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Australia, US, UK: University News
Aaron Hunt
Updated Mar 05, 2016Save
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The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 31 July 2013.
Australia: Research and innovation key for future prosperity, says Chief Scientist
Universities Australia, a representative body for the country’s 39 universities, has strongly supported suggestions published today by Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb for enhancing Australia’s future economy and social wellbeing. The paper, ‘STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] in the national interest: a strategic approach’, suggests research and innovation should underpin any future plans to enhance the Australian economy. Belinda Robinson, chief executive of Universities Australia, highlighted the proposal to establish a National Innovation Council as “a key step in transforming the economy and building the knowledge-based industries of the future.”
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UK: Scottish independence could mean £10bn pensions deficit for UK universities
UK universities could face a £10bn (about US$15.2bn) deficit in their pension funds, if Scotland votes for independence in 2014, The Guardian reports. The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), responsible for managing £34bn worth of pension funds for UK university lecturers and staff, has identified a deficit of £9.8bn. It has issued a 10-year program to address this, but warns EU pension laws mean this plan may be compromised if Scotland becomes independent.
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US: Study results unsettling for crack-down on ‘grade inflation’
New research published in the PLOS ONE journal has found that admissions officers tend to favor applicants with higher grades from colleges with apparently more lenient grading systems, over those with lower grades from more demanding grading systems. The research is based on a study involving 23 admissions officers, and long-term data on applicants to four competitive MBA programs, reports Inside Higher Ed. Co-author of the paper and associate professor at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Don Moore, noted that the paper's findings could be disconcerting for academics trying to reverse ‘grade inflation’.
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UK: University students find creative ways to set records
From the longest game of twister, to the fastest 100m race on a space hopper, university students across the UK are putting down their text books in favor of the latest university craze: record-breaking. A newly compiled list by The Telegraph shows just how creative (and in some cases, downright silly) some students have been in order to get their names in the record books – proving that there’s always more than one way to reach success.
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