- British secret services spied on Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm for decades, newly released files reveal. MI5 and Special Branch officers tapped the phones and intercepted the letters of the Birkbeck, University of London academic from the 1940s onwards, the Daily Mail reported on 24 October. While the Mail concedes that Hobsbawm, a Communist Party member, did not pass on secrets to the Russians, it points out that he was friendly with those who did 鈥 namely British physicist Alan Nunn May, who was sentenced to 10 years鈥 hard labour in 1946 for being a Soviet spy. Yet none of the snooping led to any dirt on Hobsbawm, who is described by a spy in one of the files as a 鈥渢ireless (and tiresome) organiser of petitions and lost causes鈥. However, the paper still had a field day by alluding to his friendship with Ed Miliband鈥檚 academic father Ralph in its headline: 鈥淗ow the friend of Red Ed鈥檚 father hobnobbed with traitors who spied for the Soviets鈥.
- The former head porter of Oriel College, Oxford, has quit his post to run as an MP for the UK Independence Party. Former serviceman Kenrick 鈥淒ickie鈥 Bird told The Daily Telegraph on 24 October that he left his position because of his 鈥減assion for change鈥. Mr Bird, who aims to win the Banbury seat in north Oxfordshire, 鈥渁dmitted the university has been 鈥榩art of the problem鈥 with the political process in the past by funnelling public school students straight into Westminster鈥, the newspaper said. But, he added, that past was now 鈥渟lowly being eradicated by the type of guy and girl that they鈥檙e bringing in to Oxford and Cambridge鈥.
- Change is also afoot at the highest level of the university, after Oxford launched the search for a new vice-chancellor on October. The successful candidate will be a visionary leader, with a proven track record at the highest levels of academia and a burning desire to remind politicians that it apparently costs Oxford 拢16,000 a year to educate each undergraduate. The last bit will (probably) not appear in the job description, but may be seen as providing continuity from Andrew Hamilton, whose seven-year term ends in September 2016. Oxford has performed impressively in league tables under Professor Hamilton 鈥 including on vice-chancellor鈥檚 remuneration, where Craig Calhoun of the London School of Economics was the only head of a UK institution to outrank Professor Hamilton鈥檚 拢434,000 package last year.
- Talking of the perks of being a vice-chancellor, it has emerged that the head of the University of Bedfordshire and the institution鈥檚 dean of partnerships, who are in a relationship, racked up a joint travel bill of more than 拢30,000 in the year to July, according to the Bedford Times and Citizen. Bill Rammell, the former Labour minister who now leads the institution, and Helen Bailey, who was promoted from head of performing arts to executive dean last year, visited partner universities and conferences in Beijing three times and in Miami once, a Freedom of Information request revealed. Each trip lasted three or four days, and all flights were business class. A spokesman for Bedfordshire said that at least one other staff member was also on each trip. He added that travelling business class allowed university staff 鈥渢o work in flight and immediately on arrival鈥, ensuring that visits were 鈥渟hort and focused entirely on university business鈥.
- A brothel disguised as a 鈥渇oot massage department鈥 has been uncovered at a Chinese university, The Independent reported on October. The bordello was allegedly based in the Guangxin International Hotel at the Wuchang University of Technology in Wuhan, east China. To buy services from prostitutes, customers would tell the hotel receptionist that they were looking for 鈥淪ister Zhou for some healthcare鈥, and could receive a student discount, according to the Beijing Times. 鈥淚t is outrageous that this is going on at our school,鈥 said a student whistleblower, who had sought to get a foot massage and was offered 鈥渟pecial services鈥. The hotel was reportedly part of a company chaired by the university鈥檚 chancellor, Zhao Zuobin, the paper said. But the university denied that Professor Zhao or any other staff were involved in the running of the hotel or alleged prostitution, adding that the matter had been referred to police for investigation.
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