Times Higher Education

Patrice Seuwou from the University of Northampton looks at the skills academics will need to underpin career stability in an age of AI. Read his article here: https://lnkd.in/ebQigZVK Campus champions best practice, advice and insight shared by and for the global university sector. Find it on THE’s website here: https://bit.ly/3KtE4Ki and sign up to their newsletter: https://bit.ly/3Vw2Jo3 #THECampus #timeshighereducation #highereducation #highered

We kicked off #HashtagHigherEdUK today with a defiantly up-beat opening expert panel - reminding hundreds of delegates gathered at Lancaster University that the sector is an outstanding national asset, with vast and diverse impact - despite despite facing huge challenges, not least an immediate-term funding crisis and an erosion of the sector's social license to operate. On the panel, Sebastian Gordon, director of communications at Universities UK, shared his early thinking on a major new reputation strategy for the whole sector, confronting head-on a range of strong headwinds: loss of public trust; the impact of student tuition fees on perceptions of value for money and of education as a public vs private good; culture wars; the sector’s perceived disconnection from communities and every day life; and the lack of a coherent, shared narrative in a hyper-competitive communications environment. Rachel Sandison OBE (FCIM), from University of Glasgow, fresh from a sobering trip to meet beleaguered colleagues on the US east coast, was compelling on the need to integrate individual institutional reputation building with a shared, sector-wide, vision. Demonstrating real-world impact, and being clear how that can not be achieved without international partnerships and bridge-building, is vital to that. Tania Rhodes-Taylor, of King's College London (credit for the selfie, below), said we should be wary of using the language of "crisis". If we label the major challenges facing the sector as a crisis we end up in "fight or flight mode" which can impact our judgement and the judgement of those around us, she argued, when a longer-term, holistic communications and engagement strategy is required. In terms of winning over politicians and the taxpaying public, she said, we need a new strategy "that starts from where they are, not from where we wish they were" - and that means accepting that ministers have bigger problems higher up their priority list than the higher education sector. But she was clear: the sector has been "bullied", and had lost a lot of self confidence as a result. We should never lose sight of "what an extraordinary sector we are part of, and the positive impact we have on people's lives" - and stay confident, she said. Hear! Hear! #loveHE

Indian student mobility is “in turmoil” following a unsettled period of changing immigration restrictions and future policy uncertainty, according to a leading education agent. New data shared by the Indian education minister in March shows the number of Indians studying abroad fell by 15 per cent last year, from 892,989 in 2023 to 759,064 in 2024. All four of the most popular English-speaking destinations saw a decline, with Canada experiencing the most dramatic decrease of 41 per cent (233,532 compared with 137,608), followed by the UK, where numbers fell by 27 per cent (136,921 compared with 98,890). “International student mobility is in turmoil at this point in India,” as a result of these factors, said Sonya Singh, founder and chief executive of SIEC Education Pvt. Ltd. At the same time, other destinations have benefited from increased interest. “Students choosing Western Europe over these destinations is a reality and Germany and Ireland have been huge beneficiaries,” said Singh. More from Times Higher Education below. #intled #studyabroad #internationaleducation https://lnkd.in/eagWkRR2

👉Take a look at some of the unmissable sessions happening at the THE Asia Universities Summit 2025: Agritech: Innovating food security in emerging economies, with: 🎤William Chen, Nanyang Technological University Singapore 🎤Xiulan Sun, Jiangnan University Empowering research growth in the Global South: How to keep up with research ‘superpowers’, with: 🎤Mai Har SHAM, The Chinese University of Hong Kong 🎤Praveena Nair Sivasankaran, Taylor's University Traditional medicines: Research, safety and integration into healthcare systems, with: 🎤Zhi-Hong Jiang, Macau University of Science and Technology 🎤Ding Jian, TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences 🎤So Kwok-fai, Jinan University 🎤Paul Kwong Hang Tam, Macau University of Science and Technology Join THE and Macau University of Science and Technology on 22-24 April as we explore Asia's ascent as a leading hub for innovation in science, technology, society and research. The summit will highlight the pivotal role played by prominent institutions in fostering a strong research culture across the region. 🔗You still have time to book a ticket! Find out more about our agenda and secure your place here: https://lnkd.in/eGwkJmcW #THEasia #timeshighereducation #highereducation #educationinnovation #innovationineducation #research #researchexcellence #highereducationasia #event

European universities are offering "scientific asylum" with attractive funding packages to a flow of American scholars seeking refuge from President Donald Trump's dramatic cuts to research funding and attacks on universities, it is reported. Special initiatives and packages have been launched in France, Belgium and the Netherlands to attract US academics who are hit by the new US administration's change of direction in higher education and research. In one such initiative, France’s Aix-Marseille University has set up a programme – "Safe Place for Science" – that will fund more than two dozen researchers from the US for three years. "We were quite indignant about what was happening and we felt that our colleagues in the US were going through a catastrophe … we wanted to offer some sort of scientific asylum to those whose research is being hindered," its President, Eric BERTON told The Guardian. In another case, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has announced a host of new postdoctoral positions for international academics, stating that the institution “particularly welcomes excellent researchers currently working in the US which see their line of research threatened”. Rector Jan Danckaert told Times Higher Education: “We believe that freedom of investigation is now under threat in the US. “It’s not so much about trying to attract the best US researchers to Brussels but trying to prevent fruitful lines of research from being abruptly cut off,” Danckaert said. While recruiting talent “would benefit our society”, he said, “it’s important that these lines of research can be continued without interruption, for the benefit of the scientific community as a whole and, in the end, for humanity”. But in an article for Times Higher Education, Luc Sels, president of KU Leuven, explained why his university is not joining the movement to create new opportunities for American scholars. "First, almost half of the world population lives in countries where academic freedom is much more restricted. Second, people in the Global South are the first victims of Trump’s policy. And, third, the affected American universities are often our direct partners, and we don’t want to hamper them by openly headhunting their talented staff members," he writes. What do you think? Read his piece here: https://lnkd.in/em7nChPg The Guardian's report: https://lnkd.in/eFDzg_r3 https://lnkd.in/eBdWi3SK

Join Times Higher Education Events and Gulf University at the inaugural THE Arab AI Forum in Bahrain. Bringing together university leaders, faculty, policymakers and industry experts from across the region, the forum will dive into real-world applications of AI, moving beyond theory to focus on practical solutions that drive measurable impact. 🎥Watch the video below as Professor Mohanad Alfiras, President at Gulf University invites you to join us on 14 May in Manama. 🔗Find out more and book your place now: https://lnkd.in/eGG5qvD4 #THEarabAIforum #timeshighereducation #highereducation #artificialintelligence #ai #aijourney #imeasurableimpact

👉Bringing together higher education leaders, researchers, and policymakers, the THE Asia Universities Summit 2025 is a must-attend event exploring Asia’s rise as a global hub for innovation in science, technology, and research. Join THE and Macau University of Science and Technology on 22-24 April, as we look to highlight the pivotal role played by prominent institutions in fostering a strong research culture across the region. 🎥 Watch the video below and hear from THE's Chief Global Affairs Officer Phil Baty as he invites you to join us at this year's unmissable summit in Macau. 🎟️Early bird tickets are selling fast - secure your spot before our offer ends Friday: https://lnkd.in/eiF276Ph #THEasia #timeshighereducation #highereducation #macau #highered #innovationhub #innovationineducation #educationinnovation #event

🎉With the THE Europe Universities Summit 2025 just around the corner, Times Higher Education Events is delighted to share some of the universities attending this year’s event. Hosted in partnership with Obuda University Obuda University and Semmelweis University on 6-9 May 2025, the summit will explore how universities drive innovation for global impact. Through international collaboration, research excellence, governance and digitalisation, institutions across 47 European countries are shaping the future. With increasing financial pressures and evolving policies, universities must rethink their approach to innovation and impact. 🎟️Our early bird ticket offer ends soon -secure your place now: https://lnkd.in/ejvecejj #THEeurope #timeshighereducation #highereducation #highered #internationalcollaboration #researchexcellene #digitalisation #universities #event

If humanities subjects are to stay alive and relevant, scholars must engage more strongly with the factors that give them a place in society, argues Marion Thain, director of the Edinburgh Futures Institute and professor of culture and technology at the The University of Edinburgh. "The Covid experience of varying vaccine take-ups among different populations was perhaps the clearest illustration that the new frontiers of knowledge are not solely technical ones. Sometimes they are not even primarily technical," she writes in Times Higher Education. "As we try to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges, we are constantly being thwarted by our inability to successfully dovetail new technologies, such as AI and social media, with real human and social need. Redressing that situation demands the expertise of the humanities. "Yet leaders in the field are having to spend a lot of their time defending the humanities: from misperceptions, and from strange parodies in the public discourse. The problem is that this often ends up backing us into a defence of the status quo – something that does not help us move forward in constructive ways. Our disciplines have evolved continuously over the years and the worst thing we can do is to batten down the hatches." Read Professor Thain's full article in THE, and share your thoughts... https://lnkd.in/eVbeGDx2

📄AGENDA ANNOUNCEMENT📄 Times Higher Education Events is delighted to share a first look at the agenda for the THE Latin America Universities Summit 2025, in partnership with Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. This year's summit will pave the way for institutional excellence through discussions on a sustainable and secure digital revolution, the journey towards COP 30 and strategies for driving regional economic growth. Our exciting agenda will centre around the following themes: 🟣Leading a sustainable and secure digital revolution 🟣Charting the road to COP 30: Higher education for a sustainable future 🟣Fostering innovation ecosystems to drive regional economic growth Get a preview of the agenda below and stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks! 🔗Find out more about the summit and book your super early bird tickets here: https://lnkd.in/er67YYrr #THElatam #timeshighereducation #highereducation #highered #economicgrowth #sustainablefuture #digitalrevolution #institutionalexcellence #event Gilda Alcívar García, Silvia Caro, Ignacio de la Vega, Oscar Leon, Denise Carvalho, Isabela Pordeus