ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

Universities' accounts seem fairly healthy, but it's no indication of future well-being. Using an exclusive analysis of the sector's financial statements for 2009-10 by Grant Thornton, Simon Baker asks whether institutions will be strong enough to survive the trauma ahead

To communicate our ideas eloquently is a skill that takes practice. Dale Salwak offers advice on how to help our students write well

Are world leaders born or made? Can policy- based courses prepare the next generation for the challenges ahead? Harry Hoare discusses the role of philosophy in honing the hearts and minds of those who walk the corridors of power

Finbarr Livesey describes the courses preparing the leaders of the future with theory, practical insights...and healthy doses of humility

As his report on university governance is released, Malcolm Gillies asserts that alumni will make the best governors as they are the ones who will hold the greatest stake in future

Reflexive claims for the US academy's greatness ring hollow, says John Summers, given elite institutions' tight links with economic and political power and lack of appetite for challenging ideas

In a time of unprecedented change for the UK's academy, its leaders are under the spotlight as never before. Accordingly, Times Higher Education has augmented its annual survey of pay in the sector with an investigation into our v-cs' educational backgrounds. John Morgan asks: who are these people and what do they earn?

Academics without the freedom to exercise judgement are not true academics. Frank Furedi explains why scholars must resist the rise of proceduralism

There's no such thing as a typical academic, but some have more unusual backgrounds than others. Matthew Reisz discovers some startling stories

Nazi advocate or German nationalist? Research into businessman Alfred Toepfer and his foundation, which offers scholarships to Oxbridge students, has raised allegations of a cover-up of his support for Hitler's Reich. Richard J. Evans examines the evidence and finds a reassuring outcome

A university's brand - crucial in helping to attract students, staff and funding - is built on esteem. Times Higher Education's first World Reputation Rankings reveal how academics view the strength of institutions' teaching and research, while John Morgan explores brand values, virtues and vices

Some 13 million students enrol in the US community college system each year, but only about a third graduate. How can completion rates be improved? Zo? Corbyn reports on what is being done to turn 'access' into 'success'

As the White Paper that will lay out the government's agenda for change is delayed 'to test proposals more thoroughly', seven former education ministers offer their recommendations. Simon Baker reports

As graduation rates shrink and tuition fees and student debts soar in the US, experts call on the UK sector to heed lessons from the world's academic powerhouse. Sarah Cunnane reports

Prospective students' increased focus on graduate employment prospects and salaries in the wake of tuition fee rises will have profound repercussions for the sector in terms of setting fees, argues Christine Buccella

Much of the Ivy League eschews interviews when filling posts, says Amanda Goodall, and UK universities keen to hire the best should follow suit. But Richard J. Evans, appointed to a chair at Cambridge without any face-to-face contact, begs to differ

Prospectus promises don¡¯t always match reality, so how can young people get what they need to make an informed choice? As the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey reveals what undergraduates really think about campus life, Rebecca Attwood learns that universities are working hard to improve

Whites-only in the 1950s, the University of Texas at Austin now has a majority of non-white students. As the nation's ethnic mix shifts, Jon Marcus asks whether US university campuses are becoming more multicultural or are still segregated along ethnic lines

Reform of the university admissions process has been on the agenda for years. Many favour post-qualifications applications, but a workable system has proved elusive. Rebecca Attwood sets out the background

Steven Schwartz recommended the adoption of PQA in a 2004 report. It went unheeded, but he still believes it would be a better system for UK universities

PQA is just one of the options that Ucas will examine in its review of admissions processes. All possibilities will be considered, says Mary Curnock Cook, the head of the service

Stuart Anderson, whose love of ships launched early and never foundered, still delights in combining work travel with visits to historic vessels globally

Via study-away sites, local partnerships, portals and fully fledged overseas campuses, ambitious universities in the West are increasingly keen to take root elsewhere. John Morgan asks how the overseas market will develop

What do your shoes say about you? More than you think, says Caroline Knowles. They hint at your class, job, where you live and even how you spend your leisure time

Too few academics are putting themselves forward for the top jobs. Amanda Goodall argues that we must nurture talent, value achievement and pay more if we want to fill the empty chairs

In philosophy, logic is too often considered the only appropriate analytical instrument. Adding fiction to the toolkit can, Michael Boylan argues, offer new and illuminating ways to contemplate human existence and its dilemmas

Dale Salwak explains how he removes the obstacles that prevent his students connecting with the greatest writer in the English language, allowing them to fall under the Bard's spell

Why has resistance to the government's plans for universities failed? Alastair Hudson decries the state's success in painting legitimate protest as riot

Recent marches by schoolchildren against tuition-fee hikes and budget cuts signal the revival of a long and illustrious tradition of pupil protests in Britain, Clive Bloom observes

Blind faith in the magic of numbers played a major role in the financial crash. Education must change to ensure that mathematicians have their feet firmly planted on the ground, Chris Ormell argues

The Golden State's mix of public planning, spin-off innovation and private excellence has made it one of the global academy's powerhouses. But funding cuts threaten the University of California's pre-eminence and the precious balance of an interconnected system. Zo? Corbyn reports

Peter Hill recalls his time as a lighthouse keeper, a profession since snuffed out by technology. He misses the arduous hours, grand meals, avian migrants and tall tales in the coal fire's glow

Aspiring and seasoned US journalists alike are looking to tech-savvy graduate schools to help them survive and thrive in a new multimedia environment. Jon Marcus reports

Freedom of speech is passionately defended in UK education, but when Islamic extremism and even terrorism have emanated from some of our campuses, should institutions step in? Matthew Reisz weighs up the hands-on and hands-off approaches

Liberal arts degrees are appearing in the UK and arousing much interest. Protagonists claim that the wide-ranging education provides more rounded individuals who are better prepared for modern employment. Rebecca Attwood writes

The high tuition fees paid by overseas students are an attractive source of revenue in these straitened times. But will higher education reforms change all that? Matthew Partridge investigates

Academics have long been criticised for being out of touch with the real world. Matthew Reisz finds that many make great efforts to dispel ivory tower attitudes, but others believe such habits will never disappear

As public funding shrinks, fundraising becomes crucial for universities. Adrian Beney examines how UK institutions are approaching the challenge and what they can learn from US methods

What is the source of this money? Will we offend anyone if we accept it? Have any laws been broken? Hannah Fearn surveys the ethical minefield of fundraising

The man who financed Facebook is offering 20 two-year $100,000 fellowships to teenagers with big ideas - as long as they leave university. Jon Marcus reports

A soaring enrolment rate and a driving ambition to compete globally characterise higher education in South Korea. But how is this all-consuming desire affecting society? asks John Morgan

Mill, Smith and Friedman: look away now. Coalition plans to marketise the academy are a corruption of laissez-faire ideology. Martin Cohen lambasts a liberal approach to 'liberalism'

After four decades of listening to, reading about and reflecting on classical music, Roger Brown points the way to fine-tuning true appreciation

Some think that traditional peer review, the guardian of sound science, is not up to the task of assessing large-scale multidisciplinary research. Paul Jump puts the question to the experts

For the US academy, sport - particularly American football - isn't a matter of life and death: it's much more important than that. David Gewanter discusses the big-money, big-reputation stakes of the 'cult of escapism' - a mano-a-mano University Challenge

Incisive debate on contemporary issues is curtailed by the glacial pace of academic publishing, argues Tim Luckhurst. Adopting new journalistic models would inject vitality into academics' work

The Freedom of Information Act enables public access to scientists' research data, but can scientific knowledge really be extracted in this way? Scientists should engage with the public, but need to find a less confrontational and more meaningful method of doing so, advise Adam Corner and Alice Bell

This should be the age of reason but we are failing to foster the intellectual skills that could liberate student minds. Linda Elder argues that we should embed critical thinking at the heart of the curriculum and outlines steps to emancipate the minds of a new generation

Some academics think the authors of historical fiction peddle myths, exploit their labour and wallow in sentimentality. But could dialogue between the two play a role in promoting public understanding of the past? asks Matthew Reisz

In May 1968 the old order was upturned by marginalised contract lecturers. Today, the proliferation of online courses offers slow-track academics a similar opportunity to seize the scholarly high ground, argues Paula Humfrey

In the academy, the real argument over science and religion is not about God but rather about how social and natural scientists understand people. Martin A. Mills says we must bridge that gap to comprehend humanity

Narrowly vocational higher education stripped of the insights offered by the arts and humanities, particularly literature, does students in all disciplines a lasting disservice, says Roger Lister

Is globalisation becoming a reality in the academy¡¯s top ranks? It¡¯s early days, but there are signs that the barriers are falling as universities look abroad to find the best captains. John Morgan reports

Robin Dunbar has to confess he never learned to play an instrument. But that doesn't stop him believing that music should be at the heart of education

The government wants a return to the past, with more input into the exam process by universities. Rebecca Attwood probes whether the move is welcomed or seen as more ministerial meddling

Delays to a report on the future of Irish higher education have fuelled unease over its proposals. Having seen a draft of the recommendations, Hannah Fearn gets the academy's verdict

The impact agenda came roaring to unruly life for a self-confessed shy bookworm when his work on Plato's 'musical code' drew the attention of the international media. Jay Kennedy tells the tale

Kerala's distinctive higher education system is undergoing reform with some success, but there are problems it shares with the rest of India that will take much effort to overcome, say Philip G. Altbach and Eldho Mathews

The Browne report heralds long-overdue competition and diversity in English higher education but, says Vernon Bogdanor, it also sets a big challenge for the government because its vision will not be realised without more spending on universities

Did necessity or ideology drive thinking behind Browne and the CSR, and will unleashing student/consumer demand improve or imperil the sector? Simon Baker investigates