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Russell Group vice-chancellors’ pay averages almost £332K
Elite universities admit they must change remuneration practices despite smaller average pay increase in 2016-17 Vice-chancellors of large research-intensive universities in the UK’s Russell Group were paid nearly £332,000 on average in the past academic year, a Times Higher Education analysis shows. With the high pay of university leaders in the spotlight in recent months, financial accounts published by the organisation’s 24 members put the average salary and benefits of a Russell Group vice-chancellor at £331,641 in 2016-17. Once employer
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California’s community colleges: university gateway, economic engine
Chancellor of world’s biggest higher education system sees Trump immigration plan as ‘antithesis’ of American values Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of the California Community Colleges System, the largest higher education system in the world, “came from the same background that a lot of students who access community college come from. I grew up in a working-class family in south Los Angeles, son of an immigrant mother and a father who was a [US] citizen but spoke no English when he came to California.” Mr Oakley, the first Latino to lead the CCCS, which has&n
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Justine Greening blocked bid to reduce tuition fees, claims ex-May aide
Former education secretary and former universities minister Jo Johnson stymied the plan, says Nick Timothy Theresa May’s former chief of staff has accused the former education ministers Justine Greening and Jo Johnson of blocking attempts to reduce university tuition fees and reform higher education. Nick Timothy, who quit the prime minister’s office after last year’s election, said the former education secretary and universities minister blocked proposals to reduce interest rates on student loan repayments and allow institutions to charge different
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Theresa May is now free to reform university tuition fees after sacking two ministers who opposed her plans, says former top aide
Justine Greening spent two-and-a-half hours in talks with the PM on Monday The former Education Secretary resigned instead of accepting a new post Theresa May's former adviser Nick Timothy hailed Ms Greening's removal Mr Timothy accused Ms Greening of blocking reform of university tuition fees Prime Minister Theresa May will be able to reform university tuition fees after removing Justine Greening as Education secretary during this week's reshuffle. Ms Greening was the highest profile casualty of the reshuffle after she resigne
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Winning at all costs: US college athletics and the curse of money
College sport is a wildly popular, multibillion-dollar industry, but rampant commercialism has led to numerous ethical, financial, academic and scandals, while spiralling expenses are placing the whole US higher education system under pressure. Jon Marcus reports A 300-piece marching band leads a parade of fire engines carrying high-spirited cheerleaders past a rapturous sea of more than 80,000 people, almost all of them in red and white. Some of these onlookers wander away from the bedlam to sit in the lap of a nearby statue of Abraham Lincoln, their whispered entreaties to the Civil War p
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Quarter of students in UK universities gain first-class degree
More than a quarter of UK university students gained a first-class degree in the last academic year, a significant rise since 2012-13, figures show. Overall, 26 per cent of students who gained their first undergraduate degree in 2016-17 achieved a first, compared with 18 per cent in 2012-13, according to the latest release from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. A further 49 per cent of students obtained a 2:1, down one percentage point on the previous year. This means that 75 per cent of students gained a 2:1 or a first in 2016-17, up from 68 per cent in 2012-13. Th
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Greening blocked English tuition fee cuts, says PM's ex-adviser
Former Downing Street policy guru Nick Timothy says former education secretary resisted university funding review and potential tuition fee cuts Former education secretary Justine Greening blocked plans to reduce university tuition fees, Theresa May’s former chief of staff has claimed. In a Daily Telegraph column on 11 January, Nick Timothy says Ms Greening, who quit the cabinet this week after he declining to become welfare and pensions secretary, had “blocked proposals to reduce tuition fees and refused to hold a proper review of tertiary education”. Mr Timothy
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Legacy draws Australian universities back to Western civilisation
Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, funded by £1.7 billion bequest, to fund degree courses in several institutions Two significant trends have shaped much of the scholarship in Australian universities in recent years: one is a drive to build an appreciation of the country’s Aboriginal heritage, and another is the influence of Chinese research funding and student flows. A new centre, funded by an A$3 billion (£1.7 billion) bequest from healthcare magnate Paul Ramsay, aims to take degree courses in a very different direction. The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisat
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UCL launches 'eugenics' probe after it emerges academic held controversial conference for three years on campus
A senior academic is being investigated by University College London after he was found to have hosted an annual conference in which speakers debated ideas on eugenics and intelligence. Since 2015, Dr James Thompson has overseen the London Conference on Intelligence, which has seen a researcher who has previously advocated child rape online speak on campus on three occasions. The university was last night attempting to establish how the honorary lecturer was able to host the event without informing senior officials, who were unaware of which speakers would be attending.
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Sam Gyimah replaces Jo Johnson as universities minister
Former prisons minister takes on brief as predecessor moved to Department for Transport Sam Gyimah has replaced Jo Johnson as universities minister in the UK’s Cabinet reshuffle. Mr Gyimah, the former prisons minister, took on the role spanning the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy after Mr Johnson was appointed transport minister and minister for London. On Twitter, Mr Johnson said that universities were “our greatest asset [and the] best thing about this country”. He said he was proud of his reforms &ndash
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Michigan Students Count Way to a College A
University of Michigan professors award many more A's under new grading system. At the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, about 8,000 students have earned their ordinary course grades in an unusual way. They start out the semester with a zero, but each has the opportunity to earn an A by racking up points. The professor determines how many points each assignment or test is worth, and there's various ways to get to an A. If students botch an assignment, they can try something else. Each student can track his or her point tally online and see options for earning mor
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If poor can't get into university, then no one must get in - Julius Malema
If the poor can't get into universities, then no one must get in, says Malema Polokwane – The lack of infrastructure to implement President Jacob Zuma's fee-free education plan should not be a barrier used to deny the poor access to higher education, EFF leader Julius Malema said on Monday. Speaking live on Limpopo's Energy FM breakfast show on Monday, Malema warned that denying the poor access to education would be a declaration that all universities' gates be locked. Malema said that universities' lack of capacity to accommodate thousands of aspiring students
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Keith Burnett to retire as University of Sheffield v-c
Physicist will step down 'in coming months', once successor is appointed Sir Keith Burnett is to retire from his post as vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield, after more than a decade in the role. Sir Keith will leave his post "in the coming months", once the university council has appointed his successor. In a statement, Sir Keith said he had been “truly honoured” to have led Sheffield since 2007. “During that time, I have met many inspirational staff, students and alumni around the world, and I am proud to have represented them h
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National demands ‘force universities away from local communities’
Scholars argue swelling targets for teaching and research are making it harder for universities to have a regional impact Governments across the world are preventing universities from rejuvenating their local economies and communities by forcing them to perform against national research and teaching targets, scholars have warned. Particularly in the aftermath of the shock votes for Brexit and Donald Trump in 2016, universities in cities from Baltimore to Sheffield have been keen to show that they are getting outside their campuses and helping those who have been &ldqu
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Graduate School Might Help You Avoid Alzheimer’s
A new study from Cambridge University suggests that education may hinder the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, about 47 million Americans show some evidence of susceptibility to the disease—experts suggest that this will double by 2060. The study focuses on the buildup of “plaques and tangles” of misshapen proteins in brain cells, which lead to their gradual death. While the causes are largely unknown and attempt s to treat it have been disappointing at best, the new research suggests that the amount of education a person has
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Victoria University adopts ‘block model’ to cut dropout rates
First-year students will study just one subject at a time rather than juggling four units with competing demands and deadlines. An Australian university is overhauling its course structure in the hope of cutting dropout rates. From February, first-year students at Victoria University in Melbourne will study just one subject at a time instead of four units per semester. Known as the “block model”, the new system offers students the chance to study their chosen degree course in four-week “blocks” on set days. The shake-up comes on the heels of a
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Huge demand for refugee courses at Germany universities
Most finished integration courses, but few ended up with advanced German skills – and the vast majority were male German universities were overwhelmed by the number of refugees seeking integration courses, according to new data that shed light on how institutions coped with the unprecedented influx. More than 60 per cent of universities reported more demand than they expected in 2016 for Integra, a university preparation course of language classes and subject specific lessons. Just 7 per cent reported lower demand than anticipated. Although the majority of refugees successfully
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Machine learning: universities ready students for AI revolution
Sydney’s move towards programmes focused on problem-solving designed to address rise of artificial intelligence and automation A vice-chancellor’s call for universities to train undergraduates “to tell the machines what to do” has rekindled debate about how higher education institutions can best prepare their students for the jobs of the future. Michael Spence outlined plans for the University of Sydney to move towards offering four-year degrees with a greater focus on problem-solving and cultural competency as sector leaders around the world debate
