The turn towards authoritarian rule in Russia, China, Turkey and Eastern Europe, among other places, has led to attacks on academic freedom. The role of universities is to stand up for truth. It is vital at this moment in history that universities believe in this role and have the courage to defend it.

To celebrate our 500th edition, University World News asked its correspondents and commentators around the world to pick the most significant change or challenge facing their country or region in the 10 years since our first edition, or the one that will have the most impact in the 10 years ahead.

University World News – Africa was launched on 30 March 2008. In this Special Report, which marks our 10th anniversary, we look back at some of the key developments in the sector over the past 10 years, as well as some of the challenges that still lie ahead.

University World News covers the International Higher Education Forum 2018 organised by Universities UK International and held in Nottingham, United Kingdom, last week. The theme was ‘Thriving in a Shifting Global Environment’.

The ninth annual international IE University conference on ‘Reinventing Higher Education’ was held on 5-6 March at Madrid-based IE University, which is a private non-profit business owned by the Instituto de Empresa SL in Spain. University World News reports.

‘Open educational resources’ are the focus of a growing field of inquiry, particularly in the Global South where, up until now, research has been relatively limited and isolated. Now, a new book based on three years of research across 21 countries and three regions in the Global South offers the first comprehensive analysis of the uses and impact of open educational resources, which have the potential not only to reduce educational costs, but to enhance the quality of educational materials.

With public attention drawn to the inflated salaries of university leaders, University World News carries a Special Report this week on the subject.

Last week the United States-based Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the CHEA International Quality Group held their annual conference in Washington DC. University World News is a media partner.

The Westminster Higher Education Forum held a conference in London last week on “The Future of Transnational Education – Opportunities, quality assurance and priorities for supporting growth”. University World News reports.