Politics

Gavin Williamson’s call for OfS to ‘support individual academics’ in curriculum rows could ‘set up wall with university leadership’

Former universities minister calls on Department for Education to support private member’s bill outlawing contract cheating

Expert questions government’s motivations for building another institution in troubled region

Science and Technology Committee says ‘Arpa’ may be most effective if set up outside UK Research and Innovation

Success of India’s education reforms ‘matter tremendously to the world’ but foreign institutions will not solve country’s problems, says former UK universities minister

As military overlords revert to type, concerns mount over fate of detained Australian economist

Government finally publishes modelling that estimates loss of £63 million for UK universities from drop in enrolment of new EU students

Appointment of former Conservative MP as chair of English higher education regulator ‘adds to catalogue of cronyism’

Gavin Williamson tells English regulator it ‘should not hesitate’ to issue fines if planned absolute baselines are not met

Long-standing divides between schooling, employment and industry will be disrupted, predicts Singapore MP

Education Select Committee endorses appointment of Lord Wharton as Office for Students chair

Announced increases in hardship funding are not enough, while missed educational opportunities must be replaced, says Paul Blomfield

With little Republican dissent, Cardona looks headed for easy Senate approval

Under Biden, Justice Department abandons case pushed by Trump

Experts call on global community to support Burmese scholars

New US president aims to reverse Trump-era limits on public benefits to foreigners

Professor says country will lose its lead on overseas recruitment and predicts ‘major forking of the way’ between Australia and UK

Lord Wharton says ‘top universities’ should have lighter-touch regulation in pre-appointment hearing

English universities are making huge efforts to support students through the pandemic, but the government must play its part, says Anthony Forster

Absence of political leadership, consensus building and links to ‘levelling up’ agenda seen as weaknesses of Westminster government’s post-18 review

Much more cash – and fundamental reform – needed to alleviate impact of Covid-19 on learners, say unions

New South Wales sidesteps call for more reporting of universities’ foreign fee fix

Policy expert says agreement between EU and UK is ‘not at all geared to separate treatment for regions’

‘No-cost’ administrative changes would save money and heartache, Australian researchers tell new minister

Delay in naming top higher education official taken as inauspicious

International student flows kept on drip feed as politics, fear and logistics trump large-scale influxes

Devolved nations say they should be given any replacement funding for scheme from UK government ‘in the first instance’

LSE research head says academia should work with other service sectors to enable free movement for a fixed period of time

New position of White House social sciences adviser may raise priority of social response to coronavirus and consideration of race-related factors

Sector leaders say government proposal amounts to ‘a sudden multimillion-pound hit’ for some institutions and criticise decision not to phase changes

Revival of plan to restrict numbers via minimum grade requirement raises concerns over impact on poorest

Option is put forward alongside post-qualification offers as one of two potential reforms

Teaching excellence framework will also no longer be an annual exercise, with next assessment due to be published next year

Government’s ‘interim response’ to Augar review puts off big decisions but signals drive to lower costs of system

New president welcomed by higher education groups, but faces tough legislative hurdles

‘Final conclusion’ to review of post-18 education to come at spending review, as DfE heralds skills white paper, TEF review and admissions consultation

Initial estimates indicate jump in applications for coming year in excess of 10 per cent

Outgoing Office for Students chair defends university expansion before taking up government role

Hepi paper by former Uclan deputy v-c calls for new funding system in which richest graduates pay more

Outgoing US president cites USC trustee in rationale for helping fellow Florida developer

Freshly inaugurated US president Joe Biden owes his election victory to swing states in America’s Rust Belt. But is his plan to revitalise them by creating ‘millions of new manufacturing and innovation’ jobs realistic? And how best can universities play their part? John Morgan reports

Higher education finance expert weighs up costs of options for government, amid calls for loan discounts and cash grants

Incoming president names advisory team while pushing social sciences and battle against cancer

University president claims peers are so captured by need to cultivate politicians and donors that they fail to publicly challenge anything but the most egregious behaviour

African American studies chair says tackling inequality is ‘on a knife-edge’ and urges institutions to stop ‘tinkering around the edges’

While arresting scientists, US slides on funding and misses commitment on rules consistency

Delayed government verdict on post-18 education review seen as unlikely to address concerns on rising system costs or HE economic role

HBCUs want a chance after decades of federal aid for poorer white-majority institutions

Elise Stefanik, backer of claims that fuelled Capitol riot, evicted from government school

The president-elect may have academic connections, but the path from campus to cabinet is rarely travelled successfully, say three political scientists

Institutions with overseas links seen to be acting ‘on behalf of’ foreign interests

The European programme’s globe-spanning successor, the Turing scheme, is more suited to meeting today’s challenges, says Louise Nicol

Universities may think they have more pressing priorities than the UN’s SDGs. But they don’t, say Martha McPherson and Kate Roll

Billionaire becomes second in Cabinet to make symbolic move with two weeks left

V-cs urge government to compensate universities over pandemic rent waivers, with fee refunds also expected to become ‘political football’

Informal use of university scientists as independent advisers is unsustainable when health emergencies last for months, warns committee

University leaders fear Trump harming democracy as voters hand more power to Democrats

Narrow political margin, however, may mean gridlock for major initiatives is unmoved

Economist calls for emphasis on wages and jobs as antidote to ‘failed’ doctrines, as he takes up Glasgow role looking at independent Scotland

New minister’s old work on online education could be revived to encourage tertiary sector integration, experts say