Academic freedom

Experts question whether 60 universities granted special status will face budget cuts or be free from interference

Protesters say conference on Ottoman Empire had been aimed at ‘distorting the historical truth’ of the Armenian genocide

Espionage proposals trigger tit-for-tat claims by rival groups of academics

Sector leaders decry ‘censorship’, but outright ban on expressing political opinions is not mandatory for now

Lawyer for Clara Ponsati, the former Catalan education minister whose extradition is sought by Spain, says she will hand herself in

Allegations that ‘snowflake’ students are routinely restricting freedom of speech are overblown, says parliamentary inquiry

Psychologist Michal Kosinski’s work shows how digital footprints can predict a person’s sexual orientation, political views and more. Is it a danger or a warning about threats to privacy? John Morgan reports from California

Casualisation and treating academics like feckless children who can’t be trusted have also taken their toll, says Sarah Colvin

Head of Koç University says international researchers are applying to institution despite political landscape

Female students at the Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University in Yogyakarta must stop wearing full-face veils if they wish to graduate, rector warns

Former rector of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University is sentenced to four years on alleged terrorist charges

New outpost does not undermine commitment to remain in Budapest, institution insists

Women and ethnic minority learners more likely to prioritise inclusivity

Where you live and where your family comes from still determine your access to a university education, says London Metropolitan University vice-chancellor John Raftery

Accusations are a ‘cruel and empty provocation against dedicated scientist’, say sector leaders

The internet impedes human interactions, warps civilised discourse and aggravates misunderstandings, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto 

Free Speech University Rankings coordinator Tom Slater says academics are peddling myths and smears to downplay the shocking level of censorship on campus

Their emphasis on cultivating understanding makes universities natural homes for those at war with their societies, says Shahidha Bari

The evidence used to compile Spiked Online’s Free Speech Rankings is not to be trusted, says Carl Thompson

US universities’ public approval is best guaranteed by boldly defending non-partisan values such as tolerance and free speech, says Darren Linvill

New legislation will extend Israeli law to academic institutions in the West Bank

US Department of State ‘deeply concerned’ over lack of evidence against Serkan Gölge

Attending the criminal trial of a dissident scholar brings home the inhumanity of Turkey’s academic purge, says Masi Noor, and underlines the importance of showing solidarity

Brexit cheerleader criticises excessive regulation and downplays scuffle at student event

Taif University lifts consent rule for female students in wake of royal decree

Growing interest in the student mental health crisis is welcome, but it is overburdened hourly paid lecturers who are most at risk of stress in universities, says Sam Christie

Universities must do more to tackle the class privilege that is still rife in the ranks of academia, says Louise Morley

Groningen pulls out after concerns about academic freedom, costs and staffing 

New legislation would bring higher education institutions in the West Bank under Israeli law

Barring controversial speakers has a long heritage and the Office for Students should be very wary of cracking down on it, argues Evan Smith

New report highlights growing crackdown on dissident academics and increased political interference in campus affairs

Working with pen and paper and cut off from the outside world, Ali Kaya wrote three papers, re-deriving physical formulas from scratch

Stephen Toope describes public speculation about Maha Abdelrahman’s involvement in the case as ‘inaccurate, damaging and potentially dangerous’

President’s broadside against Boğaziçi University raises questions over Islamisation of institutions and international links

John Morgan travels to the University of California, Berkeley, a key battleground in the campus culture wars, to assess the mood towards US higher education and the threats that it faces

Cabinet reshuffle offers universities the chance of a relationship reset before they are likely caught in the first swell of a global wave of funding reviews

Baroness Deech tells parliamentary committee that UK universities are ‘complicit’ in censoring lawful speech while giving hate preachers access to students

Hotbed of student protest may struggle in future because of lack of interest in committee roles

Experts warn that prospective recruits may choose to study elsewhere if they do not feel welcome

Incident seen as symptomatic of increasingly anti-intellectual turn encouraged by the government

Baroness Amos criticises government anti-terror strategy Prevent in appearance before parliamentarians

Annual event run by honorary lecturer featured white supremacist speakers and was attended by Toby Young 

Jo Johnson’s support for free expression unravels when it comes to Palestine, says Jonathan Rosenhead

Sam Gyimah and Damian Hinds will remove obstacles to major review and keep universities in the media spotlight, say experts  

University rector killed himself after being arrested and barred from campus

Head of private university that closed in July 2016 is latest academic targeted in post-coup crackdown

There is growing concern that China is trying to silence its critics in the West, with academic publishers a particular target. Tao Zhang considers the consequences for scholarly freedom – and what can be done to tackle such restrictions

Wilfrid Laurier University admits it mishandled incident in which teaching assistant was accused of creating a ‘toxic’ environment 

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam looks at restrictions to academic freedom in what he describes as an age of ‘psycho-nationalism’

Scholars seek to ‘call out’ workshops they see as far too soft on empire

Researchers receiving funding from overseas may be forced to register as foreign agents

Law lecturer’s unflattering account of Senate candidate Roy Moore triggers debate

Academic experts on China say the state may now issue demands in collaborations with Western universities 

Labour MP leading parliamentary inquiry on campus expression criticises chair of England’s new regulator

It is wrong and discriminatory to assume that religion is a barrier to academic or professional excellence, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

First priority should be to repeal Grace Mugabe’s PhD, says lecturer

Former scholars at Cedarville University say staff are ‘terrified of losing their jobs’ after being told to avoid referencing ‘immoral’ artwork

Academics claim that partnership ‘undermines’ organisation and allows University of Bahrain to ‘normalise’ country’s regime

Engineer takes institution to human rights body over satirical dig at exceptions for religious clothing

If the Office for Students ever intervenes over freedom of speech, it will only be to widen it, says Michael Barber