Theresa May has announced the date for her departure and another Tory leadership contest is upon us. While the new Prime Minister’s first focus may not be higher education, the imminent announcement of the post-18 education review means tuition fees are a topic they will likely have to take a stance on, sooner rather than later. More...

In Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard, chronicling upheavals in Sicilian society, one of its characters offers this strategic pragmatic counsel, “If we want things to stay the same, things will have to change”.
Oxford University, the oldest English-speaking University in the world, which has itself evolved over nearly one thousand years, has today announced what its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Louise Richardson, calls a “sea-change” in admissions. More...

Yet when she stepped up to become Prime Minister a few months later, many vice-chancellors I spoke to were fairly positive about the change. Despite the constant battle between the higher education sector and the Home Office over international students during her time as Home Secretary, university leaders sensed her work ethic, her commitment to public service and her experience would make her an effective Prime Minister. More...