The Royal College of Science for Ireland was a progressive experiment in technical education that ended abruptly in the messy wake of Irish independence. Shane McCorristine recounts a cautionary tale of how education and nationalist politics can come into conflict
A recent wave of commentators have been disparaging universities and painting all who work in them as complicit in a fraud. Philip Cowan examines their case
The former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley explains how he navigated protests from both the Left and Right, and threatening tweets from President Trump
In a pair of books exploring aspects of Jewish identity, Devorah Baum reflects on Jewishness and the human condition. She talks about turning uncomfortable ‘Jewish feelings’ such as guilt into something positive, and how humour is a way of coping with life’s trials
David Matthews learns how archivists deal with enquiries about material collected by the former East Germany’s secret police that can still destroy reputations
Liberal arts colleges are often perceived as being elite and irrelevant. But the best among them excel in areas such as engagement and focus on critical thinking. Ellie Bothwell explores whether liberal arts education has become redundant – or simply needs a makeover
Academic work is typically all-consuming, but some scholars still manage to combine some eye-catching sidelines with their day jobs. Here, five tell their stories
Having caused a scandal over research assessment back in the 1990s, Lincoln Allison is well placed to give an overview of its impact, and still finds it wanting
Is your resolution for the new academic year to publish more? Here, 16 scholars give advice on pitching, editing and writing – and dealing with negative peer reviews
Taiwan hopes that attracting students from further afield, particularly mainland China, will help to address its higher education crisis. But this in turn brings challenges, including compromised academic freedom, writes Chris Parr
Holly Else considers how the withdrawal of one of the biggest players in European research could change science on the Continent, and likely national winners and losers
Last week, the UK’s universities minister threatened to fine institutions that pay their v-cs more than the prime minister without a strong justification. We present three perspectives on the debate
The bullying and subsequent suicide of a talented Ivy League scientist exposes ugly truths about the cruelty and dysfunction at the heart of academic science
An academic parent, a student and two researchers consider if the metrics approach is really the game changer for improving student outcomes that many claim, or if it has a dark side
We share what 50 Nobel prizewinners think about issues facing science, universities and the world, from populist politics and researcher mobility, to artificial intelligence and threats to humankind
The radio show In Our Time is a sort of academic seminar on the airwaves. Its presenter tells Matthew Reisz about bringing scholars to the public, and the risks UK academia faces
With the Hungarian government clamping down on universities and championing labourers over philosophers, David Matthews meets those living with the consequences
Dame Sue Black’s pioneering work has taken her to war zones and the aftermath of natural disasters. She explains the scientific rigour required in the field
UK universities face uncertainty over the impact of Brexit and the TEF, the future for tuition fees and a pensions deficit. Which institutions have the financial clout and diversified portfolios to survive? Simon Baker runs the numbers
Many an academic will be dragged to the cinema this summer by bored offspring determined to see the latest superhero film. But what kind of childhood heroes did scholars themselves have? Here, five reveal who and what inspired their career choices
John Morgan witnesses a pioneering collaboration between two Sheffield universities, drawing upon the city’s manufacturing heritage to become a hub of industrial innovation and a model of civic engagement
It has long been claimed that critical thinking ability sets graduates apart. But are universities really preparing students for the modern workplace? David Matthews reports
At 1967’s Congress on the Dialectics of Liberation, radicals preached Black Power, existential psychiatry, free universities and more. Martin Levy reports on an event that was as much a happening as an academic conference
Bernard Leeman, anti-apartheid fighter and peripatetic champion of low-cost rural tertiary education, describes the circuitous route he took to Vanuatu
John Morgan considers the hierarchies of prestige in higher education, the insights offered by big data research, and whether mixed-ability universities are the answer
Early career academics can be left to sink or swim when navigating the choppy waters of learning scholarly writing. Helen Sword says a more formal, communal approach can help everyone, especially women
Conditions that undermine the notion of scholarly vocation – relentless work, ubiquitous bureaucracy – can cause academics acute distress and spur them to quit, says Ruth Barcan
From the Victorian slum-dwellers whose lives were transformed after they found a warbling rodent, to the jazz-like sound of mouse music, Richard Sugg says that if you take strange stories seriously, you may find something beautiful
Economists’ stock plummeted with the financial crash. The authors of a new book suggest that reading novels could sharpen their insights, while four academics consider how the field might need to change
The universities of China, Singapore and South Korea are among the world leaders in some STEM fields, but will they expand their strength into other disciplines? asks Simon Marginson
Simon Baker explores the mechanics of the teaching excellence framework to determine if it was fair, if universities will attempt to game it, if it will win public favour and if it will change in future iterations
Stephen Mumford tells Matthew Reisz about his desire to bring his discipline to a wider audience, why Norway was the perfect place to write his Cartesian debut novel and why insights into causation have more practical relevance than might first appear
International education is Australia’s third-largest export industry, worth more than A$20 billion, and is set for further growth driven by current geopolitics. Jack Grove reports on how international recruitment is playing its part in Australia’s embrace of the Asian century
Texas-born scholar Angelia Wilson talks to Matthew Reisz about the changing face of political studies, Trump and the Christian Right, and a Bible Belt road trip
In our annual survey of vice-chancellors’ pay, which reveals double-digit hikes for some and more modest rises for others, Simon Baker examines how remuneration committees make their decisions amid calls for greater transparency over the ‘arbitrary’ nature of salary increases
Some MPs turned out of office might turn to academia for employment. But what do former political high-flyers bring to a university, and what are the potential downsides? Jack Grove reports
Despite all that’s been done to improve doctoral study, horror stories keep coming. Here three students relate PhD nightmares while two academics advise on how to ensure a successful supervision
Moves to privilege community service in university admissions will create even more social justice warriors when what we need are more deep thinkers, argues Alexander Zubatov
The need to accommodate foreign students undermines domestic practices, says Lincoln Allison, spying parallels between UK universities and global sports bodies such as Fifa
Seven academic leaders share their experiences at the departmental helm along with their tips on how to squeeze the best out of sceptical staff and meagre budgets – and still find time for research
Students are being hoodwinked into enrolling on ‘trendy’ new degree programmes that are, according to one concerned academic, little more than a marketing exercise
Agnes B?ker and Amanda Goodall have found that academics who are happiest at work have a head of department who is a distinguished researcher. How can such people be encouraged into management?
Witnessing the work of military surgical teams in Afghanistan caused conflicting emotions in an academic author and a sense of the futility of war and of his own profession
On the eve of the first round of France’s presidential elections, Matthew Reisz considers its complex higher education sector and the appetite among politicians, institutions and academics for reform
With overcrowded lecture theatres the norm in undergraduate education today, online delivery has entirely replaced lectures and seminars in some institutions. So where to in the coming decade? Warren Bebbington outlines a survival strategy for the increasingly unaffordable traditional university
What should have been a straightforward application for leave to remain in the UK turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare for University of St Andrews’ lecturer Emily Michelson, whose research trip to Italy proved too much for visa administrators to handle
