch review, with politics removed from the equation

13 April

When and how a leader’s tenure comes to an end can be down to many factors – what lessons can be learned from others who have served their time?

30 March

Trying to forecast the future of higher education tends to leave heads spinning, but new analysis from the OECD’s data guru brings some trends into focus

16 March

A funding clawback provoked fury from UK scientists, but now all eyes are on a political breakthrough that could reopen the door to Horizon Europe

2 March

The UK prime minister has invested political capital in science and innovation. It is vital that it is not wasted on ill-considered populist ideas about research

16 February

As institutions embedded within cities and regions, universities can be the catalysts for local action to address national and global problems

2 February

After a tumultuous 2022, what will the new year bring for higher education? Some of the UK sector’s respected crystal-ball gazers offer their predictions for 2023

5 January

Twitter has long been bedevilled by bad-faith debate. But government must be held to a higher standard, even when it is flying a kite

8 December

The array of challenges facing universities and their leaders is daunting, with a broken funding system underpinning the pain in England

24 November

Our work-life balance survey finds the inevitable: that for many if not most in academia, workloads are unmanageable, and seem to be getting worse

10 November

International students add hugely to the richness of universities. But are the risks of relying on their fees to subsidise so much fully understood?

29 September

From threats to the humanities to the future of universities themselves, the risks of misunderstanding what to value seem to be growing

1 September

The bumper increase in QR funding for England may sound like heaven. But with doubts over the future of Horizon, UK research is stuck in purgatory

21 July

Precarity is a debilitating condition that often proves fatal to research careers. And it affects even the most lauded research groups

7 July

Universities are too often used for political point-scoring. Finding a way to implement and protect long-term plans for the sector would benefit all

23 June

The pursuit of truth is at the heart of academia. But public perception is also crucial if universities are to sustain themselves – and fiction can help

9 June

The REF may no longer be the only game in town, but it remains a dominant force in UK research. So as the REF 2021 results are released, is it still fit for purpose?

12 May

While those new to commercialising research often obsess about owning IP, seasoned unicorn breeders find a more relaxed approach is most effective

28 April

War has helped to fan inflation and wither universities’ resources. With scant prospect of let-up, all eyes are watching the horizon for hopeful signs

14 April

With the future of globalisation in question, are long-debated divisions over institutional autonomy and academic freedom inching closer to reality?

25 March

The latest cataclysm is a reminder that certainties about the world, and even about international research collaboration, aren’t certain after all

17 March

Higher education systems that are free to evolve have improved and adapted as times change, but more are seeing ministers determined to set the course

17 February

Higher inflation is set to challenge higher education everywhere, and all but the well-endowed elite will feel the bite and face difficult choices

3 February

Universities are autonomous in principle but their financial reliance on the state means conflict is inevitable – and suppression is a very real threat

20 January

Higher education looks to be beset by any number of challenges in 2022, not least more Covid disruption. Resilience may again be the year’s watchword

6 January

After a second year of social distancing, how strong are the ties that bind us together and what is it that makes us a community, in society and HE?

23 December

As competition for international students grows more intense and complex, the traditional anglophone giants face a host of new challenges

9 December