Impact and engagement

If universities don’t assert their expertise, demands from ministers and industry will become ever more misguided, says Dawn Freshwater

Decades of racial division hindering academia’s ability to alleviate poverty

LUISS Guido Carli University uses alumni ties to influence political debate

Survey affirms need for boosting human-based concerns in admissions and curricula

Landmark development ‘blurs boundaries between education and research’ and aims to deliver work experience for students

New campus after seven years of CMU operations in Rwanda raises hopes, questions of sustainability

Ex head of UK Civil Service issues warning as Arts Council chief praises universities’ contribution during council funding crisis

Provision of teacher residencies and mentoring by universities seen as key to long-term science improvement

Universities must draw up agreements with local partners that have the public voice at their heart, says Richard Brabner

The well-known economic and social benefits of higher education have been tossed aside for short-term political gain, says Steven Brint 

The alliance of world universities agrees to act on issues including social inequality at first summit

The next EU commissioner for research and innovation must fight for the Horizon Europe budget but resist timetables for scientific delivery, says Jan Palmowski

Our Impact Rankings are global proof positive that universities do a power of good, writes Phil Baty

Academia needs a sweeping cultural change to create the conditions and skills it needs to fulfil its role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, says Peter Horton

Despite win, academic acknowledges critics of tactic of rapid-fire attacks on president

Giving short online talks for a general audience offers benefits for individuals, subjects and the entire profession, says Kristen Sadler

Government scheme funded by four universities raises concern in sector over ‘surprising flow of resources’

Physicist and broadcaster says academics must have freedom and support to communicate with society, to ‘avoid mistakes of past’

A punitive attitude towards incarceration limits the access of the US’ uniquely large prison population to college degrees. But there are signs that attitudes are finally shifting. Paul Basken considers the arguments and looks at some prime examples of what can be achieved with a captive audience

Government policy and universities’ commitment to working with business cited as key factors for success in THE University Impact Rankings table

It is not enough for UK universities with charitable status merely to conduct teaching and research, say Nicola Dandridge and Helen Stephenson

Promotion criteria requiring top researchers to also be good teachers and managers undermine the nature of universities, says Andrew Oswald

Raising UK outlay to international levels will reap rich technological, social and political rewards for the next Conservative Party leader, says Sarah Main 

Liberal arts chief warns academics of cost of failing to serve local communities

Perceptions of higher education immune to political leanings, study finds

Last year’s scandal over the ministerial vetoing of Australian research grants coincided with the centenary of the fabled principle that politicians should keep out of such decisions. But with governments becoming increasingly ideological and desperate for innovation-fuelled growth, does scientific autonomy have a future? Rachael Pells investigates 

Researcher hopes showing at United Nations will spur further action to help the most disadvantaged artisans

More than 30 universities from G7 countries have launched a ‘U7 Alliance’, which will hold its first summit next month

The Surrey professor and broadcaster explains how science communication can entertain and enlighten

Ostensibly unsuccessful educational experiment still has important lessons for us today, claims historian

Engagement by students and staff bolstered by mandates from governments cited as key ingredients for success in THE University Impact Rankings tables

Peter Gluckman, president-elect of the International Science Council, says ‘Dr Google’ poses a bigger threat to evidence-based policymaking than populist politicians

The show’s scientific adviser Donna Nelson discusses the crime drama’s legacy, six years on from its conclusion

Request a Woman Scientist holds the details of more than 8,000 experts, but journalists and event organisers are still relying on old sources who are male and pale, group leader warns

Former civil servant urges universities to translate their research into the language understood by government departments if they want it to be acted upon

Student action shows US colleges far from accepting their slavery-related debts

Deep partnerships with government, business and civil society leave a sweet taste for both academics and the public, says Mark Western

Monash Technology Transformation Institute aims to bridge ‘valley of death’ that sees many discoveries fall short of securing commercial-scale investment

Jean-Eric Paquet tells university heads that there is now a ‘consensus’ that research must help deliver sustainable development goals

Members of the public will be able to run their own experiments, producing data that could be valuable for scholars

Political scientists typically see politics as an exercise in consensus-building. But Chantal Mouffe tells John Morgan that the left must learn from right-wing populists’ exploitation of “them and us” narratives if it is not to be vanquished by them

Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology has integrated sustainability into all parts of its business, says Göran Finnveden

New THE metrics challenge universities to think about their societal contributions and encourage them to be responsible employers, says Jonathan Grant

Shadow minister says new assessment is ‘half-baked’

Online platform boasting 11,500 academic experts answering public questions seeks backing for global expansion

Recruiting a five-year, full-time president could transform the umbrella body’s ability to defend the sector, says Sir Anthony Seldon

The Palestinian law professor talks about the overlap with his other job: as a stand-up comedian travelling the world talking about the Arab American experience

Duncan Ross explains why submitting data on global partnerships is mandatory for inclusion in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings

The UK’s new knowledge exchange framework, whose proposed metrics were unveiled last month, has raised more questions over relationships between universities and business. David Secher and Surya Raghu cast their eye over 40 years of policy evolution on either side of the Atlantic

‘Why is being incredibly successful a problem?’ asks Universities Australia chair Margaret Gardner

Researchers must ‘put on the gloves’ and bring the fight to their critics, says Arizona State professor

The government’s new ‘national interest’ test for research proposals is another damaging symptom of short-termism, says Margaret Sheil

Research benefits often unforeseeable but must be communicated

Duncan Ross explains how universities’ evidence is being verified and measured in the THE University Impact Rankings

American Association for the Advancement of Science accompanied by global efforts to better inform policymaking

Turning to dance may help scientists communicate their findings to those who distrust experts, claims competition winner

Evidence suggests citations boost from working with industry

Two researchers who study rainforest resilience tell Jack Grove of their alarm at seeing the devastation wrought by wildfires

Rebekah Tromble and Patricia Rossini feared for their safety when the conservative online world turned against them last summer

Whatever you think of the likes of Jordan Peterson, their use of alternative media to reach huge audiences offers many lessons, says Michael Marinetto