Political absurdities The US Constitution is flawed but many Americans don’t see it, says Alan Ryan 3 January
V-cs, get set to do the maths (and prepare the begging bowl) As UCL’s new provost is announced, Steven Schwartz considers the challenges facing the sector’s leaders over the next 12 months 20 December
Nor the battle to the dumb Felipe Fernández-Armesto on Notre Dame’s healthy minds in healthy bodies 20 December
Leader: Few tidings of comfort and joy The bells may be ringing out for Christmas Day, but for the sector they signal alarm after a year of unprecedented upheaval By John Gill 20 December
A house divided can't stand Fawzi Ibrahim implores the UCU to work collectively to save itself from political turmoil and financial meltdown 20 December
Unhappily ever after Nick Petford tells a festive tale of the ivory-tower dwellers convinced that the sky is falling in on their world 20 December
Leader: Can't cry wolf over all the howling Paul Ramsden's attack on the critics of academic reform is entertaining but unfair: there are plenty of causes for concern By Phil Baty 13 December
London's falling Geoffrey Alderman mourns the decline and seemingly inevitable disintegration of a once great democratic body 13 December
Be here now, or else: lamentable effects of student 'presenteeism' Forcing undergraduates to attend class retards their capacity to develop as mature, independent learners, warns Bruce Macfarlane 13 December
Hang the expenses In this age of austerity, delaying reimbursements owed to external examiners is inexcusable, opines Iain Stevenson 13 December
All we want for Christmas Malcolm Gillies awaits a sleigh and nine tiny (UKBA-compliant) reindeer 13 December
Enter the disruptive dragon Moocs promise to strike at the heart of traditional higher education delivery, but it needn’t mean the chop for universities By John Gill 6 December
Credential crisis Universities’ monopoly on certifying expertise is at risk, warns Tamson Pietsch By Tamson Pietsch 6 December
Consumer self-interest An Oxford survey into attitudes to marketisation offers food for thought on our intellectual future, says Teresa Morgan 6 December
Cycle of domination of top roles by men must be broken More women attend university now, but there are still too few in senior posts. It's time to tackle the barriers, says Louise Morley 6 December
Let morals exact change Statutory regulation is not the answer, says Tim Luckhurst of the Leveson report. The press must be free and control itself 6 December
Join us in the big tent The CDBU is a broad church that aims to represent all who care for higher education, Mary Margaret McCabe writes 29 November
No argument, Vince - just coalition cant and puerile propaganda Fred Inglis responds to the secretary of state for business' defence of the 'swift and absolute destruction of the idea of a university' 29 November
Loud and clear Researchers didn't hold back when EPSRC head Paul Golby asked for feedback on the council's workings. Things will improve, he vows 29 November
Opportunity blocks Racial equality is sliding down the government’s agenda, says Sally Feldman 29 November
White knight defence The CDBU’s set-up is too narrow, too limiting: to fulfil its aims it must reach out and diversify, argues Alice Bell 22 November
Red top reckoning: end press licence to bully and lie with impunity Politicians, pay heed: if you bottle the post-Leveson chance to reform the nationals, heaven help British public life, warns Steven Barnett 22 November
Leader: Goldilocks had the right idea Rather than assuming bigger is better, we must trial research laboratory effectiveness before concluding which size is just right By John Gill 22 November
Firm footing Technicians, the academy’s ‘Cinderellas’, play vital roles and deserve proper recognition and support, argue Kelly Vere and Roger Murphy 22 November
Money and old tropes The academy is paying too much, not too little, heed to calls for adaptability to the market, says Hannah Forsyth 15 November
The new motto for the marketplace: all for one and none for all Mission groups are bearing the brunt of institutions' growing need for a strong individual identity, find Julian Beer and Wendy Purcell 15 November
Bruising but beneficial The coalition's controversial higher education reforms are delivering a more progressive and sustainable system, argues Vince Cable 15 November
Leader: The self-censor may not hold New-found restraint over research council applications should be praised but will it survive further funding cuts? By John Gill 15 November
Inconvenient truths Alan Ryan asks: how many Sandys will it take for us to change our ways? 15 November
Not on their lives Obamacare is undemocratic; we will resist, vows Felipe Fernández-Armesto 8 November
Forced marriage A state-imposed merger of three Welsh institutions threatens self-government in the sector, Barbara Wilding warns 8 November
Strategy for American humanities: blow them up and start again A declining, out-of-touch discipline and its vocational counterpart must merge to offer a thriving third way, argues Toby Miller 8 November
It's all in the balance The growing middle classes will place huge demands on resources; universities have a pivotal role to play in the solution, says David King 8 November
Suitable address Casual wear is not inimical to seriousness, Sue Norton says, but formal titles do have their pedagogical merits 1 November
Leader: Universal lesson to be learned In the high fees era, debates about teaching qualifications will be just as pointed in the lecture hall as in the classroom By John Gill 1 November
