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UKRI and OfS: happy marriage or uneasy alliance?
The roles of the previous higher education regulator, Hefce, have been split between two new bodies: UKRI and OfS. The two organisations were meant to collaborate – but how’s it working out in practice? Professor GR Evans investigates Higher Education and Research...
read moreReading 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 Times...
read moreNews round-up: New report doesn’t augur well for average-earning graduates
This week there’s only one news story that counts: the publication of the Augar report and its impact on graduate and university finances Skidmore warns against over-reliance on graduate earnings data Times Higher Education, 07/06/2019, Chris Havergal England’s...
read moreThe 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...
read moreNews round-up: University staff are experiencing an epidemic of poor mental health
Staff referrals to counselling services rose by 300% in six years to 2015. Elsewhere in our round-up, the Russell Group launches a new website to advise on A-level choices, and a tribunal has decided that Oxbridge can force older professors to retire External...
read moreNews round-up: Universities’ financial woes deepen – and vice-chancellors fight back against government interference
The number of English universities in financial deficit is on the up, while an increase in fees for EU students could result in universities becoming even worse off Number of English universities in financial deficit increases BBC, 09/05/2019, David Rhodes The...
read moreA 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 regulating...
read moreNews round-up: Women with master’s degrees earn less than men without them
A master’s degree boosts earning potential, but male graduates still earn more than female ones. And there’s cross-party backing for plans to reintroduce the two-year post-study work visa Women with master's degrees paid less than men without them in England The...
read moreThe Augar Review: half a solution to half of the problem
The Augar Review is expected to recommend a cut in tuition fees. But instead of focusing on who pays for higher education, we should start by asking what higher education is for, argues Eric Lybeck, Leverhulme early career fellow at the Manchester Institute of...
read moreDenying loans to students with poor grades would only disadvantage the less well-off, argues David Willetts
In this week’s news round-up, the former universities minister attacks funding proposals that would lead to a two-tier system, while universities are becoming increasingly reliant on non-disclosure agreements Research must solve social problems, says top EU...
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