Chris Havergal

Chris Havergal

@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Editor, @timeshighered.bsky.social

781 followers443 following1.4K posts

Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

France has pledged to scrap its university admissions platform, create additional higher education places and invest €1 billion in campuses in a bid to quell weeks of protests that have turned violent www.timeshighereducation.com/news/france-... via @seher-education.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comFrance to replace admissions platform after weeks of protestsStudent union says plans to replace admissions platform and create 15,000 additional places at universities amount to ‘crumbs’ and vows to fight on
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Scientist Brian Cox and Steve Rotheram, a close ally of Andy Burnham, have backed calls for the chancellor to reverse swingeing funding cuts to UK physics and astronomy facilities www.timeshighereducation.com/news/burnham... via @francesjones.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comBurnham ally urges chancellor to reverse physics cutsLiverpool mayor Steve Rotheram and physicist Brian Cox among those expressing ‘deep concern’ over threats to UK science ahead of Budget
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

“High-stakes” TEF threatens to fragment England’s higher education sector without delivering promised improvements in teaching quality, experts including @profstevenjones.bsky.social warn www.timeshighereducation.com/news/toughen... via @georgialouluck.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.com‘Toughened up’ TEF will ‘further fragment divided sector’Shift from quality enhancement to compliance needed to tackle issues with franchising, say supporters, but others doubt new regime will lead to material changes for students
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

John Healey may increase research spending in his first Budget with any additional money tightly focused on defence, devolution and growth, experts predict, but appeals to help universities in distress will be firmly ignored www.timeshighereducation.com/news/healey-... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comHealey predicted to support ‘pro-growth research’ in first BudgetPolicy experts say sector can expect extra money for R&D aligned to defence, regions and economy but rest of university funding will receive little attention
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Public engagement projects being cut by universities across the country amid financial challenges will “take years to rebuild”, warns National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement www.timeshighereducation.com/news/future-... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comFuture of public engagement at risk amid financial challengesProjects engaging with wider community ‘among the first to be cut’ despite growing recognition of importance of such work, report says
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Academic leaders risk chilling free speech on campus by signing open letters in support of political causes because this could be mistaken as representing an institution’s official position, says free speech tsar Arif Ahmed www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ahmed-w... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comAhmed warns v-cs over open support for political causesFree speech tsar says senior leaders taking a stance on certain issues could be seen as position of institution as a whole
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

UK faces difficult choices and will have to make “trade-offs” to sustain its dual support research system, says @britishacademy.bsky.social as it launches new review of HE and research sector www.timeshighereducation.com/news/sustain... via @twilliamsthe.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comSustaining UK’s dual-support research system ‘requires trade-offs’Sector must ask itself fundamental questions about cross-subsidy and funding concentration as it adjusts to new financial realities, argues British Academy
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Less than a third of lower-tariff universities in England now offer languages degrees, says @drbeckymt.bsky.social, raising concerns that growing provision “cold spots” are likely to impact the most disadvantaged www.timeshighereducation.com/news/languag... via @georgialouluck.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comLanguage courses missing from most lower-tariff universitiesDisappearing provision a ‘social justice issue’, says researcher after finding easier-to-access courses hit hard by cuts
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

UK govt urged to make £50m available to fund creation of up to 10 new engineering-focused institutions in “university desert” towns as a way of addressing skills gaps and ending NEET crisis www.timeshighereducation.com/news/open-en... via @twilliamsthe.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comOpen engineering specialists in university ‘deserts’ – thinktankEngland can better address skills needs and NEET crisis by funding start-up institutions in left-behind places, argues Policy Exchange
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Almost 90 per cent of early career researchers in physics disciplines are “seriously considering” alternative roles outside the UK after a series of funding cuts at the Science and Technology Facilities Council www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-phys... via @francesjones.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comUK physics postdocs ‘planning for alternative employment’Just 11 per cent of early career physicists preparing for a UK research career after a series of STFC funding cuts, new survey finds
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Student interest in internships and work placements rose steeply last year – but employers have cut back on hiring for these sorts of roles, Institute of Student Employers survey finds www.timeshighereducation.com/news/employe... via @georgialouluck.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comEmployers cut student work experience roles as demand risesMajor survey finds reduction in internships and placements, casting doubt on vice-chancellors’ pledge to offer opportunities for all undergraduates
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Andy Burnham urged to “put his money where his mouth is” and provide more funding for his devolved research agenda, rather than putting further pressure on already stretched UKRI budgets www.timeshighereducation.com/news/burnham... via @francesjones.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comBurnham’s ‘innovation nation’ plans heaps pressure on UKRI budgetExperts urge basic research funding to be protected as agency tasked with finding £1 billion to pay for regional clusters
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Newcastle and Westminster are latest UK universities to end Turnitin contracts, following Southampton - others say they are reviewing their use of the tool www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-un... via @georgialouluck.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comMore universities end Turnitin contracts as concerns mountNewcastle and Westminster join Southampton in decision not to renew deal with plagiarism checker amid questions over how once-ubiquitous service is adapting to AI age
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

University of Nottingham confirms it will close its music and languages departments as it presses ahead with more than 500 job cuts despite widespread opposition from staff and students www.timeshighereducation.com/news/notting... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comNottingham confirms course closures with hundreds of jobs affectedLanguages and music departments to close despite strikes and protests but university insists it has addressed staff concerns in revised plans
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Leading Chinese physicists condemn UK Research and Innovation’s “irresponsible” decision to withdraw funding from an upgrade to an experiment at Cern www.timeshighereducation.com/news/chinese... via @francesjones.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comChinese scientists criticise ‘troubling’ UKRI funding withdrawalUnusual public rebuke from China comes amid questions about whether the country may take over the UK’s leadership role, relinquished earlier this year
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Research funding network that used artificial intelligence to reject half of the grant proposals to its latest funding call has committed to redoing the review process www.timeshighereducation.com/news/grant-p... via @francesjones.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comGrant proposals rejected by ‘AI triage’ to be reassessedCRANE says it will look again at all applications from recent cybersecurity research funding call after backlash against non-human review
Chris Havergal
@chrishavergal.bsky.social

Several universities in France have closed their campuses after university students joined a nationwide youth protest and blocked access to institutions across the country www.timeshighereducation.com/news/several... via @seher-education.bsky.social

timeshighereducation.comSeveral French campuses close amid expanding student protestsUniversity students have joined a massive revolt against the education system in the country, mounting blockades at dozens of institutions