Australia, UK, Turkey: University News

The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 10 July 2013.

Australia: University of Wollongong to create national center for archaeological science

The University of Wollongong has received A$1.3 million (about US$1.2m) to create Australia’s first national center for archaeological research, Illawarra Mercury reports. The funding comes from an Australian Laureate Fellowship, awarded to researcher Professor Bert Roberts, who is known for his role in the 2003 discovery and dating of a ‘Hobbit’ species of small humans who once lived in Indonesia. Prof Roberts said part of the funding would go towards almost doubling the current department, from 14 to 25 staff members.

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UK: Teach First now leading recruiter of new university graduates

The UK’s Teach First charity is now the biggest single destination for university leavers, BBC News reports. Launched in 2002, Teach First recruits talented university graduates to spend two years teaching at schools in deprived areas. As well as being the largest, it’s also the fastest growing destination for university leavers, aiming to recruit 2,000 new graduates per year by 2015. Prime minister David Cameron said, “Teach First's graduate recruitment is impressive. Their trainees will reach out to future generations of UK children and raise aspirations where this is needed most.”

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Turkey: Protests spill over into higher education conference

Ongoing protests in Turkish city Istanbul spilled over to affect a higher education conference last week, University World News reports. Students supporting the campaign to preserve Gezi Park demonstrated outside Istanbul Technical University, where a conference was being jointly hosted by the British Council and the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK). Gökhan Çetinsaya, the president of YÖK, had previously attracted criticism from some groups after saying “violence and praising violence” could not be compatible with academic freedom.

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Europe: Erasmus reaches 3 millionth participant

The EU’s Erasmus student exchange program has reached 3 million participants since its 1987 launch, EU Observer reports. In addition to the 28 EU member countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey also participate in the exchange program. Having been at risk of losing its EU funding last year, Erasmus is now set to receive €14.5 billion for 2014-20, a 40% increase compared to the current allocation. Some 4 million people are expected to participate in the next 7 years, including teachers and volunteers as well as students.

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