A recent incident highlights so many of the current issues in higher education today. Even though I can tell the gentle reader almost nothing of the incident itself, much surrounding it is worthy of discussion. Admin, referencing me: “We’re tickled to have him here.” There’s a very depressing aspect to higher education, which admittedly has […] … learn more→

New ideas and technologies are disrupting the way the world as we know it operates. Technological innovations that power strides in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and autonomous vehicles are affecting the economies, lifestyles and demographics of the future. If we are to meet the challenges and opportunities these technologies present, we’re going to have to […] … learn more→

A few weeks ago – back when we used to teach and research rather than stand at picket-lines challenging the marketisation of the university – we discovered that we share something in common. As international staff our right to strike and participate in peaceful, collective action is limited by the Home Office. Days before the UK-wide universities strike we […] … learn more→

The indisputable success of the UK’s universities over recent decades has been built on four bulwarks: steady growth in student demand, relatively generous funding arrangements, protective and supportive regulation and sustained public and political goodwill. But all of those bulwarks are being seriously eroded by political and market currents. Since 2006, total UK university revenues […] … learn more→

The trio of financial support to students known as campus-based aid includes Perkins loans, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and Federal Work-Study (FWS). Unlike more popular federal student aid programs, like Pell grants and the Federal Direct Loans, only students at participating institutions can receive campus-based aid, and funds are limited and typically awarded to […] … learn more→

Thousands of high school students across the nation left their classesMarch 14 precisely at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes. The walkout served two purposes: to honor the 17 people – including 14 students – killed exactly one month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and to call for stronger gun control laws. Organized by a Women’s March unit called […] … learn more→

Recent closures and transfers of university campuses and the University of Wollongong’s opening of a campus in Liverpool in southwestern Sydney reflect more general changes in Australian universities. This is affecting not only campuses but faculties, study modes and student groups. It may even have implications for some universities’ future. Australia does not have too many universities, overall. The median student […] … learn more→

  When the government shut down Corinthian, it was a complete disaster. Now, it wasn’t a disaster for the administration of Corinthian, they all got huge golden parachutes. It was an inconvenience for faculty, but they were all being paid starvation wages as adjuncts, so the loss of the minimal paychecks wasn’t so bad, and […] … learn more→

For every tip-off during March Madness, it’s a sure bet that students at the schools playing in the basketball tournament will be tipping up more beer bottles than usual. This was one of the key findings of an analysis we conducted recently on the impact of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on college students’ drinking behavior. We are […] … learn more→

When 17 students and teachers were murdered on what should have been a peaceful school day, students across the US took to the streets to demand change. The outpouring of protests in the wake of the tragic mass-shooting in Parkland, Florida earlier this year is an important reminder that students can challenge the status quo. […] … learn more→