Universities are a step ahead in having adopted a number of practical changes, but it’s clear transformative cultural change in our institutions requires all the expertise they can muster.
Financial barriers that discourage some people from participating in higher education would be reduced if the net costs of virtual education decreased.
(Shutterstock)
Not everyone needs to be on campus to learn. Governments, which subsidize higher education, need to change their funding models to support affordable remote learning.
While the pandemic has caused massive upheavals, it has also forced universities to use technology to bring in much-needed change and innovations.
Shutterstock
Necessity truly can be the mother of invention. A new university president explains how the pandemic forced massive changes at his institution — and why smart use of technology was invaluable.
Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe
Courtesy The Nigerian Academy of Science
Food insecurity affected many students even before the pandemic hit, with international students the worst hit. But students and universities have shown a lot can be done to end the problem.
The issues dominating public debates about academic freedom are not where the greatest threats lie.
Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, left, speaks with Michael Bloomberg, who has given the school more than $3.3 billion.
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
On International Women’s Day, universities should resolve to lead the way in reshaping workplace rituals, rules and routines to advance gender equality and ensure safe workplaces.
International Women’s Day is a time to take stock of what has been achieved and what remains to be done. 2020 was a massive missed opportunity to improve gender equity among university leaders.
A study of 39 Australian universities has found 20 don’t have an anti-bullying policy relating to students. Bullying is a problem at universities, but their actions lag behind schools and workplaces.
Massey University Vice-Chancellor Jan Thomas (centre) attends her pōwhiri (welcome) in 2017.
A veterinary scientist by training, Massey University Vice-Chancellor Jan Thomas has turned to the humanities to learn more about Māori. Here she explains why.
A cross-Canada survey of university faculty found 68 per cent of females, compared with 32 per cent of males, reported family caregiver challenges in the pandemic.
(Shutterstock)
The pandemic has negatively affected female and racialized faculty. Universities need to make sure their career advancement doesn’t suffer.
Students at Georgetown University protest in 2019, demanding the school make amends for its history with reparations.
Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Universities are a prime target for cyber attacks and the weakest links in their defences are all the non-expert users of their systems. Teaching everyone basic cyber hygiene is vital.
More than 90% of universities in the world have been built since 1949. The vast majority built large campuses outside city centres, and all for much the same reasons.
A teacher in Ethiopia wears a face mask and stands behind a blue thread-line denoting a boundary between him and the students.
Photo by AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Images
Private higher education institutions in Ethiopia draw all their income from student tuition. This exposed the vulnerability of the sector when the crisis hit and students stopped paying their fees.
Medical students’ backgrounds often reflect the diversity of local communities, which can allow them more access and trust for vaccination efforts.
Bryan Goodchild/UMass Medical School
One university is showing how the vaccine corps concept can speed up vaccination rates, including launching a large-scale vaccination site staffed by hundreds of students and volunteers.
Doctoral programs often prepare graduates to become professors, but those jobs are scarce today.
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images