BLOG INDEX
News round-up: University staff to be balloted on strike action
UCU has voted to support a motion calling for industrial action over pensions, pay and casualisation, with potential strikes looming before Christmas. Meanwhile, the sector has shown mixed reactions to the sacking of Education Secretary Gavin Williamson in the...
News round-up: Covid vaccine passports will not be required for university students
Last week, the Department for Education confirmed that there are no plans to implement the use of vaccine passports on university campuses, after some ministers and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had discussed the benefits of a passport system. Nevertheless, the DfE...
News round-up: Office for Students confirms cuts to arts and creative subjects amid government reforms
The universities regulator, The Office for Students, has this week confirmed drastic cuts to funding for arts and creative subjects amid government plans to redirect the money to fund other "high-cost" subjects including science, technology, engineering and...
CDBU Position Paper on Academic Freedom
The Council for the Defence of British Universities is pleased to publish its position paper on Academic Freedom brought together by three executive committee members: Dr Kelli Rudolph, Professor Susan Bruce and Professor John Holmwood. The paper articulates the...
REVIEW: Retreat or Resolution? Tackling the Crisis of Mass Higher Education
Review by Patrick Ainley, former professor of training and education at the University of Greenwich and regular contributor to the Post-16 Educator. The argument in this book is that mass higher education, for all its multiple and irreversible achievements, is...
January News Round-Up: Fresh wave of UCU strikes to hit universities next month
CDBU UPDATES Last month, the CDBU Executive Committee met to discuss some new ideas for 2022. We are very pleased to announce that we will now be offering a fee to those who write for our blog! We are particularly keen to offer this fee to help support students and...
Ends, means, and meaning: the importance of human relationships in academia
Words by Dr Alexis Artaud de La Ferrière, Lecturer in Sociology at Royal Holloway. In what is called the Humanity Formula of his Categorical Imperative, Immanuel Kant states that we should never act in such a way that we treat humanity as a means only; but instead...
News round-up:
THE LATEST CDBU NEWS: – New on the CDBU blog: 'Getting off the back foot – and taking the offensive' Words by Peter Scott, CDBU Trustee, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Studies at the UCL Institute of Education and former Vice-Chancellor of Kingston...
ANNOUNCING: CALL FOR FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECT
The Council for the Defence of British Universities invites applications to undertake research into any aspect of higher education in the UK, including governance, policy, curricula developments, and staff and student welfare and wellbeing. Comparisons...
MARCH NEWS ROUND-UP: British universities grapple with knock on effects of war in Ukraine
British universities are currently grappling with the knock on effects of the war in Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia affecting climate science and space research, supporting education programmes for Ukrainian refugees, and offering mental health and...
REVIEW: Retreat or Resolution? Tackling the Crisis of Mass Higher Education
Review by Patrick Ainley, former professor of training and education at the University of Greenwich and regular contributor to the Post-16 Educator. The argument in this book is that mass higher education, for all its multiple and irreversible achievements, is...
REVIEW: What Universities Owe Democracy
Review by Professor Julian Preece Ronald J. Daniels, the lead author of this original and much-needed book, has been President of Johns Hopkins since 2007. He was previously head of the Law School at Toronto, then Provost at Pennsylvania. Universities have not only...
CDBU Launch Meeting at the British Academy
BY Gordon Campbell (University of leicester) CDBU will be formally launched at an Inaugural Meeting at the British Academy next Tuesday, 13 November. Drawing up the list of those invited to attend this initial meeting has not been easy: the space available to us is...
News round-up: Proposal to lower student loan repayment threshold met with outrage
Ministers are understood to be considering lowering the student loan repayment threshold to £23,000, or an average increase of £400 in repayments per year. The decision has been met with widespread criticism and concern about how this might affect those on lower...
News round-up: Office for Students confirms cuts to arts and creative subjects amid government reforms
The universities regulator, The Office for Students, has this week confirmed drastic cuts to funding for arts and creative subjects amid government plans to redirect the money to fund other "high-cost" subjects including science, technology, engineering and...
News round-up: Universities hire investigators to deal with sexual assault allegations
Top universities including Durham, York and Manchester have employed specialist investigators to deal with a rapid rise in reported sexual assault cases, with some paying investigators up to £10,000 per case. This follows the publication of a new anonymous testimonial...
News round-up: Sheffield Archeology department closure is ‘an act of cultural vandalism’
On 27 May, staff at the University of Sheffield received confirmation via email that it's renowned archeology department will close and be merged with other departments. The decision has been met with huge criticism and described as an 'act of cultural vandalism'. The...
MARCH NEWS ROUND-UP: British universities grapple with knock on effects of war in Ukraine
British universities are currently grappling with the knock on effects of the war in Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia affecting climate science and space research, supporting education programmes for Ukrainian refugees, and offering mental health and...
REVIEW: Retreat or Resolution? Tackling the Crisis of Mass Higher Education
Review by Patrick Ainley, former professor of training and education at the University of Greenwich and regular contributor to the Post-16 Educator. The argument in this book is that mass higher education, for all its multiple and irreversible achievements, is...
January News Round-Up: Fresh wave of UCU strikes to hit universities next month
CDBU UPDATES Last month, the CDBU Executive Committee met to discuss some new ideas for 2022. We are very pleased to announce that we will now be offering a fee to those who write for our blog! We are particularly keen to offer this fee to help support students and...
News round-up:
THE LATEST CDBU NEWS: – New on the CDBU blog: 'Getting off the back foot – and taking the offensive' Words by Peter Scott, CDBU Trustee, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Studies at the UCL Institute of Education and former Vice-Chancellor of Kingston...
News round-up: Labour could cap number of private school students going to university
As figures show that half of young people now go to university, Labour has announced plans to limit the number of students universities can accept from private schools UUK president aims to show degree value ‘not all about money’ Times Higher Education,...
News round-up: Education secretary backs a review of university admissions
A mixed bag this week: Gavin Williamson supports the OfS review into university admissions, a record number of disadvantaged pupils are winning university places and universities are likely to face delays to funding when the UK leaves the EU Ethicist warns...
News round-up: A review of the admissions system is under way – could this mean the introduction of post-A-level applications?
University admissions, drop-out rates and grade inflation are all in the news – and a vice-chancellor is sacked for gross misconduct Swansea University sack vice chancellor and dean of management school for gross misconduct Wales Online, 26/7/2019, Sion Barry...
News round-up: Two in five school leavers in England apply for university places this year
In England, record numbers of school leavers apply to university – and a record proportion of students are awarded first-class degrees England university applications hit record numbers BBC, 11/07/2019, Anon Record numbers of 18-year-olds in England have...
A ‘cohesive and self-critical academic community’: an ideal under threat
Opinion piece G.R.Evans An article in Times Higher Education on 2 March collected suggestions from a ‘panel of university administration experts’ on the best way to frame a job advertisement. Wondering where suitably qualified and ‘excellent’ teachers are going to be...
New DAPs anyone? Is the proposed multiplication of types of degree-awarding powers a good idea?
Preamble: The Higher Education and Research Bill will reach undergo line-by-line examination in the House of Lords on 6th March, when it reaches the Report Stage. This post is the third in a series of opinion pieces by G. R. Evans, reflecting on the Amendments tabled...
The mysterious letters in the library
Opinion Piece by G. R. Evans The Higher Education and Research Bill has now had seven sessions before the Lords in Committee, ending on 30 January. As Lord Willetts acknowledged, it has become ‘famous’ for the sheer number of ‘letters’ promised to various Peers at the...
Uses and Abuses of Economics in the Debate on Universities
Report on CDBU Annual Lecture 2017 by Dorothy Bishop Last night, Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, delivered a splendid lecture with the title “Uses and Abuses of Economics in the Debate on Universities”. It is not possible to do this...
Thinking about Higher Education
Words by Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, University College London. Can we really think about higher education? To what extent are there spaces in universities for collective thinking about higher education? And to the extent...
News round-up:
THE LATEST CDBU NEWS: – New on the CDBU blog: 'Getting off the back foot – and taking the offensive' Words by Peter Scott, CDBU Trustee, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Studies at the UCL Institute of Education and former Vice-Chancellor of Kingston...
The Interdependence of Academic Freedom and Protest
Words by Dr Heather McKnight, founder of the social enterprise Magnetic Ideals and Doctor of Legal Studies. In 1970, the Commission on Academic Freedom and the Law (CAFL) released research exposing changes in how universities were using the law: a discontinuity that...
News round-up: Proposal to lower student loan repayment threshold met with outrage
Ministers are understood to be considering lowering the student loan repayment threshold to £23,000, or an average increase of £400 in repayments per year. The decision has been met with widespread criticism and concern about how this might affect those on lower...
MARCH NEWS ROUND-UP: British universities grapple with knock on effects of war in Ukraine
British universities are currently grappling with the knock on effects of the war in Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia affecting climate science and space research, supporting education programmes for Ukrainian refugees, and offering mental health and...
January News Round-Up: Fresh wave of UCU strikes to hit universities next month
CDBU UPDATES Last month, the CDBU Executive Committee met to discuss some new ideas for 2022. We are very pleased to announce that we will now be offering a fee to those who write for our blog! We are particularly keen to offer this fee to help support students and...
Ends, means, and meaning: the importance of human relationships in academia
Words by Dr Alexis Artaud de La Ferrière, Lecturer in Sociology at Royal Holloway. In what is called the Humanity Formula of his Categorical Imperative, Immanuel Kant states that we should never act in such a way that we treat humanity as a means only; but instead...
Thinking about Higher Education
Words by Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, University College London. Can we really think about higher education? To what extent are there spaces in universities for collective thinking about higher education? And to the extent...
News round-up:
THE LATEST CDBU NEWS: – New on the CDBU blog: 'Getting off the back foot – and taking the offensive' Words by Peter Scott, CDBU Trustee, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Studies at the UCL Institute of Education and former Vice-Chancellor of Kingston...
News round-up: Proposal to lower student loan repayment threshold met with outrage
Ministers are understood to be considering lowering the student loan repayment threshold to £23,000, or an average increase of £400 in repayments per year. The decision has been met with widespread criticism and concern about how this might affect those on lower...
News round-up: University staff to be balloted on strike action
UCU has voted to support a motion calling for industrial action over pensions, pay and casualisation, with potential strikes looming before Christmas. Meanwhile, the sector has shown mixed reactions to the sacking of Education Secretary Gavin Williamson in the...
News round-up: Visa delays hinder students’ year abroad plans
Post-Brexit visa delays have hindered UK students' hopes of studying in Europe, with many reporting that it has become increasingly difficult to obtain appointments at embassies to secure the necessary paperwork. Meanwhile, there has been widespread criticism of the...
The New Model University
Words by Professor David Midgley. The writing was on the wall in January. It was then that the government published its response to Dame Shirley Pearce’s review of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework, commonly known as the TEF. Dame...
News round-up: ‘Catastrophic’ funding cuts for arts subjects cause uproar
Reports that the Office for Students and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson plan to slash funding for arts subjects by 50% have caused uproar this week. The OfS have sought to clarify the situation, claiming that the proposed cuts only apply "...to a smaller subsidy...
News round-up: New reports shine a harsh light on racism and sexual harassment at UK universities
Sexual abuse at English and Welsh universities has been described as a "public scandal" after a report revealed that universities are systematically failing to address instances of assault and harassment, while another report commissioned by Universities UK has...
We need to talk about academic freedom
Words by Eric Lybeck, Presidential Academic Fellow at the Manchester Institute of Education. Yesterday, Policy Exchange published a report on academic freedom in British universities drawing on a flawed survey with inconclusive results. This did not stop major...
REVIEW: What Universities Owe Democracy
Review by Professor Julian Preece Ronald J. Daniels, the lead author of this original and much-needed book, has been President of Johns Hopkins since 2007. He was previously head of the Law School at Toronto, then Provost at Pennsylvania. Universities have not only...
January News Round-Up: Fresh wave of UCU strikes to hit universities next month
CDBU UPDATES Last month, the CDBU Executive Committee met to discuss some new ideas for 2022. We are very pleased to announce that we will now be offering a fee to those who write for our blog! We are particularly keen to offer this fee to help support students and...
Ends, means, and meaning: the importance of human relationships in academia
Words by Dr Alexis Artaud de La Ferrière, Lecturer in Sociology at Royal Holloway. In what is called the Humanity Formula of his Categorical Imperative, Immanuel Kant states that we should never act in such a way that we treat humanity as a means only; but instead...
Thinking about Higher Education
Words by Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education, University College London. Can we really think about higher education? To what extent are there spaces in universities for collective thinking about higher education? And to the extent...
News round-up: Imperial takes a bold step to protect it from the worst effects of Brexit
Brexit dominates the headlines this week, as Imperial announces a partnership with a German university and a scientist warns of the ‘catastrophic’ effect leaving the EU could have on cancer research University ‘dual nationality’ plan for Brexit BBC, 10/10/2018,...
University places are up for grabs in Clearing – but students are not the winners
The fall in applications has led to fierce competition between universities, a drop in income and an uncertain future for both students and staff, argues Professor GR Evans The A-level results are out. Applicants are getting to grips with fending for themselves in...
News round-up: Half of all academics suffer from stress-related mental health problems – but there is good news for EU students
More evidence that an academic career is highly stressful, while the UKRI counts the cost as it fails to register as a charity Half of UK academics ‘suffer stress-linked mental health problems’ Times Higher Education, 06/07/2018, Jack Grove About half of all UK...
Part-time students in decline
Opinion piece by Dorothy Bishop My mother came to England after the war, having met my father when working as a translator for the British Forces in allied-occupied Germany. She’d come from an academic family in Gottingen, and it’s hard to imagine her state of mind in...
News round-up: Universities hire investigators to deal with sexual assault allegations
Top universities including Durham, York and Manchester have employed specialist investigators to deal with a rapid rise in reported sexual assault cases, with some paying investigators up to £10,000 per case. This follows the publication of a new anonymous testimonial...
News round-up: Top universities called out over failing to tackle ‘rape culture’ and sexual harassment
A website has accrued over 15,000 anonymous testimonies of sexual harassment, assault, and other accounts of deeply entrenched misogyny at universities across the UK. Naturally, this has caused students and staff to question whether enough is being done to tackle rape...
News round-up: When will we see the return to university campuses?
As the government prepares to gradually ease Covid-19 restrictions, with the hope of returning 'to normal life' by late June, university staff and students have been left wondering when, or if, they will be expected to resume face-to-face teaching and return to...
News round-up: Universities must make clear that intimidation of academics is unacceptable, Gavin Williamson warns
Strong words from the education secretary on free speech, and new figures show that two in five 18-year-olds now apply to university Gavin Williamson gives universities final warning on free speech The Times, 07/02/2020, Rosemary Bennett The education secretary...
Ross McKibbin Advises Opposing Marketeers on Their Own Ground
One of the leading historians of twentieth-century Britain, Dr Ross McKibbin of St John's College Oxford, has greeted the foundation of the CDBU with an insightful piece 'In Defence of British Universities' in the London Review of Books. Those who would defend...
Salford VC Martin Hall joins CDBU
Professor Martin Hall, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford and historical archaeologist, has written a piece in support of CDBU on his personal blog, which has also been reproduced on the higher education blog Wonkhe. Here are a few excerpts: The CDBU is...
CDBU in the International Herald Tribune
The CDBU was recently featured in an article in the International Herald Tribune. The piece was subsequently reprinted in the New York Times. Here’s an excerpt: “Universities are among the U.K.’s most successful institutions,” Howard Hotson, chair of the council’s...
Melvyn Bragg writes about CDBU’s launch in the Telegraph
Writer, broadcaster and CDBU Founding Member Melvyn Bragg (pictured here on the right) recently wrote a short piece in the Telegraph about the CDBU’s launch last week. Here’s an excerpt: The meeting – which lasted precisely one and a half hours, as it was billed to do...
News round-up: Universities plead for financial bailout as they brace for huge losses from Covid-19
The repercussions of Covid-19 are being felt across the higher education sector as Universities UK warn that without support some institutions risk collapse, students go on rent strike, and the REF and TEF are postponed indefinitely Universities UK: state bailout...
It’s time to abolish the REF – here’s how to do it
The REF is partly responsible for universities’ present ills, but if we get rid of it, we need to find an alternative model for allocating research funding. Norman Gowar, former principal of Royal Holloway, University of London, suggests a way forward As always it was...
News round-up: Oxford University professor accompanied to lectures by security guards
Attacks on free speech at our oldest university – and a revelation that there are no black academics in the most senior managerial ranks in UK higher education Oxford University professor given security guards for lectures after threats from transgender...
News round-up: Another £12bn added to the deficit as ONS changes the way student loans are recorded
Student loans will now be reclassified as public spending – and the Office for Students issues universities with a warning about grade inflation Philosophers urge Hull to think again over course cuts Times Higher Education, 21/12/2018, Matthew Reisz Leading...
News round-up: Universities prepare for the reopening of campuses
As the government scrambles to save face after the A-levels fiasco, universities are preparing to reopen their campuses to staff and students. UCU have called on the government to halt in-person teaching completely, warning that the mass movement of over a million...
News round-up: Universities receive record number of applications during lockdown, but many are pushing ahead with cuts
Ucas recently announced that UK universities had received a record number of applications over the lockdown period, despite growing concerns about the impacts of coronavirus on the higher education sector. Many universities are pushing ahead with devastating cuts, and...
News round-up: Philosophy and Literature programmes suffer from Covid cuts
This week, LSE launched their 'SHAPE' campaign which strives to promote the humanities and social sciences, students and staff joined forces to condemn the closure of the Philosophy programme at the University of the West of England and devastating cuts to the...
News round-up: Online learning raises questions and issues of accessibility become a growing concern
This week, universities continued to come to grips with the prospect of shifting online, raising questions about quality and accessibility. CDBU also expressed their support for disabled students who feel left behind amid Covid-19 chaos, and we have issued a call for...
News round-up: More strikes are on the way as UCU members vote for industrial action
University staff are to strike over pensions, pay and working conditions – and an imminent general election casts uncertainty over higher education policy December election puts UK policy progress on hold Times Higher Education, 01/11/2019, Simon Baker News...
News round-up: Reading halves the workforce at its Malaysia campus, and a benefactor showers money on lucky Oxford
The University of Reading is the latest to find that overseas campuses aren’t as lucrative as hoped, while Oxford has been blessed with a gift of £150m to create a new centre for the humanities Reading halves Malaysia campus workforce after £27 million loss...
The Augar report: everything you need to know
You might not have had the time to wade through last week’s 200-page Augar Review on higher education. Fortunately, David Midgley, emeritus professor of German literature and intellectual history at the University of Cambridge, has written an essential guide to the...
A robust analysis of the crisis in universities
Professor David Midgley reviews English Universities in Crisis: Markets without Competition, by Jefferson Frank, Norman Gowar and Michael Naef The policy objectives against which this book measures the effectiveness of the current system for funding and...
News round-up: Universities fear the worst after government refuses multi-billion bailout
The government's rejection of the multi-billion pound bailout needed to save universities has raised serious concerns for the future of higher education. Voluntary severance schemes have been introduced, graduate prospects look bleak, and the shift to online learning...
Cooling the crisis out
"If we wish to change the model, to have higher education serve the public, students and academics, and not as a Ponzi scheme floated on a bubble of student fees, we need to act now", argues John Holmwood. The financial crisis facing the higher education sector is...
News round-up: What now for universities? Brexit, changes to university funding and (maybe) an increase in R&D spend
The election result could have major implications for the higher education sector, including the possibility of recruitment challenges in the wake of Brexit UK universities face up to Brexit after Tory election win Times Higher Education, 13/12/2019, John...
Higher education and the election: the main party manifestos compared
Professor GR Evans takes a look at what the three major political parties have planned for higher education For those of us interested in higher education, one of the most eagerly-awaited aspects of the manifestos was how they would deal with the...
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Universities need to end their silence
Statement from the Council for the Defence of British Universities on A-level results. English universities have been remarkably silent about the fiasco over Ofqual’s determination of A-level grades. Universities UK issued an extraordinarily misjudged...
News round-up: University staff and students bear the brunt of Covid-19
As Covid-19 continues to inflict damage across the higher education sector and with the plea for a financial bailout falling on deaf ears, students and staff have come out in full force to highlight "inhumane" management practices and responses to the pandemic. NEW on...
News round-up: Universities plead for financial bailout as they brace for huge losses from Covid-19
The repercussions of Covid-19 are being felt across the higher education sector as Universities UK warn that without support some institutions risk collapse, students go on rent strike, and the REF and TEF are postponed indefinitely Universities UK: state bailout...
Universities UK – who does it represent and what does it do?
Professor GR Evans looks at the history of an organisation that has rarely been out of the news in recent weeks – and asks what powers it really has Universities UK has been in the news recently during the upset caused by the proposals to make major changes to...
An alternative vision for the future of Roehampton
This report was contributed to CDBU by Vision for Roehampton, a grassroots campaign organized by members of the UCU Roehampton branch. It is the third in our series titled 'Manifestos for Change', in which we are seeking forward-thinking responses to the present...
News round-up: Online learning raises questions and issues of accessibility become a growing concern
This week, universities continued to come to grips with the prospect of shifting online, raising questions about quality and accessibility. CDBU also expressed their support for disabled students who feel left behind amid Covid-19 chaos, and we have issued a call for...
News round-up: Universities fear the worst after government refuses multi-billion bailout
The government's rejection of the multi-billion pound bailout needed to save universities has raised serious concerns for the future of higher education. Voluntary severance schemes have been introduced, graduate prospects look bleak, and the shift to online learning...
Cooling the crisis out
"If we wish to change the model, to have higher education serve the public, students and academics, and not as a Ponzi scheme floated on a bubble of student fees, we need to act now", argues John Holmwood. The financial crisis facing the higher education sector is...
News round-up: Students report feeling “abandoned” as the government debates their Christmas fate
As Covid cases across the UK rise exponentially, universities have quickly become virus hotspots. Students forced into quarantine have reported feeling "abandoned" by their universities, raising concerns about the mental health crisis that might be triggered by the...
From Regulation to Regime: Are we seeing a government takeover of universities?
Words by Liz Morrish, independent scholar. One thing governments have learned over the last 30 years is not to let a disaster go to waste. In the guise of offering a survival strategy for universities in the pandemic, the Department for Education has issued a...
CDBU announces new Chair of Trustees and responds to government “Restructuring Regime”
PRESS RELEASE: July 21, 2020 The Council for the Defence of British Universities is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rowan Williams (Lord Williams of Oystermouth) as our new Chair of Trustees. We offer a warm welcome to Lord Williams, who we know will...
An alternative vision for the future of Roehampton
This report was contributed to CDBU by Vision for Roehampton, a grassroots campaign organized by members of the UCU Roehampton branch. It is the third in our series titled 'Manifestos for Change', in which we are seeking forward-thinking responses to the present...
Widening access
News round-up: Strikes, admissions reform – and anger as the ‘over-zealous’ Prevent programme seizes student essays
This week has seen another round of strikes by academics, while UK universities come under pressure to reform the admissions process UK ‘could only join Horizon Europe with transition extension Times Higher Education, 21/02/2020, John Morgan The UK will only be...
News round-up: Universities must make clear that intimidation of academics is unacceptable, Gavin Williamson warns
Strong words from the education secretary on free speech, and new figures show that two in five 18-year-olds now apply to university Gavin Williamson gives universities final warning on free speech The Times, 07/02/2020, Rosemary Bennett The education secretary...
News round-up: Oxford University professor accompanied to lectures by security guards
Attacks on free speech at our oldest university – and a revelation that there are no black academics in the most senior managerial ranks in UK higher education Oxford University professor given security guards for lectures after threats from transgender...
News round-up: What now for universities? Brexit, changes to university funding and (maybe) an increase in R&D spend
The election result could have major implications for the higher education sector, including the possibility of recruitment challenges in the wake of Brexit UK universities face up to Brexit after Tory election win Times Higher Education, 13/12/2019, John...
