By María Elena Hurtado. August was coming to an end when a group of angry students barged into the office of Eduardo Silva, rector of the Jesuit university Universidad Alberto Hurtado, in Santiago, Chile. Read more...

By Brendan O'Malley. United Kingdom universities are risking a sharp fall in European Union student numbers unless reassurances are made, the head of Universities UK, the vice-chancellors’ body, said on Wednesday. Read more...

By Brendan O'Malley. United States universities took 11 of the top 20 places in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings published last week, and held all top three places for the first time since 2004-5. Read more...

By Jan Petter Myklebust and Brendan O'Malley. Minister of Higher Education and Research Helene Hellmark Knutsson has fired the country’s University Chancellor and head of the Swedish Higher Education Authority, Harriet Wallberg, and four members of the board of the Karolinska Institute, or KI, in Stockholm in the wake of the Macchiarini affair. Read more...

By Nita Temmerman. Universities and industry have been collaborating for well over 100 years. The principal nature of these collaborations has generally been research-focused, where industry has provided funding for university researchers to tackle strategic projects that drive industry innovation, development and-or contribute to economic growth. Read more...

By Ararat Osipian. On 26 August 2016, Volodymyr Kharchenko, the acting rector of one of Ukraine’s flagship technical universities, the National Aviation University, was arrested in his office for taking a bribe of €170,000, which is roughly equivalent to US$200,000. In a country where the average salary is the equivalent of a meagre US$100 a month, this sum sounds astronomical. Read more...

By Jennifer Olson. Elite. Competitive. Strategic. Economically focused. These words have been used to describe several of the current trends in higher education internationalisation. The activities that follow from emphasising these exclusionary practices inevitably create winners and losers. Read more...

By Fiona Hunter and Hans de Wit. The Brexit vote has happened and United Kingdom universities, along with the world of European higher education, are still reeling from a state of shock and disbelief. Academic communities – both staff and students – were fervent supporters of 'Remain', with their cities also coming out strongly in favour of staying, many at well over 70%. Read more...

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In Commentary, John Richard Schrock explains why open access and piracy of research publications may threaten the core of the science enterprise. Angel Calderon says QS’s 13th edition of its world university rankings will be remembered by universities for the gains or losses it brought. Fiona Hunter and Hans de Wit write that the likely loss of the United Kingdom from the European Higher Education Area following Brexit will affect everyone and could impact negatively on internationalisation for universities.
Jennifer Olson argues that a more inclusive approach to internationalisation will enable institutions to act more nimbly to the ‘new mobility’ caused by the refugee crisis. And Ararat Osipian says the latest corruption case in Ukraine against the acting rector of the National Aviation University comes as no surprise given that corruption is entrenched in the country’s universities at all levels.
In a series on ‘Transformative Leadership’ in which University World News is partnering with The MasterCard Foundation, Dennis Tourish, a professor of leadership, recommends a more ethical approach to leadership, where there is more equal exchange and leaders are subject to criticism.
In World Blog, Nita Temmerman says university-industry collaborations built on trust can contribute to mutually beneficial curriculum design, ensuring students are adequately prepared for the real world of work.
In Features, Tunde Fatunde attended a consultative meeting of the Association of Commonwealth Universities that looked at next steps for its prestigious scholarship and fellowship plan.
Be sure to register for the second international free webinar to be hosted by University World News in partnership with DrEducation on 4 October. It is entitled 'Embracing Technology for Global Engagement: A leadership challenge and opportunity'. Read more...

By Karen MacGregor – Africa Editor. In Africa Features, Brennan Weiss reports on a gathering in Ghana that discussed new kinds of councils needed for Africa’s expanding and transforming universities. Tunde Fatunde attended a meeting of the Association of Commonwealth Universities that looked at next steps for its prestigious scholarship and fellowship plan.
In Commentary, John Richard Schrock explains why open access and piracy of research publications may threaten the core of the science enterprise. Angel Calderon says the 13th edition of the QS world university rankings will be remembered for the gains or losses it brought. Fiona Hunter and Hans de Wit write that the likely loss of the United Kingdom from the European Higher Education Area following Brexit could impact negatively on internationalisation of universities. Jennifer Olson argues that more inclusive internationalisation will enable institutions to act more nimbly to the ‘new mobility’ caused by the refugee crisis. And Ararat Osipian says the latest corruption case in Ukraine against an acting university rector comes as no surprise given that corruption is entrenched in universities at all levels.
In a series on ‘Transformative Leadership’ in which University World News is partnering with The MasterCard Foundation, Dennis Tourish recommends a more ethical approach to leadership, where there is more equal exchange and leaders are subject to criticism.
Be sure to register for the second free webinar to be hosted by University World News in partnership with DrEducation on 4 October, entitled “Embracing Technology for Global Engagement: A leadership challenge and opportunity”. Read more...