Obama college rating plans ‘should be ditched’ An organisation with more than 200 US university members has formally urged the federal government to ditch plans for a college ratings system By Chris Parr 15 February
Counter-Terror bill receives Royal Assent The , which many academics fear will suppress freedom of speech in universities, has received Royal Assent. By Chris Havergal 12 February
UUK calls for new “Council for HE” to become main sector body The next government should create a new lead regulator, the Council for Higher Education England, and toughen rules for private providers By Paul Jump 12 February
Teacher training: a missed opportunity Their lack of protest over reforms means that universities have lost the chance to transform the sector, laments Anthony Kelly 12 February
Labour’s warning to v-cs critical of ?6K fees plan UUK letter disparaging policy ‘compromises ability to influence party’s thinking’ By John Morgan 12 February
Counter-terrorism bill nears Westminster finish line The battle to protect academic freedom in the government’s counter-terrorism bill appears to be nearing a conclusion after final amendments were agreed By Chris Havergal 10 February
EU students masking ‘flattening’ in English recruitment Hefce chief Madeleine Atkins also says counter-terror role for funding council was ‘gift not asked for’ By John Morgan 6 February
Counter-terror bill: amendments passed but concerns persist Peers also slam government figure on student terrorists used to persuade Lords of need for new laws By Chris Havergal 5 February
Greg Clark pledges action on private college quality Minister also uses Hefce speech to draw comparisons with Labour over HE funding By John Morgan 5 February
Oxbridge alumni again set to feature heavily in next parliament The next parliament is likely to include a disproportionately high number of MPs who graduated from Oxbridge, new research suggests. By Chris Havergal 5 February
Debating Islamic extremism: is this the best we can do? Anshuman Mondal, author of Islam and Controversy, deplores ‘impoverished’ discussion of rights and obligations By Joe Sandler Clarke 5 February
‘Momentous point’ for South Asian sectors, British Council event hears From post-Taliban Afghanistan to quality control: Global Education Dialogue offered insights on topics such as access for women and private providers By John Morgan 5 February
UUK warning over ?6,000 fees Board claims in public letter that Labour has ignored the ‘legitimate concerns of vice-chancellors’ By John Morgan 5 February
Hefce granted regulatory powers over new providers and universities Move described as ‘early job application’ for council to be chief regulator after the election By John Morgan 5 February
Sir Mark Walport debunks ‘myth’ that he is pushing research agenda Chief scientific adviser is ‘amused’ by funding conspiracy theories but dismisses them as ‘complete invention’ By Paul Jump 5 February
BIS may be abolished under Tories Writing may be on the wall for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, according to policy thinktanks By Chris Havergal 5 February
Government moves in response to fears over anti-terror bill Proposed amendment seeks to emphasise importance of freedom of speech By Chris Havergal 3 February
UUK attacks Labour on ?6,000 fees English vice-chancellors have warned Labour not to commit to lowering fees to ?6,000, saying the policy would lead to funding cuts for universities By John Morgan 2 February
Free Speech Rankings find restrictions at 80 per cent of universities A new study has found restrictions on freedom of expression at four out of five UK universities By Chris Havergal 2 February
MPs not impressed with university efficiency Fewer than four out of 10 MPs think that UK universities do a good job of using their funding efficiently, according to a new poll By Chris Havergal 30 January
Freedom of speech trumps safety on campus Why are today’s students so preoccupied with protecting themselves from potentially ‘harmful’ ideas, asks Tom Slater 29 January
Is Labour’s timidity on tuition fees a tactic? A vague policy on higher education could help the party win the next election, argues Nick Hillman 29 January
Labour may call for Dearing-style major review Party’s policy announcement awaited as prospect of call for ?6,000 fees continues to vex sector By John Morgan 29 January
MPs launch early day motion on international students A cross-party group of MPs has launched a fresh bid to get international students removed from the UK’s net migration target. By Chris Havergal 28 January
University leaders call for exemption from anti-terror laws Twenty-four university leaders have urged the government to exempt universities from the counter-terrorism bill or risk harming academic freedom By John Morgan 28 January
Ronnie Fraser settles ‘anti-Semitism’ case costs row Lecturer agrees an out-of-court settlement after the UCU sought to reclaim its legal costs By Jack Grove 22 January
Cary Nelson: ‘Ignorance’ fuels calls for Israel boycott Former AAUP head and others aim to sway ‘non-fanatical’ supporters of sanctions with The Case against Academic Boycotts of Israel By Matthew Reisz 22 January
Clamour for clarity on the reach of chief scientific adviser Academics seek to determine role of Sir Mark Walport after announcement of Nurse review of research councils By John Morgan 22 January
Why a controversial undercover cop should keep his academic post Calls to sack Robert Lambert would deprive us of academic expertise, argues Stefano Bonino 22 January
‘People should be allowed to say things we don’t like’, says MP Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert decries ‘illiberal’ campuses and ‘selfish’ calls by v-cs to raise tuition fees By Joe Sandler Clarke 22 January
OECD’s head of education gives thumbs up to ?9K tuition fee system Endorsement comes after ministers are accused by Labour of misleading Parliament By John Morgan 22 January
Nobel laureates write to KAUST over Saudi flogging case Academics in Saudi Arabia have been urged in an open letter signed by 18 Nobel Prize winners to condemn the public flogging of blogger Raif Badawi By Jack Grove 20 January
Kent student named as Green Party HE spokesman A student at the University of Kent has been named as the Green Party’s spokesman for higher and further education By Chris Havergal 20 January
Bedfordshire joins Glasgow in fossil fuel commitment The University of Bedfordshire has become the second higher education institution in the UK to commit to not investing in the fossil fuel industry By Harriet Line 20 January
UK now ranked fifth on HE participation, says OECD The UK is ranked fifth among the world’s most developed nations for the number of young people with higher education, after rapid progress since 2000 By John Morgan 19 January
Ed Miliband urges action on student voter registration Labour leader also pledges to say more on HE policy ‘by time of manifesto’ By John Morgan 16 January
Greg Clark criticises ‘dumbing down’ comments on diversity Science and universities minister says more must be done on issue By Paul Jump 16 January
Terror bill ‘incompatible’ with coalition’s stance on free speech after Paris attacks Lawyer says government condemns terror attack on Charlie Hebdo but legislation could have a ‘chilling effect’ on campus debate By Joe Sandler Clarke 15 January
Foreign students used as ‘pawns in a political game’ Theresa May criticised after 色盒直播 Office proposes new rules for overseas cohort By Chris Havergal 15 January
Will Self: freedom of speech a ‘fetish’ in wake of Paris attacks Freedom of speech has become a “sexual fetish” in the West in light of the Charlie Hebdo terror atrocity, according to academic and writer Will Self By Joe Sandler Clarke 13 January
Universities ‘should be excluded’ from counter-terror powers, say MPs Government plans to tackle “extremism” will have a “seriously inhibiting effect on bona fide academic debate in universities”, MPs and peers warn By John Morgan 12 January
Duke of York defended by Huddersfield v-c The University of Huddersfield vice-chancellor Bob Cryan has defended the Duke of York, its patron, in the face of “ridiculous” sex allegations By John Morgan 9 January
Universities’ place in North West economic plan highlighted David Cameron and George Osborne have trumpeted universities’ involvement in plans to boost the economy of the North West By Joe Sandler Clarke 8 January
Universities must not become part of the security apparatus The counter-terrorism bill will co-opt academics into the ‘securocrat’ and chill debate on campus - it must be fought, says Martin?Hall 8 January
Theresa May’s overseas students plan ‘blocked’ by chancellor Plan to force overseas students to leave the UK after graduation appears to have been blocked by George Osborne By John Morgan 7 January
Fee hike ‘has not driven teaching improvement’, says UUK panel Raising tuition fees to ?9,000 has not helped drive improvements in teaching despite the government’s insistence it would improve standards By Joe Sandler Clarke 6 January
Dyson latest to criticise May plans James Dyson has become the latest to criticise plans mooted by home secretary Theresa May’s to send overseas graduates home after their course 5 January
Greg Clark fails to rule out merging UK research councils The universities minister offered no guarantees in the review of the agencies By John Morgan 1 January
Old campus battles roll on into new year Alan Ryan is dismayed to see that the US is still bedevilled by lethal racism 1 January
New year’s resolutions – for others to keep Imagine having the power to direct higher education leaders, scholars or policymakers to take - and stick to - a new approach in 2015 1 January
New Year Honours 2015: Marina Warner and Nigel Thrift among those recognised Award-winning writer and scholar Marina Warner and Warwick vice-chancellor Nigel Thrift are among those recognised in the New Year Honours By Chris Havergal 30 December
Willetts attacks May plan on overseas students David Willetts has criticised “mean-spirited” plans by his Tory colleague Theresa May to put further restrictions on overseas students By John Morgan 23 December
May plans on international students would be ‘damaging’ Theresa May is reported to be drawing up plans to send all overseas students back home once they finish their courses. By John Morgan 22 December
NUS seeks resignation of head of visa group Union claims that conflict of interest means leader of a government body formed to help students caught up in a visa crackdown must go By Chris Havergal 18 December
Student votes: will Lib Dems’ loss be Labour’s gain in May? Coalition partner’s fees ‘betrayal’ could bring 2015 poll shifts in student-heavy constituencies. The campus political landscape assessed By John Morgan 18 December
2014: the year that shaped the 21st century? Nicholas Boyle, the author of 2014: How to Survive the Next World Crisis, reflects on the predictions he made about the past 12 months 18 December
Margaret Hodge tears into government over private colleges Chair of PAC tells civil servant he is ‘failing’ to account for public money and says situation is ‘nothing short of a scandal’ By John Morgan 15 December
Cherie Blair made visiting professor at St Mary’s Cherie Blair has been appointed a visiting professor of law at a Catholic university By Jack Grove 13 December
Cable calls for increase in science spending Business secretary Vince Cable has called for an increase in funding for science in a speech at the Royal Academy of Engineering By Holly Else 12 December