Opinion

Laurie Taylor's weekly bulletin from the University of Poppleton

In this general election, visiting the polling station seems more pointless than ever, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Which party scores highest for one policy nerd?

Whatever the outcome of the election, strong financial leadership will be key both to the country and our universities

The Education-USA initiative to attract overseas students is a wake-up call for the UK, argues Chris Cobb

Carol Hay and John Kaag make one final heroic push in the final straight of the academic year

As part of its #GenerationVote campaign, the National Union of Students asked Tory, Green, Lib Dem and Labour candidates about higher education policies

What would politicians do for higher education in the next government? To find out, our panel gave them a grilling

Danny Dorling looks at what the party’s promises would mean for higher education

Daniel K. Sokol on student complaints, illness and the limits of scholars’ expertise

Benjamin Poore calls on universities to reject plans likely to make hourly paid lecturers’ lot poorer and more precarious

Extravagant claims for the right of scholars to say almost anything endanger support for the principle, says Martyn Hammersley

Hong Bing examines plans for a Great Leap Forward in the sport

Confronting students with facts that they might not be aware of or comfortable with can have surprising results, says Robert Lee Maril

Research reveals that sabbaticals boost productivity – but be sure not to take work phone calls or check the email

An academic is puzzled over a string of ‘surreal’ emails from journals

People are right to believe that revealing mental health problems at work will do more harm than good, says an academic living with depression

A private place to work is much more than just an office, says Shahidha Bari

‘Academic citizenship’ is the key to moving up the career ladder, argues Richard J. Williams

As the statue of Cecil Rhodes is removed from the University of Cape Town, South Africa’s academy still needs monumental change, says Martin Hall

Students need to understand assessment criteria in order to spot weaknesses in their own work, says David Carless

Practitioners of the genre are undervalued in the selfie era, argues Sally Feldman

Alan Ruby wishes students would use their economic clout in a more politically and morally meaningful way than purchasing organic burritos

Scientific publishing has a noble history of tolerating tiny profits. We need a bit more of that spirit today, suggests Aileen Fyfe

The former leader of the University of York on how his new role’s focus on technology made the decision an easy one

The uncapping of student numbers may not result in a surge across the sector - but things are changing all the same

Context and motive are key to concerns about limits on freedom within and without the academy

Christopher Bigsby considers their changing nature

Winfried Stöcker, an honorary professor at Lübeck, has views on immigration that conflict with German universities’ self-image. Brian Bloch writes

The history of binary arithmetic shows that we should be concerned about pressure to demonstrate the immediate value of discoveries, says Lloyd Strickland

A different method of funding study could allow institutions to raise fees and also save the state money, argues Alfred Morris

The pay gap between men and women is an issue that never goes away. It’s time for action, not more reassuring words

One scholar imagines a university league table that puts the emphasis on fairness and diversity

Attracting young people from the People’s Republic is vital for UK universities and a secure future, says Keith Burnett

Martin McQuillan on the critical theorists shaking up Syriza and Podemos

Top academics will be increasingly reluctant to come to the UK, says Hirono, who is being forced to quit Britain despite her permanent post

A whistleblower’s account of how an institution manipulated graduate employment statistics made for sobering reading, but it also drove the Twitterati to drink-related puns

George Osborne’s ambitions for northern research powerhouses may be undermined by post-REF funding allocations

The headline crises are just the start, observes Alan Ryan

PhD candidates and bloggers offer hard-won advice on self-care

Overseas students are key to universities’ success, bringing valuable fee income and adding value for home students, too

John Gilbey remembers the gifted, generous and genial creator of the Discworld universe

Felipe Fernández-Armesto laments our giant-killing culture

Protracted battle to retrieve a computer centre’s seats for the elderly and handicapped at Bremen says much about the bureaucratic mindset

The case for research funding in the humanities is stronger if we recognise the similarities, argues David Eastwood

This flawed publication is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in business and management studies, says Dennis Tourish