Search

Academics have voiced their concerns that the cultural heritage of Iraq is under threat as the American Council for Cultural Policy (ACCP), an influential group of American antiquities collectors, manoeuvres for influence with the planned postwar military regime in the country. Scholars in the US and UK both stated that the ACCP's remit is diametrically opposed to scholarly research and that any form of collecting would create a lucrative market that encouraged looting and the illegal trade of antiquities, thereby destroying the scientific and archaeological value of artifacts.

The Employment Tribunal has vindicated a professor by supporting him in his decision for resigning in protest against the decision of his university to overrule his decision to fail more than a dozen of his students. The Southampton Tribunal ruled in favor of Professor Paul Buckland, professor of Archaeology at Bournemouth University.

The investment of resources to widening access to university or for improving school A-level results among working class children is discussed. Sutton Trust report showed that many working-class children left education at 16 despite good academic performances and the money would be better utilized in providing a strong foundation for students before they reach the secondary level.

There have been several winners and losers in the education sector in England. Fifty nine institutions will be facing funding cuts, while seventy one institutions will be getting higher funding bearing in mind the inflationary costs.

The implementation of the unsuitable corporate-like target-setting and performance management for academics by universities despite their opposition is presented.

The displeasure of academics at the productivity targets imposed on them is presented. They would adversely affect genuine and effective research work.

The dismissal of several U.K. academics for their use of online blogs, web forums and group e-mails to air their grievances about their employers is discussed. The issue also highlights concerns about academic freedom and the right to express unpopular opinions without fear of reprisal.

Leeds Metropolitan University acquired a controlling stake in its local rugby union club, Leeds Tykes, in 2007, placing its own executives on the club's board and renaming it Leeds Carnegie.

An increasing number of university lecturers and researchers in the U.K. are being dismissed for criticizing their managers through online activities such as blogs and web forums. Union leaders are calling for greater freedom for staff to criticize employers and to discuss their jobs without fear of retaliation.

The literary work in History by Mr. Ben Wilson is highly influenced by the ideas and works of his former tutor at Cambridge University Professor Vic Gatrell. Mr. Wilson apologized after many similarities were detected with Prof.Gatrell's works by the research investigators.

The misconduct in research activities will be investigated by the recently started Whistleblower's hotline in U.K. It also provides the guidelines for research practices and advice universities.

The controversy over a psychic being hired by a university for conducting a staff wellbeing workshop is presented.

The efficacy of psychometric tests in improving academics' professional and personal development is discussed.

The tests that could scrutinize personality traits for jobs or promotions of academics in addition to experience are discussed.

Leeds Metropolitan University is reviewing its staff performance and development structure to raise their standards of staff values and behavior. The academics are however, criticizing the act, by affirming that their work should be respected.

Susan Bassnett, pro-vice-chancellor at Warwick University and other scholars describe their unfortunate experiences at different international conferences.

The article reports the initiation of call center technology for students and managers to receive help in academics. The aim behind this effort is to lift the burden from the University staff and provide flexibility in work.

A rise in top degree classifications for graduates in 2006 has led to concerns about grade inflation and renewed suggestions for the end of the classification system. Experts recommend abolition of degree classifications on the grounds that they do not provide meaningful information on a student's actual achievements, and several alternative proposals for provision of degree results are being considered.

Universities are adopting the controversial practice of 'mystery shopping' similar to those in retail and catering industries, by allowing consultants to pose as potential students and parents in order to test the customer care skills of academics. Although training courses are planned to ensure that staff provide excellent customer service, critics believe that the student-to-staff ratios should be reduced in universities for enabling better care of students, rather than modifying the role of academics.

An employment tribunal in Liverpool, England, has ruled that journalism lecturer Des Smith was forced to resign by Liverpool John Moores University when it failed to deal with a breakdown in staff relations in its journalism department. The tribunal decided that Smith was unfairly constructively dismissed when he resigned from his position in June 2001, because John Moores had reneged on its duty to handle problems in the department and had attempted to 'foist the burden of responsibility' on to staff. However, in its December 2002 judgment the tribunal noted that Smith had contributed to his own dismissal with his unreasonable conduct, abusive language and intemperate and inappropriate emails.

Evidence has emerged that teaching-only staff in the UK suffer a greater amount of work-related stress than colleagues who do research, with a poll by the Association of University Teachers revealing that 40% of teaching-only staff stated that their quality of life was impaired to an 'unacceptable' level by their work, compared to 38% of staff engaged in both research and teaching and only 25% of research-only staff. The survey, which was conducted by ERS market research, also revealed that 85.9% of all staff believe that the link between research and teaching should be retained, raising serious questions about the UK government's strategy of diversifying higher education, which will effectively force universities to choose between teaching and research.

The search for a new chief executive of the Association of Colleges has been blighted by allegations of a potential conflict of interest. Imogen Wilde, a senior civil servant at the Department of Education and Skills who is currently on secondment at Norman Broadbent, an executive recruitment company, is handling the search for potential candidates for the UKPd120,000/yr role, and the Council for Academic Freedom and Academic Standards has complained that Wilde's position compromises the selection process and brings up wider concerns about civil servants using their knowledge in order to help commercial organisations. Concern has also been expressed by college principals.

Governors at Plymouth University have given their unanimous approval to restructuring plans that include the scrapping of teaching at Seale-Hayne Agricultural College. Students in Exmouth and Exeter will be relocated to Plymouth, all England, increasing provision there by around 2,500 students. The plans for Seale-Hayne, which caters for 200 staff and 1,050 students, have attracted vociferous opposition. Roland Levinsky, vice-chancellor of the university, insists that the changes are being made on academic, rather than financial, grounds.

Mike Fitzgerald's appointment as vice-chancellor of Thames Valley University (TVU) in 1991 was seen as popular and dynamic yet staff were said to be overjoyed when he announced his resignation on Nov. 12, 1998. Fitzgerald's resignation followed a damning report by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), called in by TVU governors at the end of 1997 in response to press reports of dumbing down. The QAA inspectors' report criticised the breakdown of relations between management and staff and questioned the ability of many of TVU's students to benefit from higher education.

Universities may be forced to offer a '0 per cent' salary to staff for 2009 due to high pay costs. This was discussed at a meeting of vice-chancellors umbrella group that permitted postponing pay increases awarded in 2008 for up to 11 months.

An analysis by managers at Birmingham University on the university's 'strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats' (SWOT) has identified their academics as the top threat. A general decline in the status of academics is identified as udniversities become business-oriented.