Pleas by Conservative backbenchers for an intervention to help the OU ignore the fact that they recently made it harder to assist under-pressure institutions, says Pam Tatlow
As a parliamentary committee calls for an independent review of Prevent, Steven Greer and Lindsey Bell argue that too much criticism of the anti-extremism programme is based on myths
As England’s new higher education regulator the Office for Students begins this week, its deputy chair Martin Coleman explains how it will balance institutional autonomy and public accountability
Universities need to raise funds from potentially mercurial financial markets without losing sight of their long-term missions. It’s a delicate balance
A sample essay by Philip Newton and Michael Draper on the dodgy disclaimers used by essay mills makes clear why the Advertising Standards Authority’s ruling will not stop contract cheating
As the Department for Education calls on more elite universities in England to open specialist maths schools, Janice Kay reflects on the journey of her university's maths academy
Following individuals’ paths in and out of different institutions shows that most students eventually graduate, say Ross Finnie, Richard E. Mueller and Arthur Sweetman
As the National Union of Students conference in Glasgow begins on 27 March, Nick Hillman ponders if the student voice is becoming too powerful in universities
Sport is one of the ways that universities are helping to transform the lives of young people from socially disadvantaged communities, says Geoff Thompson
As peak marking season approaches, Julianne Law gives a frank assessment of where her university’s new paperless marking system has gone right and what could be improved
There must be greater permeability between universities and tech giants if we want to protect data from corporate interests and use it for the public good
New South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s first budget confirmed funding for hundreds of thousands of students to be exempted from tuition fees, writes Martin Hall
Female under-representation in spin-offs is likely to be attributable to the usual suspects: gender bias, lack of appropriate support and limited access to the right networks, says Simonetta Manfredi
Bill Galvin, chief executive of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, tackles some of the ‘misunderstandings’ about the fund’s approach to its valuation
Documents published on the Office for Students’ website have raised further questions about its independence, accountability and powers, says Gill Evans
Unprecedented spending on university estates are transforming campuses and cities more generally, explain the authors of a new book on contemporary design in higher education
Lancaster University's vice-chancellor Mark E. Smith and Nicola Owen argue that a new composite ranking offers a more nuanced view of institutional excellence
Social scientists’ scepticism about research oversight also relates to the curiously bad press it gets in Western literature, writes Katarzyna Kaczmarska
Stephen Hawking’s enormous achievements in science and communication are a manifestation of amazing willpower and determination, says the astronomer royal
The Pensions Regulator, not universities, is the driving force behind proposed cuts due to its nonsensical approach to discount rates, argue David Bailey and John Clancy
Introducing a ‘consumer-style ratings system’ for degrees has the potential to cause terrible damage to universities and society in general, argues Cathy Shrank
Pension cuts have been presented as a matter-of-fact and inevitable response to an enormous deficit, but this position has started to unravel, says Jan Machielsen
