Excruciating at so many levels... 'Peterson said there were three predictors of “politically correct authoritarianism”, of which the first was “being female”, at which point Goodwin interjected and added: “I was going to say that.”' www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Excited for the publication of this code. Yes, the funding model is broken, but fixing that alone won't solve #UKHE: there's a lot *within* the sector that's fed the crisis. We need to improve governance and accountability, and this code is a key step to achieve that. Grateful for all the work.

Really important work here from MIE’s @profstevenjones.bsky.social, calling for stronger accountability and greater transparency in university governance.

UK university boards hampered by power imbalances and over-familiarity with senior managers, warns @hepi-news.bsky.social report by @profstevenjones.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/boards-... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

Excellent launch event for the CDBU Code of Ethical University Governance. Very important principles set out - starting with constructive criticism. There’s been a reminder today from OfS that providers need to meet the public interest governance principles.

Excited to see the final version of the @cdbu.bsky.social Code of Ethical University Governance in the public domain, and looking forward to the launch event in Parliament later today. cdbu.org.uk/cdbu-code-20... #UKHE #governance

We are pleased to announce that the CDBU Code of Ethical University Governance will be officially launched by @profstevenjones.bsky.social on 4 December, at the House of Commons. Prof Jones will be joined by an excellent panel of speakers. There are limited spaces, so RSVP as soon as possible.

Looking forward to this #UKHE event on December 4th.

I have a chapter in this new collection (on Exit Cultures in the Market Era of Higher Education), and I'll be speaking about it at today's launch event. us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

me, @profstevenjones.bsky.social and others on the dangers of the Skills White Paper proposals for measuring and assuring the quality of education offered by HE institutions: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/risk-st...

Reforming external examining and introducing progression measure risk standardising university curricula and treating them like schools, warn @paulashwin.bsky.social @davehitchcock.bsky.social @profstevenjones.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/risk-st... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

Just in case the unhidden debt isn't enough... www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Office for Students does such a good job regulating HE, it's given FE too. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Really enjoyed welcoming new MA Education Leadership in Practice recruits to @manchester.ac.uk. #UKHE #HigherEd

Details of a talk I'm giving on #UKHE tomorrow, just in case you're in or around Manchester. All welcome.

Worrying new @timeshighered.bsky.social piece about some of the strategies being used by universities to lure students this year, which include the chance to win free accommodation. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/scene-s...

It is remarkable that none of the ten universities benefiting from from the government’s £54 million #UKHE Global Talent Fund are based in the North of England. Poorly conceived funding stream, irresponsibly distributed? www.n8research.org.uk/n8-responds-...

Last chance to feedback on the draft Code of Ethical University Governance, which I drafted for the @cdbu.bsky.social earlier this year (survey closes 31 July). There's a link to the draft Code on the survey's landing page. Please share! www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...

MIE’s Professor of Higher Education @profstevenjones.bsky.social addressing @manchester.ac.uk’s annual Teaching and Learning Conference - great keynote questioning what excellence looks like in teaching in HE. Thanks too to the brilliant student panel!

I'm not sure that public universities taking out "precautionary injunctions against Persons Unknown not yet on its land" is the win that this piece implies. #UKHE www.shma.co.uk/our-thoughts...

Amazing venue (Niamos, in Hulme, Manchester) for this week’s ICMS conference. Looking forward to speaking about university governance as part of the opening #ukhe panel.

Remarkable claim: most of the stress endured by academic staff following a major cuts programme is personal, not work-related. nation.cymru/news/most-st... #UKHE, #AcademicSky

Professor Steve Jones makes the case for a new ethical code to empower university governors to stand up for students, staff and the public value of HE. Draft Code: cdbu.org.uk/cdbu-code-of... Consultation: www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_... @profstevenjones.bsky.social #MIE

We are very pleased to publish our Code of Ethical University Governance today, written on behalf of CDBU by Professor Steve Jones. cdbu.org.uk/cdbu-code-of...

NEW on Wonkhe: Steven Jones makes the case for a new ethical code to empower university governors to stand up for students, staff and the public value of higher education buff.ly/hR1dEeI

University governing bodies should keep an eye on the collective needs of all institutions instead of just prioritising individual success if they want to improve the financial health of the sector, says @cdbu.bsky.social #AcademicSky #EduSky

Please take a look at the just-published Code of Ethical University Governance. The code is intended to help current and future governors undertake their role in more informed ways, bringing robust & fair 'challenge' to institutional managers when needed. cdbu.org.uk/cdbu-code-of... #HigherEd #UKHE

Measured and informed analysis by GR Evans for @srhe.bsky.social, setting out what's happening at Harvard and offering some reassurance that it's less likely to happen in #UKHE. srheblog.com/2025/05/27/t...

Looking forward to speaking at this critical #ukhe event this afternoon. Thanks to you and your colleagues for organising, @ntaylor.bsky.social.

Excellent new piece by my @educationuom.bsky.social colleague, Zhuo Min Huang. advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

New and important piece by my @educationuom.bsky.social colleague @jlmittelmeier.bsky.social, rightly noting that research with international students too often prefers to depoliticize its subject. researchintlstudents.com/2025/04/22/w...

Lots to agree with in this piece, imo: "It has become abundantly clear that Trump 2.0 is using a moral panic about 'woke' and pro-Palestinian protests as pretexts to subjugate institutions posing threats to aspiring autocrats". www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"University isn't for everyone" is such a powerful 'common-sense' discourse. Everyone's first instinct is to agree: why force young people into an academic route that doesn't suit them? The problem is, it's always someone else's children that the speaker has in mind, never their own.

"Since students make up 40% of total “immigrant” numbers, why not remove from the statistics all except those who eventually stay?" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

New OfS survey of students about the 2023 marking and assessment boycott. Only 36% satisfied with how their uni handled the MAB (vs 54% satisfaction with tutors and lecturers). Missed opportunity to ask students if they understood/supported the action. www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications...

New co-authored blog offering practical advice to teachers ahead of next year's changes to the #UCAS personal statement. There's a link to the #UKHE academic research that underpins the arguments made. #HigherEd #AcademicSky www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/04/01/t...

"The challenges that science is facing today go much wider than any individual" is a poor excuse. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Sign up here for "The Implications of Polycrisis for Higher Education," an online event co-organized by the CHES@UCL and CHET@Bristol. Panellists are Sharon Stein, Basma Hajir and me; the discussant is Richard Hall. #HigherEd, #UKHE, #AcademicSky www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-implic...

Really looking forward to speaking at this event on May 20th. Many thanks to @claudinegrisard.bsky.social and colleagues for organising.

Excellent research paper from @educationuom.bsky.social’s @rozerinyasa.bsky.social this afternoon.

It's the lack of any critical perspective that always strikes me in these #UKHE stories. All we do is count how many 'leaders' have been through our doors. New metric unlocked! There's no curiosity about who they are, or what kind of leadership they bring. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Remarkable investigative journalism by @manchestermill.bsky.social here: "Why would a senior manager at a university – a man in charge of marketing, recruitment, admissions and HR – be asking for £56,000 in a bank account in Dubai, or transferred to his son?" manchestermill.co.uk/the-universi...

No university should introduce redundancy schemes without full disclosure about their underlying financial problems. "This scheme is one of a number of measures to help secure long-term financial sustainability" isn't enough. Scrutiny should be welcomed, not feared. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is an extremely helpful review on @hepi-news.bsky.social of a book I didn't want to read before and definitely do not need to do so now. As @profstevenjones.bsky.social sharply observes "Why is it that only ‘cancelled’ academics seem to have media agents?" www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/02/15/w...

'According to Goodwin, this ‘managerial blob’ is defined by an insistence on rainbow lanyards and flags on campus, among other things. This is not a characterisation of senior leaders that most university staff would recognise.' @profstevenjones.bsky.social www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/02/15/w...

Just published on @hepi-news.bsky.social, my review of 'Bad Education' by Matt Goodwin. www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/02/15/w...

If we're doing fake - sorry, 'automated' - interviews, can we really complain about fake applicants? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

"Nothing is off the table" - what a menacing way to end a message to staff facing possible redundancy.

Excellent #REF2029 explainer from @dkernohan.bsky.social ("I always love telling people that the majority of universities earn more from their residential and catering operations than their research"), debunking myths that REF has gone woke. wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/... #HigherEd #UKHE