Pucker up, piglets

Pucker up, piglets | Simon Blackburn | Times Higher Education | 7 July 2011

Having made a pig of university funding, the government had to dress it up. But who will be seduced by a brazen shade of ‘Student Experience’ lipstick or the White Paper’s other blandishments?

The tone of the government’s White Paper on higher education in England is set early on: “Higher education has a fundamental value in itself and our universities are, in many ways, world-class: in research; in attracting international students; and in contributing to the economy. But the challenge they face is putting the undergraduate experience at the heart of the system: that is the key issue addressed in this White Paper.”

Disquiet as sector-wide vision turns into ‘numbers control’

Disquiet as sector-wide vision turns into ‘numbers control’ | John Morgan &  Simon Baker | Times Higher Education | 30 June 2011

Experts fear race to the bottom and a squeezed middle. The sector has reacted with unease on a number of fronts to this week’s White Paper on higher education. Senior figures have expressed fears that it could compromise quality through downward pressure on fees, and warned of the danger that new competition for top-achieving students could clash with universities’ widening participation aims.

Crisis of Confidence Threatens Colleges

Crisis of Confidence Threatens Colleges |Karin Fischer | Chronicle of Higher Education | 20 May, 2011

The article presents results from two surveys conducted by the U.S. think tank Pew Research Center regarding the future of the American higher education system. Respondents of the surveys, which consisted of segments of the American public and groups of college presidents, comment on issues such as increasing college costs, the emergence of competition in international higher education, and educational quality and relevance. Differences between private and public higher education funding and an outline of the college graduation goals of U.S. President Barack Obama are discussed. Comments from several college individuals including college president Nancy L. Zimpher, college professor Paula M. Krebs, and higher education research director Ronald G. Ehrenberg are also presented.

Business firmly woven into the fabric of new framework

Business firmly woven into the fabric of new framework | Melanie Newman | Times Higher Education | 5 November 2009

The Government’s long-awaited strategy for the sector is out at last. Funds may be siphoned away from courses from which graduates fail to obtain good jobs and redistributed to those geared more towards business needs, under plans outlined in a long-term strategy for the future of higher education.