Iraqi Universities Reach a Crossroads

Iraqi Universities Reach a Crossroads | Ursula Lindsey | Chronicle of Higher Education | 25 March, 2012

Ambitious plans for reform could be thwarted by sectarian politics

Eight years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and a few months after the withdrawal of the military forces from the country, Iraq’s universities, devastated by years of dictatorship, sanctions, and war, are still struggling to recover. The security situation has improved since the deadly, dark days of 2006 and 2007, when the country teetered on the brink of sectarian war, hundreds of professors were assassinated, and thousands more fled the country.

Casual staffers outstrip full-time

Casual staffers outstrip full-time | Andrew Trounson | The Australian Higher Education | 28 March, 2012

THE growth in enrolments in Australia’s largest universities has largely been met with casual academics, whose numbers now outstrip permanent staff, according to new research for the LH Martin Institute.

A separate study has also revealed the rate of academic casualisation varies wildly across the sector, from a high of 36 per cent to as low at 5 per cent, based on 2010 government data. The average rate was 21 per cent, up from 20 per cent in 2009.

Professors Are Graying and Staying, Creating a Faculty Bottleneck

Professors Are Graying and Staying, Creating a Faculty Bottleneck | Audrey Williams June | Chronicle of Higher Education | 18 March, 2012

At some universities, 1 in 3 academics are now 60 or older. At elite research universities, where longtime professors enjoy freedom and resources, many don’t see the need to retire. The number of faculty members ages 65 and up more than doubled from 2000 to 2011.

Academic salaries no longer attract top talent, survey finds

Academic salaries no longer attract top talent, survey finds | Jack Grove | Times Higher Education | 22 March 2012

Scholars’ remuneration packages fail to match pay in many other professions. Academic salaries are no longer sufficient to attract the brightest and best into the sector, according to the co-author of a new global survey of higher education pay.

Saudis recruit to hijack rankings

Saudis recruit to hijack rankings  | Julie Hare | The Australian Higher Education | 21 March, 2012

THREE Australian researchers are among a who’s who of international talent to have accepted generous contracts with a Saudi Arabian university. King Abdulaziz University lists 107 “distinguished scientists” on its website, 60 of whom reportedly signed contracts of affiliation with the university last year.

Campuses Engage Students, U.S. Style

Campuses Engage Students, U.S. Style | Sara Lipka | Chronicle of Higher Education | 11 March, 2012

On the women’s side of Zayed University here in Abu Dhabi, students in black, floor-length abayas stride past banners promoting campus services: “Is Your Career in Focus?” and “Scared Of Exams! … This Workshop is for You.” Programs and activities dedicated to students’ success have recently become part of daily life at this conservative Emirati institution.

Across most of the world, the role of a university has been to develop students’ minds, not their characters.

Russell Group ‘a more natural fit’

Russell Group ‘a more natural fit’ | John Morgan | Times Higher Education | 15 March 2012

Quartet abandon 1994 Group for new home among elite body. The University of Exeter saw the Russell Group as a “more natural fit” after the government’s AAB policy “changed the debate”, its vice-chancellor said, as four additional institutions joined the elite mission group.

Sector ignored despite $3bn hit

Sector ignored despite $3bn hit | John Ross | The Australian Higher Education | 14 March, 2012

INTERNATIONAL education is “flying under the radar” as a contributor to a faltering national economy, even though plunging student revenues could push some states into recession. The International Education Association of Australia said attention continued to be focused on manufacturing job losses from companies such as Toyota, Alcoa, OneSteel and Murray Goulburn, even though international education had lost $3 billion in a year and enrolments were declining “week in, week out”.

The Rise and Fall of the Graduation Rate

The Rise and Fall of the Graduation Rate | Jeff Selingo | Chronicle of Higher Education | 02 March, 2012

A college’s graduation rate is such a basic consumer fact for would-be students these days that it’s difficult to imagine that the federal government didn’t even collect the information as recently as the early 1990s.

Ucas withdrawal threat puts PQA in jeopardy

Ucas withdrawal threat puts PQA in jeopardy | Jack Grove | Times Higher Education | 08 March 2012

1994 Group fires shot across bow of admissions service’s proposed reforms. Several universities have threatened to withdraw from the UK’s centralised admissions system if post-qualifications applications are introduced, casting doubt on the future of the proposed reforms.