Campus by Times Higher Education

THE podcast: Can central Europe catch up with the rest of the West?

Often overshadowed by other higher education behemouths in Europe like Germany, the Netherlands and France, central European universities still have high ambitions to be hubs for research that attract global talent. But competing with well-established systems nearby isn't the only challenge they face. Rising populism, brain drain and compartively low investment in innovation are often barriers to progress. 

 

Sara Custer speaks with THE's Europe reporter David Matthews as well as Jan Palmowski, secretary general of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the region. Tim Sowula head of content and engagement for THE's World Summit Series also sits in to talk about the upcoming Research Excellence Summit in the Czech Republic. 

THE podcast: China's global influence

Is academic freedom under threat in China? Should academics in China be considered foreign agents? How globally competitive is China, really? These are the questions we discuss in this podcast that focuses on China's efforts to bring its univeristy system up to world class standards and the current concern in the US, Australia and the UK that the Chinese regime is using academics to exert its ideology.

 

Sara Custer is joined by THE reporter Ellie Bothwell and Nian Cai Liu, professor at Shanghai Jiaotong Univeristy and founder of the Academic Ranking of World Universities. 

THE podcast: Gender pay gap

The deadline for companies in the UK with 250 emoloyees or more to report on the salaries paid to male and female staff was 4 April. Sara Custer is joined by reporter Rachael Pells who has been covering the topic of the gender wage gap for THE to discuss the data UK universities have reported. 

THE Podcast: The US budget and funding for higher education

President Trump signed a long-awaited spending bill promising $1.3 trillion to fund the federal government for the next year. Included in the bill were some pleasant surprises for higher education and research but is it too soon to ring the vicotry bell? Sara Custer speaks with THE's acting deputy news editor Ellie Bothwell and John Aubrey Douglass a senior reseach fellow for public policy and higher education at UC Berkeley about what the funding means for students and research agencies. 

THE Podcast: MENA Universities Summit 2018 review

In this podcast, Tim Sowula, head of content and engagement for the World Summit Series, chats with Phil Baty, editorial director for global rankings and Ellie Bothwell, rankings editor, about the highlights of the summit as they wait for their plane home from Jeddah.

The Times Higher Education MENA Universities Summit was held in Saudi Arabia at host instituion King Abdulaziz University 19-21 March. University leaders and stakeholders from around the world gathererd to discuss how to develop knowledge economies in order to build sustainable futures for countries in the region. THE's annual list of the best Arab universities in the world was also revealed during the event.  

 

 

THE podcast: Student Experience Survey 2018

We reveal the results of the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018 and speak with the vice-chancellor of this year's winning university. We also speak with a student about her studies at a London-based instituion and discuss what trends we've observed in three year averages of almost a decade of Student Experience Survey data.

 

Sara Custer is joined by data editor Simon Baker and student editor Seeta Bhardwa.  

THE podcast: academic sisterhood, most international universities and free tuition challenges for South Africa

In this issue review for 15-21 March 2018, the THE editorial team discusses a new study that predicts a massive increase in demand for higher education in England by 2030, and the funding headache this will create for the UK’s government, as well as the results of a survey on whether an academic sisterhood exists – or should exist – and whether it could redress male advantage. We also talk about how analysis of data underlying the latest ranking of most international universities shows how countries and institutions in Asia, Europe and North America are quite different in terms of the most open disciplines. 

And we hear about the challenges that South Africa’s new free tuition policy holds for the sector, according to the country’s former president Thabo Mbeki, now chancellor of the University of South Africa.

News editor Chris Havergal is joined by features editor Paul Jump, data editor Simon Baker and deputy news editor Ellie Bothwell. 

THE podcast: University Mental Health Day

To mark University Mental Health Day which is recognised across the UK on 1 March, student editor Seeta Bhardwa and reporter Sophie Inge join Sara Custer to talk about the state of mental health among students and academics and what's being done to meet the rising demand for pastoral care for both. 

Sara also speaks with Nicola Byrom, a lecturer in psychology at Kings College London, about the challenges in measuring mental wellness among university students and staff. 

THE podcast: Annual vice-chancellors' salary survey and grand challenges at US universities

In this issue reveiw for 22-28 February, the THE editorial team discusses the results from our latest vice-chancellors' pay survey and asks are governing boards doing enough to police remuneration? We also talk about US universities that are playing the long game with national or global research ambitions set out over decades or even a century. And we hear about the unlikely addiiton to campus facilities at a university in England. 

Sara Custer is joined by features editor Paul Jump and reporters Rachael Pells and Matthew Reisz. 

THE podcast: Higher education funding review special

Another higher education review in the UK was announced on 19 February and billed by the government as a look into ways to bridge the class divide in post-18 education. But it's been received more as a political move to address unpopular tuition fees than an effort to expand education opportunities to students with poorer backgrounds. 

Sara Custer is joined by THE journalists Chris Havergal, Simon Baker and Jack Grove to discuss what the review will actually look at, potential outcomes and to fact check some of the statements that have been made by politicians in the days surrounding the announcement.