- On A-level results day, Nick Pettigrew tweeted: 鈥淚 got ABB in my A levels but needed another A to get a Uni place. So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me.鈥 As Mr Pettigrew describes himself in his Twitter bio as a writer for satirical news website The Daily Mash, it is likely that many of those reading the post would have twigged that he was making a joke based on Sweden鈥檚 best-known musical export. But not the University of Sussex, which tweeted him back: 鈥淗i Nick 鈥 amazing results!鈥e鈥檝e got a few spaces left in clearing.鈥 Mr Pettigrew responded: 鈥淎 level students: I鈥檇 avoid the University of Sussex. Not the brightest of sparks.鈥 Then the University of East Anglia compounded English higher education鈥檚 shame by tweeting Mr Pettigrew: 鈥淭hese are good grades. Our lines are open now 鈥 0300 300 7994.鈥 The episode, reported by The Huffington Post website on 14 August, suggests that competition for students in a more marketised system has prompted universities to adopt a new tactic: abject desperation.
- Paul Kohler, head of law at Soas, University of London, found himself in the national news after being badly beaten by intruders at his home in Wimbledon. Mr Kohler needs reconstructive surgery and may have suffered permanent damage to his sight, but is 鈥渄etermined to return to teaching at the start of the new term鈥, the Daily Mail reported on 18 August. Four masked men forced their way inside his 拢2 million house, shouting, 鈥淲here鈥檚 the money?鈥, the newspaper reported. The Daily Telegraph said on 14 August that police were investigating whether the attack was 鈥渓inked鈥 to a cabaret bar that Mr Kohler co-owns, the Cellar Door in central London.
- A student accused of trying to smuggle cash in her knickers to fund jihadist fighters in Syria has been cleared of funding terrorism after a trial at the Old Bailey. Nawal Msaad, , of Holloway, north London, was studying human resources management at London Metropolitan University when she was arrested at Heathrow in January carrying 鈧20,000 (拢16,000), The Times reported on 14 August. Her defence was that she was tricked into carrying the money by a friend, Amal El-Wahabi, , of northwest London, who herself is facing up to 14 years in jail after being found guilty of funding terrorism.
- Unrest continues at Plymouth University after July鈥檚 announcement that its vice-chancellor, Wendy Purcell, had been 鈥減laced on leave鈥 by the board of governors. Plymouth released a statement last week that said it was 鈥渃ontinuing with its business as usual鈥 and appealed for 鈥渁n end to any unhelpful and inaccurate speculation鈥. Then the university鈥檚 former pro-chancellor and former chair of governors, Barbara Bond, released a statement on 15 August that accused the current chair of governors, William Taylor, of 鈥減oor governance practice鈥 and risking 鈥渟erious reputational damage鈥 to the university. She also called for Professor Purcell to be reinstated. Plymouth followed up by saying that it was 鈥渁 matter of some concern鈥 that Ms Bond鈥檚 statement, 鈥渨hich contains a number of factual inaccuracies, might be used to deflect the attention of the governing body away from the investigation currently underway into the alleged conduct of the vice-chancellor鈥. Other universities will be hoping that such a tide of 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥 never hits them.
- News that the University of Cambridge was advertising for a three-year PhD studentship focused on chocolate was gobbled up by the nation鈥檚 media. 鈥淭he project will investigate the factors which allow chocolate, which has a melting point close to that of the human body, to remain solid and retain qualities sought by consumers when it is stored and sold in warm climates,鈥 explained the ad for the 鈥渕ainly experimental鈥 project. The research is 鈥渟ponsored by an unnamed company that is said to have existing technology in this field that it wants to build upon鈥, said the Daily Mail on 18 August. However, the newspaper did warn that only chocoholics with advanced mathematics skills would stand any chance of landing the studentship and that supervisors would include a professor of geotechnical engineering 鈥 not exactly Willy Wonka.
Register to continue
Why register?
- Registration is free and only takes a moment
- Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
- Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
- Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
- Digital editions
- Digital access to 罢贬贰鈥檚 university and college rankings analysis
Already registered or a current subscriber?
Please or to read this article.