By Bernard Lane. IF the Constitution were written today, universities would be seen as obviously a national responsibility, says vice-chancellor and lawyer Greg Craven. 
"They are the national innovation system, they are critical for trade, they are the commanding heights of workforce management," he said. 
Professor Craven, who leads the multi-state Australian Catholic University, was commenting on reports that Education Minister Christopher Pyne is discussing a plan for the universities of NSW to surrender state governance in favour of federal statutory control. More...

By Xu Lin. China's higher education is getting more accessible for the disabled, but students say more facilities for the mobility challenged are needed. Zhang Haoyu, 25, a postgraduate student from a university in North China, suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic and inherited disorder characterized by fragile bones. He underwent five surgeries when he was a middle school student, and now he can walk with crunches, and often uses a mobility scooter. More...

By Angela Meng. A degree from a top university is a passport to success in the mainland so it is no surprise corruption has been uncovered in the admissions department. Officials are being paid up to 1 million yuan for admissions to a top university in Beijing, the offical Xinhua new agency reported on Monday. The report came in the wake of a corruption case last week involving Beijing-based Renmin University. Cai Rongsheng, a senior Renmin University admissions official was detained in Shenzhen while trying to flee the country. Hu Juan, an executive dean at the school has been sacked and was also under investigation. More...