In January 2024, Cambridge University carried out a Staff Culture Survey. All academics, professional service staff, researchers and technical support were canvassed and invited to respond to questions on work-life balance, bullying, discrimination, mental health and flexible working There has Read more…
(Image Credit: Simon Walker, licensed under Creative Commons) Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, has offered up ‘Six Tips to Flourish as a Leader‘ in the Times here “1. Don’t let other people frame your agenda. Everyone will try, Read more…
In October 2023, Oxford University and College Union (UCU) published a report on the effects of casualisation at the University. They found over 66% of academics employed by Oxford University are on fixed-term contracts. Similarly, Cambridge’s UCU branch found that Read more…
The Royal Society elected Elon Musk into a Fellowship in 2018. Musk was honoured for his work in technology and engineering, particularly in the fields of space exploration and sustainable energy, This has become a controversial election. Musk’s reputation in Read more…
A Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) is a formal request made by an individual (the “data subject”) to an organization, asking to access the personal data the organization holds about them. This request is a key right under data protection Read more…
From 1 September 2023, the Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University has been the New Zealander, Prof Wendy Larner. During Larner’s tenure as Provost at Victoria University of Wellington (2015–2023), the university faced financial challenges that led to “strategic decisions”. In Read more…
Papermilling is a dubious research practice. It refers to situations in which research processes or findings are conducted in a way that is questionable, misleading or lacking integrity. This includes unethical practices, exploitation of students and postdocs, plagiarism, deliberate manipulation of Read more…
Cuts, “voluntary severances” and redundancies dominate the UK higher education landscape. But not for all. The management bloat in UK universities continues to swell even as lecturers & researchers are made unemployed. The University of Nottingham has just advertised for Read more…
Given the turmoil in Higher Education, the 21 Group is looking at the background and behaviour of some of our very well-rewarded Vice Chancellors. We started with Professor Colin Bailey, President and Principal of Queen Mary, University of London here. Read more…
Activity at universities falls into 3 broad categories – teaching, research & administration. They are not equivalent. Teaching & research are core activities. Everything else serves to support these primary goals. Some administrative work is obviously necessary. This includes student Read more…