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The new head of the University of Glasgow on taking over from the current principal has quite a tough task ahead. Several challenges facing the University of Glasgow include a disappointing fund allocation, a fall-out in the number of full-time Scottish undergraduates joining the university.

Sports studies expert Grant Harvie believes the 2008 Beijing Olympics and sport in general offer countries several points of engagement by promoting a spirit of fair play and respect for global ethics.

Bill Clarke, provost of the Jordanstown and Belfast campuses of the University of Ulster, had a long, distinguished career at the university, spanning over 30 years, and was well respected by staff and students.

The Reverend Andrew McGowan principal of the Highland Theological College explains the meaning to the term 'evangelical', which means belief in Christian faith and not fundamentalism.

Joelle Godard was a comparative law expert who taught French law and comparative criminal procedure of the French, English and Scottish systems. She was a member of the Franco-British Lawyers Society and was awarded the Palmes Academique by the French government.

The perceptions of male and female students differ in the way they think and learn. Males make their decision based on less information than females who pay attention to details is discussed.

Students should take note of feedback given on their assignments from their tutors and peers in the interest of their future and career. Teachers should represent their students to take active role in self-assessment rather than giving only written comments is suggested.

Rowena Murray, an expert on academic writing, advises academics to write in short bursts to achieve greater productivity rather than indulging in 'binge-writing' that stretches over several hours or days.

The University of St Andrews has created history by becoming one of the first Scottish Universities to appoint a woman as principal. Louise Richardson the newly appointed head of the St Andrew University has expressed her desire to be remembered as a good head and not because she was a woman.

A legal expert on intellectual property has predicted that small stand-alone research institutes will not survive in the way they are going. They need to find big partners in order to survive.

Scottish Universities Life Sciences Association (Sulsa) helps get together world-class minds to carry out world-class research in Scotland. This helps place Scotland as a leader in various research areas.

History professor Donald Bloxham, who was named a 'Rising Star' at Edinburgh University in August 2007, explains his fascination with the history of genocide, asserting that his work on the Holocaust was inspired by the Dead Kennedys' song 'Holiday in Cambodia'.

The article discusses the profile of Oona King, chairperson of the Institute of Community Cohesion and former Labor Member of Parliament in the U.K.

The article discusses the cancellation of the academic boycotting of Israel against the treatment of Palestinians, unless 1, 20,000 members of the University and College Union endorse it.

The national endowment for science and technology and the arts (Nesta) and the higher education academy exhort academic institutions to train the fine arts students into business tactics to enable them to be self-employed.

U.K. universities are seeing a dramatic increase in forensic science courses thanks to television dramas and investigative novels. However, while some academics see the student demand as a boon, others are unconvinced of the quality of the courses.

An initiative that enables academics and researchers across India and the U.K. to bid for funding of mutually beneficial collaborative projects is presented.

The difficulties and possible dangers faced by researchers in the Middle East are discussed.

The decision by the Scottish Funding Council to allow local governing bodies take responsibility for higher education administration is presented.

The 22nd Congress of the International Primatological Society is scheduled to take place in 2008 in the Edinburgh International Conference Center. The importances of having conferences, which help in enhancing the position of departments of all universities, are thus highlighted.

The article discusses the visa restrictions in the U.S., particularly connected to university professors, scientists or academicians. The restrictions, arising due to fear of terrorism and illegal immigration, affect the academic researches.

The author discusses the life and work of Dr. Martin Dowling, lecturer in and researcher of Irish traditional music at Queen's University, Belfast.

Professor Kay Hamilton, chairperson of the Commission for Racial Equality, identifies herself as a background worker as is typical of academics. The sociologist academic believes that there is more focus and knowledge on racism in the 21st century, and racial abuse should be challenged and opposed.

A forensic psychologist Kathy Charles, has collaborated with a newspaper to comment on a series of notorious unresolved crimes. She believes that academics do not wish to work closely with the media since they do not like the language tabloids sometimes use, though such associations can be useful to reach a large audience.

A series of lectures on Kant's epistemology by a senior lecturer at Glasgow University has become very popular among students, instantly reaching the first spot in popularity. The lectures, put as a podcast in the digital music download website iTunes' educational section, has led to an increase in the number of students taking the university's course on Kant, needing less help than earlier since they can use the podcasts as often as they want.

Issues relating to the duties and changing face of university chaplains in the UK are examined. It is argued that while once chaplaincies may have had their roots in the church, with the Anglican church historically funding the majority of full-time chaplains in England's older universities, their approach is now unquestionably inclusive - promoting their services as available to people of all faiths, or to people who have none. Robert Jones, chaplain for Roehampton University of Surrey, believes that university chaplains have a better grasp of ecumenism than their churches, understanding, as they do, that denominations are not particularly important to the majority of students and often working, as they do, with a team filled with representatives from different denominations and faiths.

Political scientists are becoming marginally happier, despite concerns about increased workloads, stress and pay, according to a survey by the Political Studies Association. In 2003, almost two thirds of politics academics had considered leaving their profession, which this has now fallen to 52.2 percent.

The gentlemen of Sheffield Hallam University's facilities directorate have launched a nude charity calendar. The calendar will raise money for Weston Park Hospital and Neurocare.

Researchers are allowing schoolchildren to contribute to their projects in order to spark their interest in science. Via the Grid, pupils involved in pilot projects supported by the Joint Information Systems Committee and research councils can see what scientists do and can feed into their research.

Universities which are unprepared to deal with cases of academic fraud risk serious damage to their reputations, according to Norman Swan, Aberdeen University medical graduate who is now a journalist and broadcaster in Australia. A key preventive measure is checking managerial competence of laboratory chiefs and making sure that research teams do not become demoralised.

The Assassin Tree opera premieres in August 2006 at the Edinburgh International Festival. The opera was composed by Stuart MacRae during his year-long fellowship at Edinburgh University's Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities.

Edinburgh University has agreed to a partnership project with the three campus unions to manage the move to permanent contracts. New European Union regulations mean that universities must move casual staff to permanent contracts to avoid tribunal cases.

Robert Mighall, former academic and now senior consultant at university branding specialists Lloyd Northover, believes a widespread view exists that there is something 'quite naff' about traditional university merchandise, such as teddy bears and pen sets. Mighall would like a major revamp of products offered and some universities are already offering games and toys based on their research strengths.

Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor at Luton University, has said that the freedom of speech considered necessary to sustain good research was only possible if academics showed each other tolerance and respect. Culturally and racially prejudiced academics are bade for university research ratings.

The future of letter-writing in an age in which e-mail is becoming the dominant form of communication is examined. It is suggested that future generations of biographers will have lost a rich source of material as a result of the decline in letter-writing.

An overview of the way in which St Andrews University and the royal family dealt with the media and possible media intrusion during the course of Prince William's studies at the university. The press agreed to respect the Prince's privacy during his four years at St Andrews in exchange for occasional interviews and photo opportunities.

Physicists in Scotland have banded together to establish the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (Supa), which they claim is the largest research group in the UK. The formation of Supa is part of an ambitious attempt to become major players in the global physics sector.

Astronomers at Edinburgh University's Institute for Astronomy are pioneering methods of archiving vast amounts of data from large astronomical surveys as part of efforts to create a global 'virtual observatory'. To do this the astronomers are working with the newly created Data Curation Centre, a centre funded by the research council's e-science core programme and the Joint Information Systems Committee and established with the aim of helping solve challenges that are too difficult or too large for a single institution or discipline.

The Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc) plans to launch its Online Repository for (Learning and Teaching) Materials (Jorum) from autumn 2005. The aim of Jorum is to allow satff in further and higher education to share learning and teaching resources free of charge. The service will allow academics belonging to colleges or universities that have deposit and subscription licences for Jorum to deposit material, with the academic acknowledged as the original author.

Advice for those planning on organising a conference. Tips include organising presentations properly so that they don't overlap, getting plenty of sleep before the event as you won't get much while it is running, staying off the alcohol, remembering that things will go wrong, and considering getting a professional in to organise things.

Dundee University has broken with normal academic practice and asked its new professors to give 15-minute talks on their specialist subjects to audiences that include schoolchildren and the general public, as well as students and staff. The university hopes that these talks, given on what it calls Discovery Days, will help build awareness of innovation and research in higher education.

The Scots and Canadian experiences of dealing with challenging neighbours are examined. Particular attention is paid to the higher education sectors in Scotland and Canada, and how they are affected by England and the United States respectively.

An overview of the Early English Books Online project. The project aims to digitize and make available online every book published in English before 1700. To date about 125,000 books are available through the project.

Aberdeen University's UKPd9 mil campaign to hire over 200 new staff members of 'outstanding intellectual quality' is examined. The three-year recruitment campaign was launched with the placement of an advert in The Times Higher in September 2003.

Alison Elliot will make history on 15 May 2004 when she takes up the post of moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland (CoS), becoming the first woman to take up a key post in the CoS. In addition to being a woman, Elliot will be the first moderator since the 17th century not to be an ordained minister.