Politics

Boise State’s Marlene Tromp sees small-town rescues as solution to anti-intellectual fervour

Diana Beech, former adviser to Tory ministers, wants to challenge ‘crude generalisations’ that could hit London’s vital arts courses

Lord Wharton of Yarm urged to get up to speed with challenges as ‘quickly as possible’ if appointment confirmed

Overruling of funding recommendations, apparently over security concerns, divulged following minister’s departure

Former schoolteacher Miguel Cardona brings record of fighting achievement gaps

A huge endowment could help draw the talent and capital to counterbalance the golden triangle, say Neil Lee and Javier Terrero Dávila

Study challenges image of campuses as places that cultivate liberalism, with limited sway favouring conservatives

Congressional leaders also approve new money for student grants and minority institutions

Report from Education Committee says support should be focused on students on courses in ‘priority skill areas’

Lord Wharton set to succeed Sir Michael Barber at helm of English sector regulator

MP brings ‘a good understanding’ of international education and a chequered record on refugees and staff relations

Expert says favourable treatment of Catholic university is “logical”, but criticises optics of handout to another Catholic institution

Community Security Trust finds 123 incidents affecting Jewish students, academics and student bodies over past two years

Penn and its students reap benefits, but hiring may have widened broader inequalities in academia

More than 50 rectors with no international publications continuously tweet pro-government messages, reflecting country’s waning academic freedom

Fearful of lagging behind the US and China, the continent now has multiple Darpa-like agencies. But they face challenges securing political independence, funding, and turning prototypes into reality

MPs say institutions are wasting money on things like car parking spaces and meditation rooms

In the new world order, leadership is about collaboration and coordination. Higher education networks are an obvious forum, says Annelise Riles  

The US’ announcement that it now regards Israeli settlements as consistent with international law does not make them so, say eight senior academics

New regime injects element of doubt into all foreign negotiations, research universities say

Australian stocktake urges pared back free speech policies, with civil behaviour desirable but not essential

Yet in era of gridlock, a poor option may be only one for delivering federal aid

Gavin Williamson’s directive will embolden other groups to demand the enforcement of their interests by ministerial fiat, says Geoffrey Alderman

International higher education scholar suggests global science is entering a new era of fragility

Committee of peers says government must confirm it will participate in EU programmes or provide details on alternatives

Australian proposal the latest in a raft of security-related interventions

Phased return to campus and more clarity on rules for returning international students are needed, says the UK opposition

Budget, seen as ‘remarkable commitment’ to education, could be leveraged to improve IT and teaching quality

The government points to a decade of funding guarantees, but critics have taken aim at draconian punishments for campus protests and the rushed scrapping of a PhD vetting body

City’s leader announces sweeteners, while pushing engagement with mainland China

French scholars, accused of fostering terrorism, fear escalating rhetoric could curtail freedom of research

Chancellor’s spending review research boost leaves questions around earlier promises, as funds committed for Erasmus replacement

Plan seems to unite various factions after acrimony, but could hinge on Whitehall’s post-Cummings appetite for research ‘levelling up’

A high level of public information literacy will minimise the spread and influence of falsehood, says Tim Blackman

Controversial Tory peer said to head Treasury committee, prompting concerns it could be eyeing funding and fee cuts

Republican office holders will walk a fine line of supporting their local college while decrying higher education in general, says Anthony Carnevale

Plans for new research funding agency expected to go ahead despite exit of former top adviser to PM, but mission yet to be defined

Budgets and foreign ties likely constrained even with friendlier administration

New education minister threatens to withdraw funding from universities following abortion law protests clash  

This week’s spending review could see commitments revisited and important policy documents released, predicts Nick Hillman

Experts urge careful consideration of detailed options and their consequences, as education secretary sets out direction of travel

Incoming US president stresses need for action but avoids key details

Being married to a long-serving community college lecturer means incoming president will have a regular insider’s view

Minister sidesteps question of whether she wants participation cut, while saying rapid Covid tests will be deployed for post-Christmas campus returns

Observers concerned by lack of coordinated effort to tackle populism and its causes

Move will include guidance around when to close, merge or reform courses, but Universities UK points out difficulty of assessing courses’ value

Pre-approved grants referred to security agencies as another front opens up in debate over research risks

Half of regional governors’ dissertations contained copied text, and these plagiarists went on to perform worse in government, research suggests

Education secretary says use of predicted grades in English system ‘breeds low aspiration and unfairness’

UK’s chief scientific adviser for national security says threat to universities’ values is most significant risk

English sector awaits details of rebalancing towards further education, along with HE policy statement and campus free speech bill

President-elect will have to do more than reverse Trump’s executive orders to rebuild the reputation of US higher education, say experts

Sydney sociologist says universities should go further than merely notifying government about overseas ties

Support must continue beyond 9 December for those with positive Covid-19 tests, international students and others, says minister Michelle Donelan

Key issues on mission, leadership and position of ‘Arpa’ agency within wider system yet to be decided, MPs told

Opposition dissatisfied with ‘drafting’ of controversial bill, but vows not to oppose it

Academics see end of Trump as end of rules deterring global research recruitment

Government outlines scenario where university spinout’s sale to investor with links to ‘hostile state’ could be called in under planned new law

The potential involvement of the UK, Australia and Canada requires a fair payments mechanism between the EU and associate countries, says Jan Palmowski

After cutbacks to the programme in July, lawmakers have managed to pad out the budget slightly, but universities remain disappointed