By Matthew Knott, Fergus Hunter. The federal government faces blanket opposition from university vice-chancellors to its plan to increase the interest rate on all student debts and slash university funding, a survey shows. 
The Fairfax Media poll of the nation's 39 vice-chancellors - who are divided on the question of fee deregulation - found a unified stance against applying an interest rate of up to 6 per cent to student debts and cutting the Commonwealth contribution to the cost of a degree by 20 per cent. Read more...

By Ray Sanchez. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, delivering Thursday's commencement speech at Harvard University, criticized what he described as a disturbing trend of liberals silencing voices "deemed politically objectionable."
"This spring, it has been disturbing to see a number of college commencement speakers withdraw -- or have their invitations rescinded -- after protests from students and -- to me, shockingly -- from senior faculty and administrators who should know better," Bloomberg said.
The billionaire former mayor cited an October speech during which his ex-police commissioner, Ray Kelly, was shouted down by students at Brown University. More...

By Urmi A Goswami. HRD minister Smriti Irani is turning her attention to transforming the University Grants Commission into a bonafide higher education regulator that is in tune with the changing landscape in the sector. Restructuring and refocusing UGC from a grant-disbursing organisation to one that maintains standards and regulates the sector is among Irani's top 100-day priorities. More...