Opinion

Ansgar Allen questions the motives of a growing band of champions

Knowledge, not exotic travel, should be students’ number one priority, argues Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Sally Hunt explains why union members are taking action this week over changes to pensions

An academic who suffered sexual harassment criticises the secrecy surrounding such cases

Universities are not doing enough to help scholars navigate the ethical dilemmas, argues Jean Grugel

Michael Power considers the implications of academics being monitored in ever more and increasingly disparate aspects of work

A blogger gets to the bottom of tale concerning a physicist whose name means ‘total asshole’ in Italian

The government unleashed private providers to change the sector, but has there been a tide of creative disruption?

The future of the Collège International de Philosophie, a legacy of Jacques Derrida, is at risk, warns Martin McQuillan

Shahidha Bari on the flawed, yet fascinating, admissions process

With a court judgment imminent, Chris Cobb reflects on the legal tussle over the future of the institute

Alistair McCulloch wonders if those seeking to expand research assessment beyond the UK are a bit too parochial in their ambitions

Universities collecting data to monitor performance must be transparent and in sync with academic work and goals

Kevin Fong advises academics to scale the silo walls occasionally to regenerate their careers

The ‘Yes’ vote of the heart was trumped by unanswered concerns about currency, pensions and university research, writes Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Nick Hillman considers the likelihood of the government taking concrete steps to help postgraduate students before the election

Universities need to ensure that those with everyday contact with young people recognise and challenge abuse, says Miriam David

We urgently need to confront grade inflation, poor-value degrees, unequal access and lack of contact time, writes Jamie Martin

Employers respond to ‘scare stories’ around proposed changes to USS pension scheme

Co-ordinated approach the only way out of policy mess, conference to hear

Alan Ruby reflects on an unscripted display of the differences between national research communities

Courage, or lack of it, can spur people to achieve, but everyone must decide for themselves how far out to stick their neck

Ahead of the annual Battle of Ideas Festival, we asked you to tell us what you think is missing from the country-wide canvassing of university student views

The territory’s young people have bravely asked the question that its universities have ducked, observes Bruce Macfarlane

Why keep on assessing how students feel? asks Joanna Williams

Sally Feldman on the fashion choices available to female scholars

Hefce’s decision to invite external bodies to bid for work undertaken by the higher education watchdog carries risks, warns Peter Williams

Education lawyer Smita Jamdar on the danger of piecemeal change to the regulatory regime

Private not-for-profits don’t deserve to be tarred with the same brush as some Johnny-come-latelys, says Phil Deans

Maintaining a stable university income while writing off a third of student loans could save money and win votes, John Cater suggests

Mike Cole ponders how to promote research culture and social democracy in Cambodia

Universities know well the value of international students, but myopic politicians struggle to see past electoral expediency

With utilitarianism on the rise, we must reaffirm the value of the liberal arts, says Frank Furedi

Christopher Bigsby reflects on an age of innocence, sherry and tenure

Nathaniel Adam Tobias Coleman on the long shadow cast by Francis Galton’s theory

There is no dumbing down with a professor’s Caltech Parallel Session - how do campus and online students feel about the shared course?

Ferdinand von Prondzynski foresees some separation of English and Scottish higher education after the referendum, but overall a shared future

Paul Wordsworth warns that the privatisation of visa applications is hampering academics’ ability to be part of an international community

Planning to win top laurels is a fool’s errand, so how should research be structured to best produce far-reaching results?

Christopher Davidson, who has 120,000 Twitter followers, on how to use social media as an academic

Lack of diversity and intolerance of minorities are disputed by groups of students at Colgate University, New York State

Institutions have long served as community anchors, and their role in local growth has scope to expand, says Madeleine Atkins

Alan Ryan on fears that Silicon dreams and start-ups might leave humanities in the dark

Rankings editor Phil Baty join Chris Parr to discuss the results of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-2015