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Mass higher education has brought social mobility to millions worldwide, but as access expands and academia is stretched to breaking point, standards are in steady decline, writes Philip Altbach

Sir Terry Pratchett is one of the world's most successful authors. He talks to John Gilbey about auto-didacticism, the tyranny of higher education and whether writers are born, not made

Christoph Bode's love of the Beach Boys has only been deepened by Brian Wilson's late-career deconstruction of his own California dreaming

Ireland's oldest university unveils an innovative way to unite scholarship and business. Eddie Lennon reports

Terry Neill is a governor of London Business School and co-chair of the external advisory board of the Trinity Long Room Hub. "Within the arts and humanities," he says, "there's an extraordinary body of knowledge about human beings - how they behave, how they learn, what motivates or de-motivates them, their values, and what you can learn from their history - but most of the time only a tiny fraction of it is applied in business, government and society. It is somehow trapped in the halls of academia. There is an extraordinary challenge - and opportunity - to engage and bring that knowledge and insight to the wider world."

The Trinity Long Room Hub will galvanise humanities scholarship. Fiona Salvage reports

A cutting-edge, digitally driven setting for arts and humanities research shows the importance of yesterday to tomorrow, writes Maeve O'Lynn

Olga Wojtas on Trinity College's cultural outreach work in Dublin, globally relevant postgraduate programmes and historic links with South Asia

Diversification, integration and digital innovation are key to sustaining arts and humanities research, say Trinity College scholars. Maeve O'Lynn reports

BPP may have been awarded university college status, but the regulatory system will have to be drastically overhauled if for-profit higher education is to thrive in Britain, says Simon Baker

Hitler and Stalin may have put paid to Thomas More's vision of hope, but Fred Inglis knows he can always rely on The Clangers

Cash counts, sometimes, but does it motivate academics to increase their research-paper output? Adrian Furnham weighs up the pros and cons

Dale Salwak laments the decline of deep reading under the baleful influence of the online age, and rallies to the defence of the love of learning, the sequestered nooks and the sweet serenity of books

John Haldane muses on artist David Tremlett's ability to take on a space and transform it into something living, in a compelling affirmation of the essential domesticity of the creative act

As graduates struggle to find employment, universities are having to think more creatively about how to prepare them for the workplace, says Rebecca Attwood

How bad is mainstream science reporting? Can it be improved or has it had its time? Zo? Corbyn investigates the issues and considers whether a paradigm shift is needed

Is economic pragmatism leading to the demise of Australian universities? Horst Albert Glaser reports

Regardless of demoralising funding cuts, Helen Taylor says now is exactly the time for universities to become more involved in local arts festivals

This week's A-level results may lead to the keenest clearing rush yet. But do universities' websites tell prospective students what they need to know, Hannah Fearn asks a panel of sixth-formers.

Who is the online you - hand-coded pages of hobbies and family photos, terse departmental entries or slickly branded media portals? Zoe Corbyn surveys the world of academics' personal websites

Taking a leaf out of the River Cottage cookbook and fermenting it, Chris Jones lauds the foraging lifestyle and encourages his own 'Generation Roadkill' to reconsider their place in the food chain

Breaking out of the academy may seem daunting, but scholars' skills transfer to many other jobs. Matthew Reisz talks to four who made it to the other side. But then there is the final move out of the world of work - plan well, recommend Caroline Lodge and Eileen Carnell

Literary journalism and the best book reviews both value the subjective but tie it to hard facts. Susan Greenberg describes how truth can be as creative as fiction, while Christopher Phelps offers 10 tips to keep the critics honest

Mary Evans laments the growing use of 'university-speak' in the academy - otherwise known as a part of the 'knowledge economy'

Many academics feel anxious about approaching and working with a publisher. Katharine Reeve, who has been on both sides of the fence, dispels myths about the publishing process and offers advice on getting into the good books

Producing graduates who are critical thinkers requires teachers who can bring scholarship and leadership to the academy. It is vital that we find them, says Paul Ramsden

It is a familiar lament: teaching excellence is doomed never to be rewarded as handsomely as research success - if at all. But some institutions are determined to tackle the pedagogical deficit. Rebecca Attwood reports

Be it on the pitch or on the stage, performance is king and the passion it arouses is key to why Dominic Shellard loves the theatre - and football

Climate change is serious business - in more ways than one. Martin Cohen describes how capitalist 'bootleggers' have co-opted the environmental 'Baptists' to fulfil their raison d'etre - making money. Thanks to the 'greenwash', the solutions could be worse than the problems

How seriously are we to take the meaning of poetry? George Watson considers the costs of seeing poetry as largely spontaneous and self-expressive

Clive Bloom sheds few tears for Middlesex's strangely underpopulated philosophy department - or any other corners of an academy short on recruits and long overdue for the axe. He argues that to save money and raise standards, the weakest institutions must close

The researchers have been exonerated, but details revealed in Climategate led some to demand radical reform of the culture of science. Adam Corner argues that although there is scope for more openness, the peer-review based system, flawed as it is, remains the best we have, while Darrell Ince considers the ethics of judging a paper by its authors

A paper scrutinising the academic credentials of people on both sides of the climate change debate has riled almost everyone. Darrell Ince considers the faults of a nonetheless important work

The British landscape and representations of it in art give rise to a happy patriotic glow in many people. Fred Inglis shares that fervour

Few scholarly works can communicate with non-specialists, if they even attempt to. But academics in all fields may need to make their writing more accessible to satisfy demands for impact and interdisciplinarity. Matthew Reisz considers the obfuscatory malaise and how to beat it

Keep it visual, asserts Peter Hill. It is imperative that candidates for studio-based arts PhDs present their research using the physicality of their chosen medium

In a chilly economic climate, business schools' ability to deliver research with real-world relevance is essential. Tracey Hudson asks whether they can find the right academics to deliver those goals

International comparisons of universities still have their detractors, but the appetite for them continues to grow. Phil Baty traces their roots and looks at how they are increasing in number and quality, while Ellen Hazelkorn considers their impact and value

League tables occupy the minds of vice-chancellors, politicians, academics and students, but Ellen Hazelkorn advises them not to draw hasty conclusions

Shadowing the speed-dating expats who recruit for British universities, Caroline Knowles finds that their hypermobile lives parallel those of the students they pursue

Gallifrey's most famous son offers enjoyment to millions, his intelligent and compassionate approach to crises is a welcome relief in a violent, cynical world. David Sheff takes a trip on board the Tardis. Destination? Anywhere...

What makes for an outstanding university? Graeme Harper reveals his obsessive 10-year mission to capture the essence of greatness

Death and taxes: even nature is in on the act. Omar Malik discusses entropy's effects on human organisations ... and what can be done to combat the constant risk of system failure

As cash-strapped UK science increasingly looks to Europe for funding, Yorick Wilks warns of a rotten framework of red tape, intellectual corruption and cronyism driven by bureaucrats in pursuit of personal agendas

Employers say the USS pension scheme must change to prevent financial crisis and government intervention. The UCU argues that proposed changes go far beyond what is needed. Ahead of a showdown meeting, John Morgan looks at the pressures on the system

Zombies are all the rage. They are the perfect postmodern symbol, a bloody canvas on to which any fear may be inscribed - but it's not all gloom and doom. It's the end of the world as we know it, and Clive Bloom feels fine

If you are a connoisseur of fortified wines, you are likely to be over 50. Enthusiast Aldwyn Cooper has enjoyed expanding his knowledge of the finest wines and can't understand why the young haven't cottoned on

Asian higher education is on the rise in a success story that is shaking up the global order. Simon Marginson explains the importance of the Confucian model to the region's progress, while Philip Altbach discusses the systemic problems that could limit its advances

Although his reforms have attracted criticism, Richard Descoings, the head of Sciences Po, tells Atossa Araxia Abrahamian that he is determined to fashion a modern, outward-looking institution with a diverse student body

In an austere climate for publishing, one innovation is booming: brief studies of single films or TV shows. Diane Negra considers the commercial and scholarly implications

Part-timers have it hard: more commitments and responsibilities but much less support than full-timers, as the biggest survey of their lot to date shows. But changes in the political agenda could improve matters. Rebecca Attwood reports

Sustainability on campus is a vital issue, and in a climate of austerity it also makes financial sense. That fiscal impetus is good news, because as the Green League table shows, the sector still has much to do. Hannah Fearn reports

Rick Rylance finds the enquiring attentiveness to what one might discover while diving is similar to the process of conducting research - without the corresponding need to write about it

Being brilliant academically isn't enough any more - if you want your career to soar you need to cultivate your erotic capital assets. Catherine Hakim advises scholars to use everything they've got

Rebellion was everywhere in the 1960s, recalls Sally Feldman, but Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch made the most audacious demand of all: for a feminist revolution that was personal and political

Tino Sehgal's art installation This Progress offered something rare: a space where participating academics could converse without goals in mind. Rachel Adams on a precious experience

Michael B¨¦rub¨¦ on the life lessons to be found in uncompetitive sport - and a fiercely competitive son with Down's syndrome

Which universities have the X factor that attracts applicants? Rebecca Attwood gets the lowdown from students and brand experts in the UK