Council for the Defence of British Universities

You have until the 28 February to apply to join our executive committee!

You have until tomorrow to apply to join our Executive Committee! ⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰

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You have until the 28 February to apply to join our executive committee!

I was on precarious, short-term, hourly-paid teaching contracts for 12 years, to the (ongoing) detriment of my mental health, and I can't stress enough how awful and unethical casualisation is. But here are five simple and effectively free things universities could do to improve matters.

100% this. Also, universities need to cough up what they owe in a timely manner for part-time folks, precariously employed people and self-employed suppliers. That institutions are quick enough to cut you off but slow to organise entitlements and money owed is beyond unfair.

I wrote a piece for the CDBU blog with some low or no cost things our employers could do right now if they care about precarious staff as much as they say they do.

Our employers say they care about precarious staff. Here are five low cost things they could do right now to help us – and them - CDBU

New on the CDBU blog: 5 low cost things employers could do to help precarious staff 💰

Words by @hagenilda.bsky.social ✍️

Thanks for your support, Mike!

Excellent launch event for the CDBU Code of Ethical University Governance. Very important principles set out - starting with constructive criticism. There’s been a reminder today from OfS that providers need to meet the public interest governance principles.

“HEPI’s new Policy Note finds striking consensus across the higher education community for more ethical, transparent and balanced university governance.”

@profstevenjones.bsky.social

New Post: New HEPI Policy Note: Views on University Governance www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/12/04/n...

Strong support for ethical reform of university governance - HEPI New research suggests there is strong backing for a university governance Code that addresses power imbalances and over-financialisation. This is the first of two reports that HEPI is publishing on un...

Thank you to everyone who responded to the consultation. This is the first Code of #governance in the #UKHE sector to be grounded in academic research and to reflect a broad spectrum of views. A summary of consultation responses is here. www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/stro...

Well done to Steve & others involved in producing this 👏

Now we just need university governance to live up to such principles! The code, usefully, lays out practical steps towards this. It's collective/political pressure & organising that can make it a widespread reality.

Excited to see the final version of the @cdbu.bsky.social Code of Ethical University Governance in the public domain, and looking forward to the launch event in Parliament later today. cdbu.org.uk/cdbu-code-20... #UKHE #governance

After extensive consultation and development from individuals and organisations across the sector, we are very pleased to publish the CDBU Code of Ethical University Governance.

You can read the code and the tracked changes version here: cdbu.org.uk/cdbu-code-20...

@profstevenjones.bsky.social 👏🏻

There are only a few spaces left! RSVP now to secure your place 👇👇👇

@profstevenjones.bsky.social @seanhmcmahon.bsky.social @dyfrigjones.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk @hepi-news.bsky.social @soasicop.bsky.social

We are pleased to announce that the CDBU Code of Ethical University Governance will be officially launched by @profstevenjones.bsky.social on 4 December, at the House of Commons.

Prof Jones will be joined by an excellent panel of speakers.

There are limited spaces, so RSVP as soon as possible.

We need to begin to tell these stories about universities as well. So — what did university mean to you? Contact @cdbu.bsky.social at cdbupress@gmail.com with your story. You can read some previous submissions here: cdbu.org.uk/stories/

... but they are also places that foster the messier and less quantifiable aspects of understanding ourselves, each other and the world around us. They are places whose value we only really come to understand years after we have left them.

So often universities are spoken about in instrumental language: as institutions that confer skills and training, and as engines of economic growth. Universities are both these things of course...

How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Letter Letter: Prof Leo McCann and Prof Simon Sweeney say student misuse of generative artificial intelligence is widespread and we must be sceptical of its usefulness

Thinking of using #ChatGPT for 'help' with assessments? Think again. #university #AI

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Letter Letter: Prof Leo McCann and Prof Simon Sweeney say student misuse of generative artificial intelligence is widespread and we must be sceptical of its usefulness

We are pleased to share this letter written by one of our members, Professor Leo McCann 👏https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/16/how-ai-is-undermining-learning-and-teaching-in-universities

My new paper is out: "Students as (More Than) Consumers? An Exploration of Undergraduates' Discourses and Practices in Marketised Higher Education."

The full article can be found here: dx.doi.org/10.1111/hequ...

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We are pleased to publish our Position on the Unsustainability of UK University Funding Models. Visit our website to read it in full:

✍🏻 WRITE FOR US! ✍🏻

We welcome pieces on anything related to higher education. Previous topics include governance, student experience, free speech, and academic freedom.

We offer a fee for our writers – particularly the precariously employed and students.

Please send pitches to cdbupress@gmail.com

How to use ChatGPT at university without cheating: ‘Now it’s more like a study partner’ The ubiquitous AI tool has a divisive effect on educators with some seeing it a boon and others a menace. So what should you know about where to draw the line between check and cheat?

Vacuous, generic and scattershot advice for incoming 1st years on the use of AI at university. Especially liking 'Chin recommends giving it class notes and asking it to generate practice exam questions.' Surely we can't be the only programme that supplies students with past & practice exams?

Between them, politicians and employers are destroying our great higher education sector.

We won't sit back and let it happen.

#WeAreTheUniversity