Opinion

Universities are at least aware of the gender pay problem, says Alex Holmes, but there is still work to be done

There is no ‘hard divide between academics and administrators’, writes Charles Knight in response to criticisms of academic university staff

How can higher education prepare students for jobs that do not even exist yet? asks Christina Slade

Amid fresh criticism of executive remuneration, perhaps universities need to rethink the issue of vice-chancellors’ salaries

Financial issues are not the central barriers to increased university access in Canada. It is cultural factors that must be tackled, say Ross Finne, Athur Sweetman and Richard Mueller

It is not Luddism to be cautious about destroying an academic publishing industry that has served us well, says Marilyn Deegan

Providing support for learners on low-cost ‘flat-pack degrees’ is key to expanding international higher education in Australia and worldwide, says Merlin Crossley

Helping students into ‘tougher’ universities means that they are statistically more likely to drop out, says Huw Owen

Collaboration between universities is more vital than ever as higher education becomes more marketised, say Indre Urbanaviciute and Rhiannon Llystyn Jones

Tony Hey charts the progress of the US and UK Open Science movement 

John Tregoning has a plan to help TEF metrics support performance, scientific excellence and personal development

As the pay of BBC on-air talent is revealed, one academic comes clean about his salary

Andy Westwood gives his verdict on Jo Johnson's big HE speech

Chris Parr takes a look at proposals to introduce TEF ratings in 35 different subject areas

Bringing internationalisation to the fore isn’t easy, so identifying the main challenges creates a helpful focus, writes Carlos Iván Moreno Arellano

Reforms in Chile have made higher education more accessible and more sustainable. So why isn’t everybody happy? asks J. Salvador Peralta

To better prepare graduates for today’s world, Latin American higher education must evolve, but, says Liz Reisberg, it is hidebound and resistant to change

As the row over fees reignites and mutates into a debate over the very purpose of universities, silence reigns on the issue of hyper-selectivity

University leaders dismayed by factual holes in the revived debate over tuition fees should respond with some broad brush strokes of their own, says Andy Westwood

Knee-jerk, uncosted and damaging calls to abolish fees must be resisted, says Bill Rammell

Flexible degrees and a clearer public contribution to their cost would command widespread support, says Iain Martin 

US universities’ efforts to remain positive won’t wash. Trump is a disaster for recruitment, say Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit

Scholars are ignorant of many aspects of peer review, and part of the problem is that researching it is a bit like kicking the hornet’s nest, says Martin Eve

When it comes to openness, biggest hurdle is human factor, says David Doherty

Even in an unpredictable world, there are clues about the future of student movement, says Anna Esaki-Smith 

In the competition to boost their reputations, are universities in danger of forgetting their students? asks Juan Manuel Mora

Current fees system ‘isn’t perfect’, but it does a decent job of balancing the interests of universities, students and taxpayers, says Tim Bradshaw

Former education minister speaks out on vice-chancellors’ pay, ‘summer holidays’ and academics’ workloads

Academics may see their work as a calling, which makes it hard for them to switch off. But vacations are essential for well-being – and a bit of fun

The $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a huge opportunity to build academic capacity in Pakistan, say Abdur Rehman Cheema and Muhammad Haris

Higher education policy could easily be drawn into the deal-making and compromises that are routine in hung parliaments, says Nick Pearce 

The pressure of producing high-quality research publications spoils the long vacation for many academics, says Rachel Moss

For those vacationing in Peer Review Land, Felipe Fernández-Armesto offers some help with the local lingo

There are many reasons why academics shun new pedagogical styles, say Lauren Herckis, Richard Scheines and Joel Smith

Chris Parr visits a university aiming to be the best in the world at both Western and traditional Chinese medicine

The election of President Trump and Brexit have created a perception that the US and UK no longer welcome international student mobility, say Aldwyn Cooper and Marguerite Dennis

Does the UK have the best structures in place to fund data-driven research? asks Steven Hill

Survey of university admissions staff paints an unflattering picture of today’s students, finds Jeremy Lewis

Futao Huang says that calls for Japan’s national universities to adopt more marketised leadership strategies have so far gone unheeded

Should we be talking about Ofcoll and the ‘degree experience framework’? Diana Beech thinks so

Shadow HE minister Gordon Marsden believes that the current approach to tuition fees could end up punishing not only students, but whole communities

The post-Gaddafi chaos has turned some campuses into war zones – with students among the fighters, says Darren Linvill

From steely-eyed sadists to licky Labradors, ingénue academics should beware of the cast of kinky characters who flock to academic get-togethers, says Tara Brabazon

To remain carefully balanced ecosystems where experience and youth combine, should universities impose a sell-by date on academics?

The western provinces’ French-speaking universities reinforce a Canadian identity that is bilingual and multicultural, say Gabor Csepregi and Rodney Clifton

It is imperative that the government stop repeating the mistakes of the past when it comes to teaching assessment, says Roger Brown

Wherever you are, populism and its effect on universities is never far from conversation, finds Chris Parr

Emily Van Duyne on why she missed graduation despite being passionately committed to her students

It is time to revisit the idea of a graduate tax, argues Andy Green

Geoffrey Boulton writes the first in a series of articles from Jisc on research in the age of open science

Ahead of the 2017 THE Research Excellence Summit, taking place in Taiwan from tomorrow, we hear from Partha S. Mallick on the importance of valuing talent

Joanne Roberts on the importance of mentoring, and understanding the needs of your staff

Vice-chancellor and chief executive of the University of Worcester, David Green, offers his thoughts on the HE landscape post-election, and what needs to change

Adam Tickell calls on the UK higher education sector to look again at its environmental policies

Sung-Chul Shin, President of KAIST, on his biggest challenges, successes, and the person who has inspired him in his career 

Academics who think they can do the work of professional staff better than professional staff themselves are not showing the kind of respect they expect from others

Few in academia will have celebrated Brexit’s first anniversary but the unpredictable year since the vote has shown the power of a united voice

UK universities’ complacency in the good times has left them ill-equipped to respond to falling postgraduate master’s enrolment, says Michelle Morgan