Margot Finn

The Bartlett, with support from the Aziz Foundation 'will be offering up to three scholarships to exceptional students who are active in British Muslim communities and keen to build bridges with all parts of British society.'

Hybrid conference, 9-10 July. Booking required. In person £40, concession (students, early career researchers, disabled, unwaged/retired) £20; online standard £10, £6 concession.

A selection of books form the Fagel Collection

TCD Library is recruiting a Senior Bibliographer to help catalogue the Fagel Collection! This is a fabulous professional opportunity to work on one of Europe's great early modern private libraries. Closing 10 March at noon. Full details available at www.tcd.ie/hr/vacancies

Remote Australian university shelves plan to open base in London Under-fire Charles Darwin University decides to concentrate on core business after resignation of vice-chancellor

Australia's Charles Darwin University cancels plan to set up London branch campus following sudden departure of (British) vice-chancellor Scott Bowman www.timeshighereducation.com/news/remote-...

Horsemen carrying items looted from a village raid, including chalices, briefcases, crosses and a woman, riding across a plain at dawn with a storm brewing in the background.

The Trust’s February Newsletter is out now! Read about the hidden value of bat guano, linguistic justice efforts in secondary schools, professional mobility at the time of the Crusades,1099–1291, and much more: leverhulme.ac.uk/newsletter

“The Scheme will primarily focus on areas of teaching and administration directly affected by the drop in, or sustained by, international student income, including some areas of research activity.” (Watson) 3/3

'“This includes the launch, today, of a Targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme (TVRS) of approximately 100 academic and professional services posts.' (Watson) 2/3

“Over a two-year period we have seen a £33m loss of income, and we have to take action to address a predicted financial deficit of over £10m in the next financial year." (Principal Mairi Watson) Drop in international student recruitment blamed. 1/3

At Oxford, not at Cambridge.

Then there is the repugnant and ahistorical xenophobia. Anyone in History ever heard of S Amrith, D Armitage, D Blackbourn, D Cannadine, L Colley, G Eley, T Harris, P Lake, M Mazour or A Tooze, for example?

Yes, the assumption that the current crisis is wholly unprecedented is doing no one any favours in the effort to dig the system out of its swamp.

Starmer must use our scientific stars to drive the economy The brightest young British scientists were recognised with awards this week – it’s time the PM and his chancellor started paying attention, writes Chris Blackhurst

Alternatively, stop star-gazing and focus on sorting out the dark matter.

Strike action planned for 12, 13, 17 and 18 March.

"We're consulting with staff and campus trade unions ahead of any decisions being taken by our University Court in April." (University spokesperson) 2/2

University of Aberdeen warns staff of £12m savings plan The university says it needs to make the cuts or generate more income over the next two years.

'the university has set out proposed cuts including applying a 10-student limit to undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Bosses said they planned to stop recruitment to postgraduate courses which consistently bring in less than six students.'

£12M in savings to make over 2 years. 1/2

'Lecturer' in old coin, though at Oxford (very weirdly) the entry level is Associate Professor.

UK universities join forces to support refugees amid US hostility New platform launched to coordinate responses to humanitarian crises will initially focus on refugee inclusion in branch campuses

Urghh: didn't link to the article: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-univ...

In History permanent jobs have disproportionately been Oxbridge but not exclusively so: this and last year posts have included Birkbeck (jointly with English), LSE, Warwick, York, UCL. But it is grim.

International recruitment and TNE are not a straight swap It certainly sounds convenient for universities to have fewer international students in the UK and more via TNE. Michael Salmon goes out on a limb to explore why it might just possibly be more complic...

'There are now more students studying higher education via diverse TNE routes “offshore” than there are international students in the UK – and this seems nailed on to remain a permanent fixture of the HE landscape.'

Lots of good analysis here.

Meanwhile, in the 80-ish % of the UK HE sector that is England, we hear only murmurings of 'collaboration' against the chorus of 'Skills, skills skills' and the sound of one hand clapping. 3/3

The First 100 Days

'Plaid has previously said it would commission a full review of higher education funding if it came to power, and this makes the cut for one of its (many) commitments for those first few months in office'. 2/3

Plaid Cymru would launch an HE review in its first 100 days The party most likely to form Wales’ next government would look to kick off a funding review within the first few months of taking power

'Plaid’s spring conference saw the launch of New Leadership for Wales: the First 100 Days, a list of priorities from the party currently most likely to be leading a new Welsh government from May. The overall tone is very much to reassure the electorate that the party is ready for government.' 1/3

'Institutions that have already joined include the universities of London, Leeds and Warwick as well as the University of the Arts London, Birkbeck, University of London and Cardiff and Abertay universities.' 2/2

'A new Global Response Platform, led by the non-governmental organisation Mosaik Education, aims to enable universities to coordinate their responses to crises affecting students and academics overseas, learning from the more haphazard reactions to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza in recent years.' 1/2

There is also a problematic assumption here that Oxbridge postdocs should have an inside track on permanent Oxbridge posts, a stance unlikely to impress the wider sector. The Humanities pipeline is in crisis, but is this the solution to the problem the 21st century needs? 2/2

Hiring established scholars to junior Oxbridge roles imperils disciplines As lay-offs continue elsewhere, postdocs’ inability to land permanent roles will block the pipeline of future faculty, Cambridge academics argue

Raises some important issues but also ignores the fact that many Humanities staff outside the magic circle are facing redundancy. They are naturally willing, indeed desperate, to apply for entry-level Oxbridge posts. The situation is grim. 1/2

University courses should be about acquiring skills, not just a job | Letters Letters: Pete Dorey and Pat Stevenson respond to a letter that made the argument for employers funding universities

'To me, education is inherently worthwhile – but I am probably a deluded old dinosaur.'

Hundreds of UK teenagers to pilot social media bans and restrictions Trials to form part of three-month consultation on Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle negative effects of smartphone use

'The first trial will involve about 150 children aged 13 to 15 and will test their response to being denied social media altogether, being limited to one hour a day and overnight screen curfews. Their sleep, moods and physical activity will be assessed.'

'Incels and looksmaxxers exist in communities that are rife with misogyny and this reflects in the slang terms they’ve developed. “Foids”, for instance, are female humanoids, or what others might call women. (“Moids” is the male form, for lower-tier men.)' 2/2

The Pentagon says it’s ‘lethalitymaxxing’. Why has ‘incel’ slang crossed into the mainstream? With the rise of influencer Clavicular and ‘looksmaxxers’, sexist language from niche memes has infiltrated official government accounts and NYT headlines

'Propagated via online forums like 4chan – the source of much gen Z slang – it has made its way to the mainstream thanks to a combination of algorithms, in-jokes and a Trump administration keyed into the language of these communities.' 1/2

Top academics warn UK physics cuts threaten effort to boost economy More than 50 heads of departments tell science minister that changes risk undermining crucial tech growth fields

Lots of talk about thinking seriously about what we need for future research. Little talk of how and where we have that discussion, systematically and in dialogue with the needs of the wider research ecosystem. And then there is the resounding silence on university finances which underpin all that.