- The notion that the First World War was a 鈥渕isbegotten shambles鈥 is a myth perpetuated by 鈥渓eft-wing academics鈥, according to Michael Gove, executing his own Schlieffen Plan to win a culture war over this year鈥檚 centenary. Writing in the Daily Mail on 3聽January, the education secretary likened University of Cambridge historian Sir Richard Evans to an 鈥渦ndergraduate cynic鈥 in his take on the war, and argued that it was 鈥減lainly a just war鈥. Tristram Hunt, Labour鈥檚 shadow education secretary 鈥 and a historian to boot 鈥 boomed back in The Observer on 5聽January, accusing Mr Gove of trying to 鈥渞ewrite the historical record and sow political division鈥. In response, the Tories鈥 Boris Johnson bravely went over the top. 鈥淚f Tristram Hunt seriously denies that German militarism was at the root of the First World War, then he is not fit to do his job, either in opposition or in government, and should resign,鈥 the mayor of London wrote in The Daily Telegraph on 6聽January, angling for a nuanced account of the impact of Serbian nationalism in 1914 to be included in the next Conservative manifesto.
- Just as Prince Andrew was suggesting that universities do not prepare people for work 鈥 telling The Daily Telegraph on 31聽December that higher education should be just 鈥渢he icing on the cake鈥 鈥 Prince William was preparing for a vocational course at鈥niversity. Prince William started a 10-week 鈥渂espoke鈥 course in agricultural management at the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership on 7 January, after a personal tour of St John鈥檚 College from dignitaries including Cambridge vice-chancellor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. It is to help prepare him for running the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate that is held by, and funds, each Prince of Wales. Cynics objected that Prince William had somehow bought special admission to the University of Cambridge, but the CPSL routinely designs bespoke courses for clients. In any case, if Prince William has to learn to run an institution that has wielded power since medieval times thanks to its vast land, property and investment wealth, Cambridge is the place to do it.
- The honour for higher education letter of the week goes to Geoffrey Wyborn of Walton-on-Thames, whose missive lamenting the disappearance of the college scarf ran in The Daily Telegraph on 31聽December. 鈥淎bout 50 years ago it was common to see young people during the holidays, especially at Christmas time, wearing their college scarves, more often than not with a duffel coat,鈥 he wrote wistfully. 鈥淵et there seem to be fewer scarves on show now than then. Why?鈥 Compounding his bewilderment was the vast expansion of higher education since 1960. Clearly the Robbins report overlooked the effect on college scarf-wearing of opening higher education to the great unwashed.
- The academic leading the scientific expedition that stalled in the Antarctic has hit back at critics who branded the trip ill-prepared and a 鈥渏olly鈥. Scientists on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition had to be rescued last week after their ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, got stuck in sea ice. Some climate sceptics delighted in the fact that environmental scientists were halted in such a way. But Chris Turney, Australian Research Council Laureate fellow and professor of climate change at the University of New South Wales, wrote in The Observer on 5聽January that there was a 鈥渟ense of frustration over what appears to be a misrepresentation of the expedition鈥. 鈥淸It] is not a jolly tourist trip as some have claimed,鈥 he added. 鈥淭here was nothing to suggest that this event [the armadas of ice] was imminent.鈥
- The end of the festive period leaves most people feeling a聽bit glum. But for 400 prospective students in Australia, the hangover must have been particularly severe. On Christmas Eve the University of Queensland offered them scholarships, only for the Grinch to pop up in the New Year to snatch them back. Apologising profusely, Joanne Wright, Queensland鈥檚 deputy vice-chancellor, told ABC News on 6聽January that the offers were an administrative error. The aunt of one devastated student said the scholarship had elicited 鈥渉appy dances鈥 among family members. 鈥淚f you make an offer to someone鈥n writing you have to honour it,鈥 she added. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats and their broken tuition fees pledge, UK students would know not to trust any gifts that seem too good to be true.
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