Civic engagement

Don’t put scientists in a ‘boxing ring’, Australia urged, as bereaved mother walks free from 20-year incarceration

The former vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg on the complexities of leading an institution in Africa 

Organisers of pilot study call for nationwide student tutoring effort after working with Exeter school

Key Trump adviser warns party backers about the dangers they now face from easier registration and voting processes on campuses

Protests target wealthy campuses over housing policies and lack of action on crime and community well-being

Brandenburg’s multi-billion euro ‘model for rural medicine’ will not stop doctors wanting to work in big cities, experts caution

Universities need guidance on providing voter registration opportunities and using work-study funds for civic engagement, says Mike Burns

It makes no sense for the country’s new wave of medical schools to be permitted to cater only for overseas students, says Juliet Wright

Post-industrial regions the world over are pinning their hopes on universities to reboot them as prosperous innovation economies. But questions remain about the depth and breadth of the high-tech dividend. John Morgan travels to Pennsylvania to examine the acclaimed example of Pittsburgh

As institutions embedded within cities and regions, universities can be the catalysts for local action to address national and global problems

UK sector retains positive reputation among general public as a whole, but authors of report caution over increasingly negative views among parts of population

UK universities must think as one with civic leaders and businesses to boost regions as Boston peers have, says influential peer Lord O’Neill

University’s Institute of Technology and proposed innovation district aim to make benefits stick in one of England’s most deprived areas

As enrolment expansion far outstrips campus housing capacity, universities must take more responsibility for local neighbourhoods, says Harvey Graff

After elite universities took her from County Durham to White House, next Durham chancellor aims to work on spreading benefits of higher education beyond elites 

Cutting-edge polling techniques can help universities genuinely canvass local needs, rather than assuming them, says Polly Curtis

Science and technology investment fund created by universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield injects first capital to fuel innovation shift

Scores of North American universities now cover local and national news for an audience running into the millions

Opening up cutting-edge facilities to both students and wider communities can help close 21st-century skills gaps, says Sara Prowse

Sheffield Hallam to develop new framework assessing English higher education institutions’ community development activities

Backed by state government, an ambitious university-led initiative is aiming to restore the Ruhr Valley’s former industrial glory. John Morgan meets academics behind the experiment in driving regional renewal by building a reputation for world-class science

Institutions can harness civic role and research capabilities to make significant interventions in addressing long-standing problem, report says

Australian sector pitches for a ‘reset’ as it gathers in the seat of government

By helping colleges deliver degrees, the OU will be fulfilling its founding mission, say Nadhim Zahawi, Tim Blackman and David Hughes

‘We are a designated evacuation centre. Bit by bit, we started coming to longer-term arrangements’

Western Sydney University deputy v-c discusses ‘pragmatism’ in climate change research institute title and shopping centre campus, after rankings success

Growth in competitiveness, employment, incomes and regional attractiveness occurs only when policy is aligned with local need, says Simon Collinson

New programmes must dovetail with higher technical qualifications and higher apprenticeships, says Graham Baldwin

Efforts to encourage more academics into public debates should forget indicators and focus on training and support, Norwegian rectors say

Cabinet minister says he would like to see new institutions in places like Doncaster, Wigan and Grimsby