University of Texas embraces state-funded ‘Liberty Institute’ Suggested new avenue for conservative donor influence opposed by students By Paul Basken 21 May
Rigid system pushes Chinese students to unscrupulous agents Thousands of families are on a ‘high risk’ path to overseas education By Joyce Lau 21 May
Drive to cut English fee cap raises questions on DfE stance Sector figures disagree on whether DfE is on board with using £7,500 cap to cut loan outlay and ‘squeeze’ non-priority subjects By John Morgan 21 May
Dutch student-loan shift ‘blocks progression to master’s degrees’ Statistics Netherlands finds that a switch away from grants has cut some students’ education short – despite government promises By David Matthews 21 May
Oriel U-turns on removing Cecil Rhodes statue Despite backing removal last year, Oxford college says report noted challenges, including government policy By Simon Baker 20 May
Limited relief for universities in New Zealand budget Underwhelming increases in teaching subsidies and student benefits, while research misses out By John Ross 20 May
Australian university aims for ‘below-zero’ carbon emissions ANU vows to be a negative net emitter by the end of the decade, as Adelaide unveils the panels and batteries powering its country campus By John Ross 20 May
Doctoral student held by Egypt pleads for help from universities Waleed Salem has been unable to leave home country after being jailed during research By Paul Basken 20 May
Research grant veto powers need guidance, Australian scholars say Researchers press for ministerial code of conduct amid fears that latest political intervention may never be resolved By John Ross 20 May
Scrapping foundation year funding ‘would end vital second chance’ English universities argue foundation years diversify STEM intake, as Augar call to scrap funding comes back on agenda By John Morgan 20 May
International students cautious about recruitment agent ‘bias’ New survey to mark launch of THE Student also reveals disruption to study plans wrought by the pandemic By Simon Baker 20 May
Proceed with caution: new metric will ‘inevitably’ aid regulation OfS says it has ‘no plans’ to use new student outcomes measure, but government repeats warnings about ‘low-quality courses’ By Simon Baker 19 May
Swiss fear Horizon Europe exclusion as Brussels talks break down Long-running negotiations between Brussels and Berne have stalled, risking a repeat of 2014, when the country was shut out of EU research By David Matthews 19 May
UKRI to review ‘one principal investigator per grant’ rule Chief executive Dame Ottoline Leyser says existing ban on sharing project responsibilities does not help science By Jack Grove 19 May
New Zealand scientist leads research excellence framework review Former government science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman will lead international advisory body to examine reform of national research audit By Jack Grove 19 May
King Alexander’s history: lessons from a twice-ousted president After two forced resignations, exiled president tackles racism and selfishness undermining US higher education By Paul Basken 19 May
Supervising PhD behind bars breaks new ground in research Prisoners offer exceptionally honest answers to doctoral student serving with them in a US prison By Matthew Reisz 19 May
China citations boost from Covid research ‘closes gap with US’ High-impact research early in pandemic may have put rocket fuel under country’s citation performance By Simon Baker 19 May
Recruitment agents ‘closing Australia desks’ in China Resurgent student flows set to bypass Australia and New Zealand as education agents in most regions usher clients to more welcoming countries By John Ross 18 May
Research universities ‘at risk’ from ‘gig economy’ training model Nobel prizewinner Brian Schmidt warns that remaining institutions would become ‘bastions of the elite’ By Simon Baker 18 May
Essex apologises to academics disinvited over gender views V-c admits university made ‘serious mistakes’ after external review finds it breached its free speech duties By John Morgan 18 May
Police ‘aided fraternity members’ in attack on LGBTQ+ residence Pennsylvania liberal arts college promises external investigation of incident By Paul Basken 18 May
Qatar aims to boost regional collaboration after blockade ends Foundation considers creation of consortium of universities across Gulf region By Anna McKie 18 May
Cambridge signals major shift towards online learning New short courses aimed at professionals come with £2,000 price tag By Anna McKie 18 May
Fudan Hungary campus branded geopolitical pawn as backlash grows Part of a nexus of deals between Hungary and China, the project has become a flashpoint in local politics after it emerged locals will foot the bill By David Matthews 18 May
Artificial intelligence tool predicts ‘seminal’ research Researchers say system has potential to spot ‘hidden gems’ that may miss out on funding By Simon Baker 17 May
Resurgent Covid-19 forces campuses to close across east Asia Universities take sudden U-turns on restrictions, as new Covid waves hit By Joyce Lau 17 May
Marc Stears: like Labour, academics are disconnected from society Ex-Miliband adviser turned Sydney Policy Lab director discusses globalised academia’s decoupling from ‘everyday society’ By John Morgan 17 May
Plan to legislate on ‘low-quality’ courses alarms sector Government says it will give OfS powers to enforce ‘minimum expectations of quality’ before regulator responds to consultation on plan By John Morgan 17 May
UK union says final pay offer of 1.5 per cent rise ‘unacceptable’ Employers up their offer at final negotiations but UCU says they should ‘reward the extraordinary efforts staff have made’ during Covid-19 By Anna McKie 17 May
Australian visa system ‘favours China’ Efforts to recruit a diverse student mix undermined by policy paradox, as visa applicants from many countries are viewed with suspicion By John Ross 16 May
Students in larger module groups ‘tend to get lower grades’ Effect also more pronounced for science subjects, according to study of class sizes at UK university By Simon Baker 16 May
China’s demographic ‘crisis’ may not spell doom and gloom for HE Educational growth and development may continue despite lower birth rate, expert says By Joyce Lau 15 May
Myanmar junta ‘suspends thousands of lecturers’ Military takes action after plan to reopen campuses is thwarted By Joyce Lau 14 May
Mary Beard’s retirement gift to diversify ‘very white’ Classics Cambridge scholar says subject is not just for ‘posh people who’ve done Latin for ages’ By Simon Baker 14 May
English regulator to measure progress on cutting bureaucracy Office for Students will reflect on whether it is inflicting needless red tape on higher education, says its new chair By Jack Grove 14 May
Australian Labor plans loan extensions for student entrepreneurs Universities out of the budget spotlight, as attention turns to training and commercial research By John Ross 13 May
Marcia Devlin: beating sexism with attitude Tips from the top of a sector that insists on preserving its male dominance offered in Australian consultant’s guide By John Ross 13 May
South Carolina president quits over plagiarised speech Robert Caslen, in commencement weekend address, had copied leader of bin Laden raid By Paul Basken 13 May
Post-qualification applications plan ‘unworkable’, v-cs warn Moving to an entirely post-results admissions system would harm students and higher education institutions, says Universities UK By Jack Grove 13 May
California’s online community college graduates just 12 students Calbright faces 2022 closure deadline after troubled start By Paul Basken 13 May
Black US colleges win case alleging state undermined them Four institutions get $555 million compensation for Maryland shifting their courses to white campuses By Paul Basken 13 May
Australian state seeks to go solo on return of overseas students New South Wales proposal could have international learners on campuses in time for second semester By John Ross 13 May
Danish researchers under attack ‘withdrawing from public debate’ Scholars say criticism of fields such as gender studies and race theory is leading to self-censorship By Ellie Bothwell 13 May
Lori Houlihan, 1967-2021 Tributes paid to champion of ‘equity and inclusion’ who brought ‘sense of fun and some disruption’ to her work at UCL By Matthew Reisz 13 May
Jan Eldridge: the non-binary astrophysicist studying binary stars Theoretical astrophysicist explains how early home computers nurtured a fascination with the universe, and busts the myth that most stars are single By John Ross 13 May
How decolonised is my curriculum? There’s an app for that Imperial creates tool to analyse geographic distribution of authors on reading lists and socio-economic status of their country By Anna McKie 13 May
Royal Society’s top journals to go open access within five years Historic learned society sets 75 per cent threshold for ‘flipping’ major titles By Jack Grove 13 May
Lost ground on international recruitment ‘may never be made up’ Covid is compounding other major shifts in international flows to leave a permanent realignment, experts suggest By Simon Baker 13 May
Call to bar universities from admitting students who miss grades Thinktank also proposes placing applicants on courses by lottery By Anna McKie 13 May
The week in higher education – 13 May 2021 The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media By THE reporters 13 May
Retractions of popular papers ‘often go unnoticed’ Analysis argues that science has a ‘critical problem’ because its self-correction process is slow and ineffective By David Matthews 12 May
Remote working ‘boosting managerialism’ in academia Move online may have been green but could damage impactful research, °Õ±á·¡â€™s UK Academic Salon hears By Simon Baker 12 May
Science minister’s junior role ‘may harm R&D funding push’ Exclusion of science minister from Downing Street meetings is cause for concern, says former political aide By Jack Grove 12 May
Jo Johnson: self-censorship on China ‘biggest free speech issue’ In wake of campus free speech bill plan, Tory ex-minister says UK-China links must be regulated to avert ‘genuine threat to free speech’ By John Morgan 12 May
Hundreds of US colleges not worth cost, says Gates Foundation Powerful organisation moves to rank economic value of university education to students By Paul Basken 12 May
English universities fear legal minefield under free speech bill New statutory tort would aim to protect ‘political minorities’, but critics fear it will mean ‘risk-assessing the life out of campus’ By John Morgan 12 May
Literature reviews ‘poach attention’ from original research Future citations of a journal paper drop by more than a third after being included in a review By Jack Grove 12 May
Call for universities to publish annual data on harassment Greater transparency would provide a more accurate picture of sexual misconduct in sector, campaigners say after Everyone’s Invited allegations By Anna McKie 12 May
Australia ‘should pre-empt Chinese education boycott’ Researchers advocate realignment of international agencies, saying sector cannot wait for the next instalment of China’s trade war By John Ross 11 May
