24 January 2021  Issue No: 627

Donald Trump will go down in history as the worst United States president ever. In terms of higher education, he will be remembered as a president hostile not only to its fundamental purpose – the pursuit of knowledge – but also to its growing dependence on international collaboration.

Universities in China are shutting early in advance of the Lunar New Year holiday as outbreaks of COVID-19 cause alarm. The latest campus closures make it even less likely that foreign students will be able to return, having already lost a year of classes.

Three students, with the support of a university incubator, have turned a vague aspiration to save waste food and eradicate hunger in Lahore, Pakistan, into a sustainable business which has delivered more than seven million meals to poor families who earn around US$100 a month or less.

On 27 January 2021 University World News, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will be bringing together experts and practitioners from the International Association of Universities, the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program in an online webinar on how universities can improve their social impact.

A further 25 German universities have now been added to the country’s European University Networks (EUN) national initiative, supporting the establishment of ‘European Universities’ across the European Union, one of the flagship initiatives of the EU’s ambitions to build a European Education Area.

These are difficult times, but University World News’ readership is expanding rapidly due to our extensive coverage of the impact of COVID-19 on higher education globally. If you value what we do, you can help us build our audience further simply by sharing any of our articles on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Or you can help us secure our future by making a donation – just click on the yellow advertisement below.

Education is a fundamental right for all students, regardless of their physical and mental abilities, and should not be interrupted by a pandemic. So has COVID-19 increased universities’ awareness of the barriers faced by disabled students, both on campus and in accessing remote education?