Surviving an avalanche
The avalanche came. And went? It’s just about a year since the publication of the IPPR report ‘An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead‘. It really was a stirring waning to the future: ‘Our belie…
Posts, page 30
Student leaders: democracy in action
Students voting Really excellent to see the effort which has been made to promote voting in this year’s University of Nottingham Students’ Union elections. There are good numbers of candidates for all positions and some …
Trinity rebrand shock
Although perhaps not quite that radical According to the headline: ‘Ivory towers’ shaken by plan to rebrand Trinity The Independent has the full story on this shocking plan: Outraged tenured academics, referred to as Fel…
The Ultimate Higher Ed Band List
Higher Ed Bands We’ve all heard about the bands which formed at college or university: Roxy Music, Editors, Pink Floyd, Everything But The Girl, REM, The Pixies, Talking Heads, Coldplay, London Grammar, Snow Patrol to na…
Still waiting for a decent new campus novel?
Fertile territory for Higher Ed fiction? Previous posts on Higher Ed fiction have looked at the end of the campus novel and some flickers in the embers with a few more recent offerings including the Marriage Plot. More r…
Too Many Administrators?
Here we go again The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting piece on administrative staff numbers which suggests that a 28% growth in Higher Education work force numbers is primarily due to additional administr…
True Crime on Campus §34: voodoo
New year true crime on campus Some odd things can happen on campus. Fortunately, our unflappable Security staff are more than capable of responding to any situation: 010 Report of a group of youths on Jubilee Campus. The…
Dealer deals
A fair deal for students? PA Consulting have produced an interesting report on ‘The Student Deal’: The Student Deal: designing genuinely student-centred higher education incorporates our latest thinking on current issues…
24 hour study people
Food: all day and all of the night It’s perhaps not that novel but Inside Higher Ed has a story about a small US college, Lynn University, which has introduced all-night dining to help, among other things, with more flex…
Dead wood
Not very environmentally friendly Back in April 2008 I planted a tree at Lenton Rec as a mark of the University’s sponsorship of the park. There was lots of other activity too as part of the support for Nottingham in Blo…
The 2014 Grant letter: another epistolary triumph
And the wait was finally over The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has written to HEFCE with the Department’s annual message on funding and helpful bag of instructions. As excitement in the sector r…
Netflix for University Selection?
An algorithm to help with university choice The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting report on a Netflix-like algorithm which is designed to help with selecting a university. A former admissions counsellor an…
The future of counselling?
Is online counselling the future? The Chronicle of Higher Education has a fascinating story on the introduction of an online counselling programme in Florida. Initially developed as a response to resource constraints it …
The 2013 International Leadership Conference: Managing Global Universities
A report on the conference held at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Last November delegates from UK, Australia, Middle East, China, India gathered in the unique setting of the University of Nottingham Ningbo Ch…
Yet More Information
The US seems to be following the UK’s lead I’ve previously written about the excess of information available for prospective students in UK HE and the fact that it really isn’t a substitute for proper advice and guidance…
Restricting Free Speech?
Is there really a freedom of speech problem in US universities? Inside Higher Ed has a report on a new publication on free speech on US campuses. Nearly 59 percent of campuses have policies that “clearly and substantiall…
Varsity on ice
The Big Match: University of Nottingham v Nottingham Trent University Earlier this week I attended the annual Nottingham v Trent Varsity ice hockey match. It really is a fantastic sporting event and must be the biggest o…
Disciplinary differences…
…and similarities. In an earlier blog post I noted the noted the importance of good discipline on campus. A sound disciplinary framework is important for sustaining a strong idea of community, ensuring students are able …
The damage caused by the athletics arms race
Uncontrolled expansion of athletics can cause real problems Interesting piece in Inside Higher Ed on a paper which looks at the academic damage of an expanding independent athletics program with a particular focus on Ber…
Sustainability charts: Latest UI GreenMetric World University Ranking
Now out : the new Green Metric World Ranking (NB this is the ranking published in 2014. You can find the 2016 table here.) This world university league table first appeared in 2010 and was headed by the University of Cal…