- The Russell Group took some flak in the letters page of The Guardian on 23聽August. Readers objected that it was 鈥渘ot true鈥 to say that the group鈥檚 universities 鈥渁re the best鈥 and took issue with its assertion that its members record 88聽per cent average satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey, compared with 85 per cent across the sector. If the NSS were 鈥渟imilar to other polls carried out by Ipsos Mori, its accuracy would fall in the range of +/-3 per cent and the differences between the Russell Group and the overall average would not be statistically significant鈥, said one anonymous reader. Earlier this month, research carried out for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills found that attending a Russell Group university had 鈥渘o statistically significant effects鈥 on graduate earnings. At least the group鈥檚 entry fee for its four newest members 鈥 拢500,000 each 鈥 is聽statistically significant.
- The University of Oxford鈥檚 record of producing right-wing political leaders who spent their student days in violent clubs or societies continues to sparkle. Although Tony Abbott, favourite to win Australia鈥檚 federal election next month, was not a member of聽the rowdy Bullingdon Club (unlike Boris Johnson, David Cameron and George Osborne), he was a rugby union player and boxing 鈥渂lue鈥. Phil Crowe, the Oxford rugby team鈥檚 captain at the time, told The Guardian for a聽profile published on 24聽August that Mr聽Abbott, a聽Rhodes scholar from 1981 to 1983, would sometimes respond to opposition players giving him a聽hard time 鈥渨ith a quick right jab鈥 when the referee wasn鈥檛 looking. Australian universities pleading for funds may have to be聽wary if Mr Abbott鈥檚 Liberal-National Coalition wins the poll on 7聽September.
- Donald Trump is being sued for $40聽million (拢25.8聽million) by New聽York鈥檚 attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, over claims that the billionaire helped run a 鈥渦niversity鈥 that falsely promised to make students rich, the Daily Mail reported on 25聽August. 鈥淭rump University engaged in deception at every stage of consumers鈥 advancement through costly programs and caused real financial harm,鈥 Mr聽Schneiderman said. Many of the 5,000 students who paid up to聽$35,000 thought they would at least meet Mr Trump, but all they got was their picture taken in front of a life-sized picture of him, the attorney general added. After state education department officials told Mr聽Trump to change the institution鈥檚 name as it did not meet the legal definition of a聽university, it became the Trump Entrepreneur Institute in 2011. Mr聽Trump鈥檚 lawyer said the suit was 鈥減olitically motivated鈥.
- In an extremely vigorous defence of academic standards, the University of Liberia has failed all 25,000 students who sat this year鈥檚 entrance exam for the institution, one of two state-run universities in the country. 鈥淚t means that the overcrowded university will not have any new first-year students when it reopens next month,鈥 the BBC News website reported on 26聽August. 鈥淚聽know there are a聽lot of weaknesses in the schools, but for a whole group of people to take exams and every single one of them to fail, I have my doubts about that,鈥 education minister Etmonia David-Tarpeh said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like mass murder.鈥 However, university spokesman Momodu Getaweh, displaying a Michael Gove-like commitment to聽academic rigour, said: 鈥淚n English, the mechanics of the language, they didn鈥檛 know anything about it. So the government has to do something.鈥
- Without an annual rise in聽A鈥憀evel grades to fuel tabloid vitriol, it would normally be left to that other old chestnut 鈥 UK students denied places because of 鈥渜uotas鈥 鈥 to fill the void. However, the coalition has lifted such quotas for high-grade students. What to do? Thankfully, medical degrees, still under strict number controls, can give life to the dead donkey. Enter the Daily Mail on 26聽August, which reported that a limit on the number of UK undergraduates studying medicine meant that the NHS had to recruit thousands of doctors trained overseas. Foreigners, private school students failing to get into university and problems with the NHS: a聽heady mix for middle-class readers enjoying their sunshine in the Dordogne.
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