Hong Kong gets to grips with security law’s ‘invisible red line’ Academics are ‘groping along blindly’ in a fierce debate over whether certain phrases or subjects are still legal By Joyce Lau 28 July
Arab University Rankings 2021: results announced Saudi Arabia dominates top of new regional table, while Egypt is most-represented nation overall By Ellie Bothwell 27 July
Most overseas study plans ‘unchanged by pandemic’ Traditional worries like cost and job prospects trump would-be international students’ safety and travel concerns, survey finds By John Ross 27 July
Alec Cameron swaps Aston for RMIT Australian academic administrator and former engineering executive returns amid policy focus on commercialising research By John Ross 27 July
UK public ‘don’t see universities as a front line in culture wars’ Ex-pollster who leads Policy Institute at King’s sees public support for universities enduring despite culture wars angst By John Morgan 27 July
Rare victory for Turkish scholars as protests force rector’s exit Campaigners at Boğaziçi University say their victory could inspire others – but also fear a harsher crackdown under a new appointee By David Matthews 27 July
Defence research ‘antidote’ to Covid’s lost billions: thinktank Formalised defence R&D ties could recoup one-quarter of the research funds lost from Australia’s ailing international education industry By John Ross 26 July
Forcing students to get vaccinated ‘wrong’, says university union UCU says government should ‘sensitively encourage’ inoculation after reports of prime minister ‘raging’ over low uptake By Chris Havergal 26 July
Academic conclusions differ wildly even on same data, study finds New study raises questions over validity of single studies and suggests detailed tracking of researchers’ decisions during analysis By David Matthews 26 July
US universities push for fewer hurdles on gene editing farm animals Veterinary schools lead campaign protesting regulatory obstacles applied to an array of food-related genomic research By Paul Basken 26 July
UK to review research system to uncover ‘missing’ elements ‘Don’t always stick with what you have,’ says science minister Amanda Solloway, as new innovation strategy points to US and German models By David Matthews 26 July
Government college subsidy found to hurt US veteran earnings Federal benefit is too big, and former soldiers often choose low-quality institutions, new analysis argues By Paul Basken 25 July
Can happiness studies distinguish itself from self-help? New book puts ‘deep learning’, meaningful relationships and even spirituality at the heart of proposed new discipline By Matthew Reisz 24 July
UUK ‘should sue predatory publishers over tsunami of spam’ Ex-research council boss Douglas Kell says sector body should take action over unsolicited emails that consume academics’ time By Jack Grove 23 July
Western universities hesitant on India branch campuses Survey on Indian government initiative to open up to foreign offshoots finds concern about hurdles from overseas institutions By Joyce Lau 23 July
Toronto plans equity review in music after racism and sexism claims New dean at top Canadian school hopes outside perspective can resolve months of protest over behaviours and curriculum By Paul Basken 23 July
‘Half of sexually active students have never had STI test’ Hepi survey also shows that only 51 per cent of students felt safe the first time they had sex at university By Anna McKie 22 July
Former science dean ‘faked threats to gain sympathy’ Sydney academic orchestrated campaign after striking resistance to course closure By John Ross 22 July
UK’s innovation strategy to specify ‘missions’ and ‘strategic tech’ Minister bills new strategy as helping UK to keep pace with ‘global innovation race’ By John Morgan 22 July
Cheating firms offer to attend Chinese students’ online courses Agencies charge between $600 and $1,500 to complete an entire module, including assessments By Jing Liu 22 July
Lauren Berlant, 1957-2021 Tributes paid to authority on the American Dream who ‘confounded the supposed dichotomy between the academy and activism’ By Matthew Reisz 22 July
Europe mulls scientific ‘war games’ to prepare for future crises Commission considers suggestion that ‘fire drill’ exercises could help prepare for environmental, health or economic disasters By David Matthews 22 July
Concern over Azerbaijan ruling family influence at Oxford centre Sister-in-law of Azerbaijan’s autocratic president sits on board of centre set up to study country after brokering a £10 million donation By David Matthews 22 July
Sudhir Hazareesingh: Haiti appeared as a mere aftershock Wolfson History Prize winner explains how Toussaint Louverture was a ‘spiritual ancestor’ of Black Lives Matter By John Morgan 22 July
US judge backs university requirement for Covid vaccines In first federal court test, Indiana University can keep mandate with exemptions for its on-campus students By Paul Basken 21 July
Honorary doctorate revoked over ‘incompatible’ views Controversy over honorary degree granted by Edith Cowan University highlights the risks of awarding so many By John Ross 21 July
Covid fears for Australian academic detained in Myanmar Economist’s ordeal highlights the risks of lone advisory roles in unstable countries By John Ross 21 July
US universities anticipating major leadership turnover post-Covid Easing of pandemic a moment for many campus presidents to take a break and others to be pushed out By Paul Basken 21 July
Covid ‘just a blip’ in rising Australian vice-chancellor earnings Notwithstanding their generosity in 2020, most university leaders will be back to seven-figure earnings as the crisis really bites By John Ross 21 July
UK’s for-profit college heads pocket bumper pay deals Bosses of private institutions that collect millions of pounds from student loans have received generous share and dividend awards By Jack Grove 21 July
Covid-affected graduate data could highlight regulation issues Rise in unemployment shows how graduate outcomes data can be affected by factors other than higher education By Simon Baker 20 July
Ministers criticised for ‘vandalism’ over creative and London cuts Despite condemnation in consultation, English regulator pushes ahead with cuts that ‘recklessly level down’ London institutions By Anna McKie 20 July
Australian Covid research trials ‘wasteful and misdirected’ Research teams worked separately to investigate similar problems when combined studies might have delivered meaningful results By John Ross 20 July
Liberty after Falwell ‘struggling with diversity’ A model for conservative politics in US higher education, Virginia campus seen as reverting to intolerance By Paul Basken 20 July
One in four in England think fewer people should attend university Public survey reveals divides among voting, class, age and educational background on the value of higher education By Anna McKie 20 July
OfS: English universities must ‘equip students with skills’ to succeed Regulator proposes new conditions of registration that also include standard on grade inflation By Simon Baker 20 July
What is a highly cited paper worth? About £10,000 a year Publishing a well-received paper could boost a scholar’s income by $13,500, says US study By Jack Grove 20 July
UK ‘must solve’ quarantine capacity problem for red-list students Governments urged to work with universities to expand capacity or system could be ‘overwhelmed’, forcing students to learn online at home By John Morgan 20 July
US judge rejects protections that aid foreign-born students Court order has little immediate effect but has generated new Democrat vows to seek citizenship for child immigrants By Paul Basken 19 July
US faculty pay drops for first time since Great Recession Pandemic drove down wages at two-thirds of institutions, AAUP annual survey finds By Paul Basken 19 July
MIT digital learning dean quits as edX sale backlash grows Nobel laureate among professors vowing to move courses on to non-profit alternative platform after deal with 2U By Paul Basken 19 July
University staff less happy and more anxious than UK average Sizeable number of staff members struggled over course of pandemic and are suffering from chronic stress and exhaustion, researchers say By Anna McKie 19 July
New wave of redundancies sweeps Australian universities Hundreds of roles at risk as fresh wave of coronavirus restrictions sweeps across country By John Ross 18 July
Digital degree transcripts ‘vital for refugee graduates’ Students from Syria and Sudan unable to progress because of lack of access to certificates By Joyce Lau 18 July
Putting the social back into social media We need to work against the grain of platforms that incentivise us to behave in unscholarly ways, argues author By Matthew Reisz 17 July
European Research Council bans journal impact factor from bids For the first time prestigious funder has explicitly told academics they must not include metric when applying for grants By David Matthews 16 July
Campuses fear losing 10 per cent of fees as Europeans stay away Latest financial data show how some institutions are more exposed to EU student demand than others By Simon Baker 16 July
UK’s Horizon 2020 funding wins ‘tailed off’ post-Brexit Tens of millions of euros in grants were still agreed by 2020, but UK collaborations may have been affected By Simon Baker 16 July
UCU threatens strike action over Sheffield archaeology closure University council backs shuttering despite widespread opposition By Chris Havergal 15 July
Kingman: ‘take nothing for granted’ on research spending pledge Outgoing UKRI chair says this autumn’s spending review will be a ‘make-or-break moment’ By Chris Havergal 15 July
Limited anti-Asian bias found in US admissions data Georgetown analysis, testing argument of Harvard opponents, sees little ethnic gain from SAT-only metric By Paul Basken 15 July
National Student Survey 2021: UK satisfaction hits new low Survey was completed during major lockdowns in the UK when most students were studying online By Simon Baker 15 July
Should academics be allowed to publish anonymously? Editors of Journal of Controversial Ideas hope to puncture ‘cancel culture’, but other scholars warn researchers ‘can’t stop being an accountable moral agent’ By Jon Marcus 15 July
Gender transition leave rises up Australian union’s agenda Paid time off for gender affirmation among the latest categories of special purpose leave demanded of universities By John Ross 15 July
French historians ‘being shut out of state archives’ Years of restrictions have stymied scholars’ work on topics such as the Algerian war of independence, and a new law could cement this lack of access By David Matthews 15 July
Latin America Summit: Brazilian diaspora ‘won’t return to universities under attack’ Latin America Summit hears that hostile political climate and lack of research funding in Brazil are preventing the return of scholars overseas By Jack Grove 14 July
Canada adds security checks to academic research grant bids Trudeau creates mandatory review ahead of grant awards, aligning nation closer to US in suspicion of China By Paul Basken 14 July
Biden pares back student aid verification requirements Reduction in paperwork demands comes amid a series of administration initiatives to help low-income borrowers By Paul Basken 14 July
Cornel West blasts Harvard’s ‘intellectual bankruptcy’ on way out Leaving after tenure dispute, celebrated black activist professor criticises leadership By Paul Basken 14 July
Did mathematicians really need to stockpile famed Japanese chalk? Hagoromo Fulltouch Chalk moves some scholars to near ecstasy but may have lost its rationale in the shift to digital education By Matthew Reisz 14 July
