University leadership

Being a department head takes both emotional and cognitive energy to juggle people, programmes, contracts and institutional demands. But digging into skills such as trust-building and communication will bear fruit, writes Ben K. Daniel

Universities should move beyond symbolic emeritus titles to create structured pathways for meaningful post-retirement contribution, say Theresa Mercer and Jim Harris

Academic units do best when they harness different viewpoints – from field scientists and curriculum designers to extension professionals – to drive innovation and relevance. Saskia van de Gevel offers proactive advice

If governance becomes practical, proportionate and iterative, universities can foster exactly what they claim to value: responsible, creative experimentation, writes Garth Elzerman

A principled default of reticence, paired with clear criteria for instances when speaking out, is essential and offers a credible and sustainable path for universities, says Steven G. Poskanzer

Advice on cultivating innovative mindsets across a university, among academics, staff and students

Find out what underpins success when setting up and developing a branch campus overseas and why financial returns are not a good motivation, from an academic who helped establish and later lead one such project

AI governance is treated as an ethics problem, when it is increasingly a question of control, authority and speed. As AI systems reshape admissions, assessment and student support, universities need to govern what is live, not what looks good on paper

When efforts to improve student satisfaction fall short, the problem is often design rather than speed. İlkay Karaduman reflects on planning a more coherent student journey shaped by key transitions and connections

The question for university decision-makers is whether to settle for the minimum accessibility required by international regulation or to embed it as a marker of institutional excellence across teaching, research and civic mission