Well-educated immigrant entrepreneurs often play a crucial role in dynamic economies. In a famous 2006 study, The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in a Global Economy, AnnaLee Saxenian of the University of California, Berkeleystudied the impact of highly skilled immigrants in Silicon Valley. Chinese and Indian scientists and engineers were running nearly a third of the […] … learn more→

Elizabeth has always wanted to be a doctor. While a high school senior, she was hoping to achieve her dream through attending the state’s main university campus, but she was put on a waiting list. A friend talked her into taking a path less traveled, by starting out at a local two-year college and then […] … learn more→

When my mates ask me how we university security guards prepared for the return of 15,000 students to campus during an ongoing pandemic, my answer is a strange one. We did it by removing a giant penis. Our campus had been mothballed for four months and the local kids had sprayed the offending organ across […] … learn more→

Peer review is a central part of academic publication. The process of back and forth between authors and reviewers is meant, in part, to ensure the quality and novelty of articles. Many journals use what is known as a double-blind process in peer review – neither the authors nor the reviewers know each other’s names. […] … learn more→

The UK government’s new Job Support Scheme may save some UK jobs but it will do little for thousands of early career researchers (ECRs) already cast aside in the financial chaos caused by Covid-19. Even before the pandemic, ECRs finishing PhDs were confronted with a highly competitive labour market. It was considered ordinary to spend […] … learn more→

Traditionally regarded as a minor modality, online teaching had already achieved its nature and quality mark before the pandemic. Their figures, however, were (are) still small: of the 251 million university students only 2% receive training exclusively online (just over 5 million). In Spain the data are somewhat better, but equally low compared to face-to-face teaching with […] … learn more→

In these unsettling times, the epigram attributed to Winston Churchill that we should “never let a good crisis go to waste” has become a touchstone for many political and business leaders. For the university sector, however, the maxim suggested by Game of Thrones’ arch manipulator Petyr Baelish is arguably more fitting. “Chaos is a ladder,” […] … learn more→

The unexpected social and economic challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic have given increased urgency to questions about the purposes of a university education and the kinds of graduates that society needs. Much of this debate has focused on the extent to which university degrees lead to graduate jobs and higher graduate salaries. For example, […] … learn more→

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted travel on a scale not seen in recent history. There has already been much debate about what this means for universities that rely on fees from international students, but largely ignored are the more personal challenges faced by students whose research involves fieldwork. Travel bans and the imposition of lockdowns in […] … learn more→

I hate to fail. My failure avoidance leads to a tendency for overwork. I drive myself harder than any manager will, mostly out of fear of failure rather than love for the work. My feelings of insecurity make me a good employee and student, but they also put me at risk for burn out and […] … learn more→