Joyce Lau has covered global / Asian higher education for a decade.
For Times Higher Education
Japan raises funds for £70 billion university research endowment
But the eye-popping amount comes with caveats, experts say. Feb 4, 2021.
India hands £5 billion budget to new research funder
Budget also aims to cut bureaucracy and open up internationalisation avenues . Feb 5, 2021
Korea doubles budget for language training overseas
Expansion of overseas language courses could offset declines back home. Apr 1, 2021
Chinese campuses ‘under-resourced’ as elites take lion’s share
Concentrating funding on top universities around Beijing and Shanghai risks alienating students forced to settle for less exalted institutions, researchers say. May 3, 2021
East Asia gets back to business as usual as the storm wanes
Largely sheltered from the pandemic-related financial fallout that has beset higher education in Western nations, East Asian institutions are being boosted by state funds and local philanthropists and are looking to be even more competitive internationally. Jun 2, 2021
THE Asia University Rankings 2021. Full list.
Is South-east Asia higher education’s next global hotspot?
With a vast youth population but relatively low participation rates, higher education in the Asean region looks ripe for expansion. But can challenges over funding, quality and regional cooperation be overcome? Joyce Lau reports. (Front-page long-form feature) Jun 24, 2021
Hoped-for returns on Gulf branch campuses ‘yet to materialise’
Despite spending more than £700 million, dreams of a diversified knowledge economy remain some way off, British expert claims. Aug 17, 2021
Asia internationalises in its own backyard
Affordable quality education and job opportunities are encouraging more Asian students to travel closer to home, reports Joyce Lau. Aug 25, 2021
Is Western academia keeping up with Asia’s rise?
In the third decade of the so-called Asian century, European and North American universities and governments continue to neglect the world’s most populous continent. As Asia grows ever more powerful, this must change, scholars tell Joyce Lau. Sep 30, 2021
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“Afghan Universities in Grave Danger”
A frantic effort to get female scholars out right after. the Taliban takeover. Times Higher Education. August 2021.
“A Visionary Educator”
Still one of my favourite assignments. An interview with M.I.T. president Rafael Reif. The Peak Magazine, January 2015. Read as PDF
“University of Macau Moves Over the China Border”
10,000 students and faculty, 650,000 books and about 60 laboratories will be moving physically from Macau to mainland China. But will Macau’s Internet and academic freedoms also migrate to the new campus? The New York Times. Co-written with Calvin Yang, July 14, 2013
“U.S. Campuses Wrestle with Safety Perceptions.”
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, overseas students and parents expressed concern over violence in American cities, particularly in major higher education hubs. The New York Times. Co-written with D.D. Guttenplan in London and Lara Farrar in Shanghai, May 19, 2013.
“In Hong Kong, Freedom at Universities”
Continuing vigils and protests over the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown demonstrate how Hong Kong campuses differ from their mainland Chinese counterparts. The New York Times. April 22, 2013.
“Yale Defends Singapore Opening”
Yale is venturing into unknown territory amid concerns about political freedoms. The New York Times. Feature by Liz Gooch, Aug 24, 2012. (I contributed reporting and editing).
“Thousands Protest China’s Plans for Hong Kong Schools”
Parents took to the streets amid plans to introduce Chinese national education to local Hong Kong schools. The New York Times. July 29, 2012
“Harvard Business School Dean on Ethics and Global Education”
Q&A with Nitin Nohria, the first Asian dean of Harvard Business School. The New York Times.
“From Farm Girl to College President”
Q&A with Rebecca Chopp, the first woman to hold her last four posts: provost at Emory University, dean at Yale Divinity School, president at Colgate University, and president at Swarthmore College. The New York Times.Jan 20, 2013
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“Veteran Educator Advises on How to Succeed”
Q&A with Joan K. Stringer, first woman to become the head of a Scottish university. The New York Times. Oct 29, 2012
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My opinion columns on education from the International Herald Tribune Rendez-Vous blog
“Who Studies Abroad, Who Stays Put and Why?”
March 11, 2013: What American and British students say they want in overseas education — and what they actually end up doing.
“So Asian Kids Are Good at Math. What Does That Mean?”
Dec 12, 2012: Student test scores don’t correlate very closely with how a country actually excels in particular fields.
“Philosophy, or Plumbing: How Well Is Academia Preparing Students for the Real World?”
Dec 10, 2012: Employers don’t feel that new hires are prepared for the work force — and new grads generally agree. Where has higher education gone wrong?
“Two Opposite Education Systems Ranked on Top”
Dec 1, 2012: Finland and South Korea are almost as far apart in teaching styles as they are geographically. So why do they both top the charts?
“Why Do Humans Have Two Eyes? A Cheat Sheet for Getting Into Oxford”
Oct 15, 2012: Sample questions released for the famously difficult college interviews.
Joyce Lau, Writer & Editor 