World news

Admission and retention of under-represented students must not rest on the goodwill of a few ‘teachers and role models’, Sydney summit hears

While councils might expect a response ‘after first tweet’, universities ‘lose credibility’ when they vacillate, THE World Academic Summit hears

Representative body backs collaboration between tertiary education sectors but questions TAFEs’ ‘instrumental’ role in degree-level apprenticeships

We support the idea but it needs funding, New Zealand universities say

Small windfalls and ‘passionate advocacy’ spare several dozen more redundancies at Victoria

As a parliamentary committee inquires into a proposed merger of two universities, institutional accounts suggest they coasted through the last big scare

Strong staffing increase in research-intensive institutions points to an uneven post-Covid recovery

Rhetorical ambition for a ‘more sustainable’ workforce not reflected in negotiations, union says

The gulf is growing between self-perpetuating middle management and the people who ‘produce the value’, Australian symposium hears

If Australia proceeds with a levy on international students’ fees, the money should only be used for students’ benefit, representative body argues

‘Engine of social mobility’ outlines recipe for success: timely, personalised support delivered at scale

Allocate funds, don’t allocate funds, not now, not forever: accord’s spikiest idea elicits multiple perspectives

Australian sector denies accusations of inadequate support, but says it can never do ‘enough’

‘Punitive’ requirements could make admissions from under-represented groups too risky, Australian university representatives warn

Proposed research priorities focus more on broad societal goals than on the mechanisms for achieving them

Analysis of university employment since Dawkins ‘massification’ raises questions over where the staff will come from this time around

Student numbers at all-time high after nine record months of visa grants

People were remotely studying for higher degrees long before Covid, researchers say, and universities should pay them more attention

Anger at some universities, exultation at others, as enterprise negotiations drag on

Action against RMIT service comes as institutions support ‘yes’ vote in forthcoming Australian referendum

Things go from bad to worse for student-starved sector, with unexpended funds recycled one month and repossessed the next

More people need degrees just to keep up with the crowd, analysis of Australian census data suggests

One in five waiting more than a year for doctoral visas despite claims processing times have been speeded up

Australian rule changes, like UK clampdown and mooted Canadian cap, coincide with exploding enrolments from South Asia

National Bureau of Statistics suspends release of figures, leaving universities in the dark over how situation is developing

Figure emerges as Intergenerational Report highlights research’s role in arresting productivity plunge

University one of the few to avoid pushing an institutional line on the forthcoming Australian referendum

While the removal of opportunities for political ‘meddling’ has drawn widespread approval, research advocates want more funding

Canberra may have chosen the right time to revisit university funding, as institutional accounts suggest a widening divide between the haves and have-nots

Union blames ‘recalcitrant’ executives for walkout but university says it has bargained ‘in good faith’ and negotiations have been slow elsewhere

A domestic university ranking system could hold universities to account for all aspects of their performance, says shadow education minister

While sector welcomes changes to be rolled out ‘imminently’, subsequent reforms could prove less popular

Canberra also confirms plans to overhaul research assessment exercise and ‘take the politics out’ of grant decisions

Rampant discounting blunts income being made from steep increase in overseas students, as regulator plans action on recruitment

Analysis of 862 scientific projects – paid for with 131 million yuan of public funding – identifies no knowledge-transfer outcomes

Institutions face stiff fines and worse for breaches in student support policies, as government courts sceptical opposition

New models beckon after ‘golden age’, sociologist predicts, as source countries seek to plug skills haemorrhage

Trip Down Under seen as a positive sign for international education on both sides of the Tasman

Independent regulator would overcome entrenched conflicts of interest and remove ‘barriers’ for whistleblowers, according to former corruption commissioner

Once bit players in Australia’s clinical trial landscape, universities are now easily the most prominent sponsors

Gender gap reflects workforce patterns, not success rate bias, as women gradually boost their share of the spoils in an increasingly competitive ‘game’

Skew towards ‘amorphous’ professional roles in universities reflects ‘homogenisation’ of the workforce, report suggests

Research funding needs attention in higher education review, representative body warns, as survey reveals upbeat Antipodean attitude to science

Doctoral candidates at their wits’ end as visa processing stalls again

Australian survey points to high degree of financial self-reliance among incoming students, along with amorphous fears about the future

Self-regulation is ‘failing’, Australian critics claim, citing sexual assault statistics mirroring those in wider society

While Australian government earns gratitude for quick implementation of ‘priority’ reforms, expert warns of ‘bureaucracy’ burden

Revenue from Singapore venture crucial to ongoing sustainability, says Massey vice-chancellor

As a small fish in a very big pond, New Zealand can ill afford to turn its back on its giant neighbours, academics warn

Report into ‘grotesque’ abuses of Australian international education emerges when visa processing system is already straining at the seams

Disparaged policies could take root as Australia’s once-in-a-generation higher education review dawdles, critics warn

Landmark report has generated applause but could deny vice-chancellors a free hand

Light-touch treatment of one of universities’ fundamental roles leaves too many questions hanging, observers worry

While Treasury’s effort to look beyond economics boasts just a handful of education metrics, O’Kane panel has been asked to change that

Needs-based student funding and second national university also among accord panel’s ‘spiky ideas’, aimed at improving equitable access

Canberra agrees to funding guarantee, governance reform, ditching of ‘fail rule’ and uncapped funding for all indigenous students, as it mulls ‘wider change’

Anglocentric norms are a blind spot in the effort to diversify the research workforce, global survey suggests

‘If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,’ minister says, ahead of review report promising other ‘immediate’ recommendations

National interest not served by ‘overstating the threats’ or cultivating a ‘climate of uncertainty’, report says

Assessment rationales have not kept pace with AI translation and writing support tools, conference hears