21 Group

Students should get compensation if universities are not able to deliver teaching Financial accountability should follow failure to deliver It's only way to get senior leadership to listen to students ... and staff www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Cambridge academics still enjoy something like tenure: statutory protection against redundancy that most UK academics lack This is now under threat. This distinctive job security could go next Another tornado is heading for storm-tossed Cambridge 21percent.org?p=4743

This looks like abuse of public funds A Vice-Chancellor earning over £500,000 claims expenses for his wife’s travel, including a “philanthropic engagement” in New York and a “spouse programme” in Switzerland How is this acceptable? Is it not fraud? www.thetimes.com/uk/education...

Cambridge academics still enjoy something like tenure: statutory protection against redundancy that most UK academics lack This is now under threat. This distinctive job security could go next Another tornado is heading for storm-tossed Cambridge 21percent.org?p=4743

Superb article by Aljazeera on bullying & harassment in Universities Priority isn’t justice It’s protecting the institution, its reputation & its money When the system destroys victims & shields power, it isn’t broken It’s working as designed aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

A junior academic at Cambridge disclosed a past suicide attempt The response? No follow-up. No investigation Meanwhile, the University continues to fund legal costs defending the Professor who bullied the academic Cambridge talks of change. Where is it? No surprises 21percent.org?p=4729

How to destroy your departmental rival in 3 easy steps: 1. Make serious allegations. Evidence optional 2 Let rumour do the work while your rival’s reputation burns 3 Count on HR to swallow the story if you’re an institutional favourite A major problem at many universities now

Superb article by Aljazeera on bullying & harassment in Universities Priority isn’t justice It’s protecting the institution, its reputation & its money When the system destroys victims & shields power, it isn’t broken It’s working as designed aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

How to destroy your departmental rival in 3 easy steps: 1. Make serious allegations. Evidence optional 2 Let rumour do the work while your rival’s reputation burns 3 Count on HR to swallow the story if you’re an institutional favourite A major problem at many universities now

A junior academic at Cambridge disclosed a past suicide attempt The response? No follow-up. No investigation Meanwhile, the University continues to fund legal costs defending the Professor who bullied the academic Cambridge talks of change. Where is it? No surprises 21percent.org?p=4729

Superb article by Aljazeera on bullying & harassment in Universities Priority isn’t justice It’s protecting the institution, its reputation & its money When the system exhausts victims & shields power, it isn’t broken It’s working as designed aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

735 staff applying for voluntary redundancy at Ulster University Nearly a quarter of the workforce wants out! You can blame the funding model, but when the exodus is this huge University leadership cannot dodge the question: how did it get this bad? www.timeshighereducation.com/news/nearly-...

"Harvard spent ~$210m on legal expenses in 2026, 10 times what it spent just a few years ago" UK university legal bills are soaring too, but costs remain shrouded in secrecy Staff & students pay the price Senior managers & lawyers feast on public funds www.facultyleaks.com/p/university...

Universities in Northern Ireland, Wales & Scotland are under grim financial pressure Jobs & courses at risk Why, then, does the Oxford–Cambridge corridor command such priority? Two-tier university system is no national strategy www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Universities in Northern Ireland, Wales & Scotland are under grim financial pressure Jobs & courses at risk Why, then, does the Oxford–Cambridge corridor command such priority? Two-tier university system is no national strategy www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

False allegations are now routine in academia A Cambridge University professor made 18 allegations against 3 colleagues. No evidence ever provided All 3 endured years of incompetent HR investigations The accuser? No consequences Accountability? None

False allegations are now routine in academia A Cambridge University professor made 18 allegations against 3 colleagues. No evidence ever provided All 3 endured years of incompetent HR investigations The accuser? No consequences Accountability? None

University administrators + property: the deadly combo They budget for the build, but forgot the upkeep After spending 800k, Ulster University decide running costs are unaffordable Turns out buildings don’t maintain themselves 🤦 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

After losing employment tribunal brought by a professor, Cambridge University commissioned a review Now review panel faces criticism over its composition, raising concerns about credibility Little confidence that awkward findings will be addressed www.varsity.co.uk/news/32259

"Harvard spent ~$210m on legal expenses in 2026, 10 times what it spent just a few years ago" UK university legal bills are soaring too, but costs remain shrouded in secrecy Staff & students pay the price Senior managers & lawyers feast on public funds www.facultyleaks.com/p/university...

After losing employment tribunal brought by a professor, Cambridge University commissioned a review Now review panel faces criticism over its composition, raising concerns about credibility Little confidence that awkward findings will be addressed www.varsity.co.uk/news/32259

University administrators + property: the deadly combo They budget for the build, but forgot the upkeep After spending 800k, Ulster University decide running costs are unaffordable Turns out buildings don’t maintain themselves 🤦 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

At Cambridge, whistleblowing carries a heavy price But those who retaliate against whistleblowers face no consequences Allegations of misleading evidence in court or lack of candour have also not, so far, resulted in any apparent accountability 21percent.org?p=4644

Prof David Sabatini has scored major legal victory Jury upheld defamation claims against Kristin Knouse & awarded damages This doesn’t settle all questions about his conduct at MIT ... but raises concerns about how universities investigate such cases www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/u...

At Cambridge, whistleblowing carries a heavy price But those who retaliate against whistleblowers face no consequences Allegations of misleading evidence in court or lack of candour have also not, so far, resulted in any apparent accountability 21percent.org?p=4644

I wonder whether university administrators retain the ability to distinguish between lies and truth... It seems to me their overriding directive is to say only what is convenient at any given moment, leading sometimes to contradictory statements within the same conversation.

Research-integrity campaigner and microbiologist @elisabethbik.bsky.social has suggested that universities commission independent investigations from a pool of experienced, semi-retired academics who would be paid for the work —Wyn Evans @21group.bsky.social @nature.com lnkd.in/p/e9acntuu

Cornell University faculty debate vote of no confidence in their President “Rape is treated as a PR problem rather than a heinous crime” University leaders who treat the law as optional must be held to account Where Cornell leads, who will follow? spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-...

All trade unions on strike at Glasgow Caledonian University Lecture rooms closed, campus shut It’s time for students to demand compensation for disrupted courses Make senior management listen where it hurts them most -- finances😉 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Cambridge University's administrative machine continues to grow From 2009 to 2026, its central administration (UAS) increased by 89%, compared with 43% across the university as a whole In the latest four years, the gap was wider still 21percent.org?p=4516

Notice something wrong at your university? Perhaps you witness bullying of a colleague, data fabrication or a randy professor having an affair with an undergraduate student? You do what you're supposed to do You report it, right. Right? nature.com/articles/d41...

Notice something wrong at your university? Perhaps you witness bullying of a colleague, data fabrication or a randy professor having an affair with an undergraduate student? You do what you're supposed to do You report it, right. Right? nature.com/articles/d41...

Cambridge University's administrative machine continues to grow From 2009 to 2026, its central administration (UAS) increased by 89%, compared with 43% across the university as a whole In the latest four years, the gap was wider still 21percent.org?p=4516

The ‘Duty of Candour’ Bill must cover universities Internal reviews, grievances, inquests and external investigations are all undermined by a lack of candour A university Vice-Chancellor was recently found to have lied at an Employment Tribunal ! www.thelearnnetwork.org.uk/post/hillsbo...

"I think it was the seventh or eighth suicide this year for this university which is extraordinary ... it's shocking" "It seems a bit callous... a bit unfeeling" Rest in peace, Harry Shields @forthe100.bsky.social www.lancs.live/news/lancash...

"I think it was the seventh or eighth suicide this year for this university which is extraordinary ... it's shocking" "It seems a bit callous... a bit unfeeling" Rest in peace, Harry Shields @forthe100.bsky.social www.lancs.live/news/lancash...

The ‘Duty of Candour’ Bill must cover universities Internal reviews, grievances, inquests and external investigations are all undermined by a lack of candour A university Vice-Chancellor was recently found to have lied at an Employment Tribunal ! www.thelearnnetwork.org.uk/post/hillsbo...

It's the British disease Senior leadership means never having to face the consequences Not just in devastated universities like Nottingham It's everywhere in the UK, the Post Office, NHS, Civil Service Those responsible are never held accountable www.timeshighereducation.com/news/notting...

Cardiff University under Wendy Larner Research time cut from 600 to 315 hours per academic annually Wales already receives a disproportionately small share of UK research funding Larner is making it worse nation.cymru/news/researc...

It's the British disease Senior leadership means never having to face the consequences Not just in devastated universities like Nottingham It's everywhere in the UK, the Post Office, NHS, Civil Service Those responsible are never held accountable www.timeshighereducation.com/news/notting...

Problems intensify for Cambridge University Alongside Arday reviews, there is a review into Human Resources, prompted by loss of 'Cambridge Whistleblowing' Tribunal Panel is full of University insiders -- former VC, ex-heads of UCAS & UCEA, an HR executive No staff or union representative

What has happened to Nottingham University is a huge scandal Those responsible have moved onwards & upwards There's no accountability for senior management in UK Higher Education Mistakes are rewarded, cost is borne by the victims through job losses

Edinburgh University Vice Chancellor to step down Edinburgh will use recruitment agency to search for new VC Agency approaches & puts forward the same kinds of candidates again & again New VC will be the same as the old VC, other than the name No change www.edinburghminute.com/breaking-new...

An entitled & over-paid senior management team destroyed a University with property mismanagement Modern Languages, Music and American & Canadian Studies are closed down at Nottingham Very sad for all the staff losing their jobs www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Problems intensify for Cambridge University Alongside Arday reviews, there is a review into Human Resources, prompted by loss of 'Cambridge Whistleblowing' Tribunal Panel is full of University insiders -- former VC, ex-heads of UCAS & UCEA, an HR executive No staff or union representative

Edinburgh University Vice Chancellor to step down Edinburgh will use recruitment agency to search for new VC Agency approaches & puts forward the same kinds of candidates again & again New VC will be the same as the old VC, other than the name No change www.edinburghminute.com/breaking-new...

An entitled & over-paid senior management team destroyed a University with property mismanagement Modern Languages, Music and American & Canadian Studies are closed down at Nottingham Very sad for all the staff losing their jobs www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

£12m cut from university creative & performing arts courses Arts & education leaders are now calling on Education Secretary Lucy Powell to reverse it You can't back the creative industries while cutting the courses that train their future workforce www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/hundred...

Cornell announces "independent" review The University review playbook is 1 Appoint trusty apparatchiks 2 Set restricted Terms of Reference 3 Examine "processes” while avoiding accountability 4 Publish selected extracts, burying awkward findings nbcnews.com/news/us-news...