Prof Norman Fenton

Making sense of math, probability & risk. Bayesian. Causal knowledge + data

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

Thanks to amazing work by @stkirsch I have finally regained access to my X account after being locked out for 4 months.
So I can finally promote my new book to followers:
https://t.co/fm5KbfTRcr

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@newrulesforrads @DrAseemMalhotra @stkirsch I still don’t really understand why

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

Thanks to amazing work by @stkirsch I have finally regained access to my X account after being locked out for 4 months.
So I can finally promote my new book to followers:
https://t.co/fm5KbfTRcr

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@DrAngela4Health @RetsefL @stkirsch Yes because the universities train and brainwash the teachers

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@AdhesionsOrg @stkirsch Thanks for your help David

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@Sup2Communism Yes. There are two chapters on that

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

How did the Jason Arday scandal happen at Cambridge?

My new book "The Capture of Academia" explains how ideological capture, DEI dogma & institutional failure have destroyed academic standards.

Arday is a symptom, not the disease.

Buy here: 🇬🇧 Amazon UK | 🇺🇸 Amazon US

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

It's worse than you think. Here is a section about our funding of Chinese PhD students from my new book:

Under the China Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD scheme, UK universities waive PhD tuition fees for Chinese students, while the Chinese authorities provide a modest living stipend. Around 40 UK universities participate in CSC funding schemes, waiving tuition fees for more than 650 CSC‑funded scholars each year. Based on an average £25K per year PhD fee, it is equivalent to about £49 million per annual cohort across participating universities.
Only Chinese nationals may apply, and all candidates are approved through Chinese state mechanisms, i.e. the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Academic staff were strongly encouraged to accept these students on the grounds that they would boost research output and international prestige.
However, I found that many of these students were under-prepared. Many lacked the English proficiency required for independent doctoral research and demanded far more supervision than a normal PhD student.
The application process also incurred significant overheads since the scheme was always massively oversubscribed by CCP-approved applicants, requiring us to undertake the selection process for the final 60. In my experience this often became farcical: interviews were routinely conducted by phone or video, and it was not uncommon for candidates to read from scripts or search the internet for answers in real time. In at least two cases I was involved with, successful applicants who had spoken fluent English during the interview, could barely speak English when they arrived. I believe that they could not have been the individuals who had been interviewed.
The stipend provided by the Chinese authorities was insufficient for living in London, creating pressure to employ these students as teaching assistants. But, this often proved counterproductive: many required substantial supervision even for routine teaching support, offsetting any anticipated benefit.
We were repeatedly told that whatever the financial cost, the academic gains from hosting these Chinese students more than justified it. They were said to boost our research profile, especially through increased publication counts. In practice, however, the benefits flowed mainly to Chinese academics. They could communicate easily with CSC students and assign them narrowly defined technical tasks within specialised subfields. In some cases, this produced additional publications with minimal supervisory input.
In my view, the programme ensured that significant long-term benefits accrued to the Chinese state. Doctoral tuition was fully funded by British taxpayers, living costs were indirectly supplemented through paid teaching roles, and students received advanced technical training and exposure to valuable intellectual property. Because CSC recipients are contractually required to return to China upon completion, the expertise acquired within a UK institution was systematically repatriated for Chinese state use.

[Josh Howie @joshxhowie]

Professor Fenton is coming on Free Speech Nation next week- you couldn't time a more perfect book release!

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@joshxhowie Looking forward to it

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@LucyTCWife Lucy. Thanks so much.

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@yvonnealboher @stkirsch I'll consider it 😉

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

https://t.co/AR8LukHGOz

https://t.co/uoQ2Cv69kn

https://t.co/r5nI8IQNgl

https://t.co/GP6MhzxZef

https://t.co/TF1idaEb7R

https://t.co/CHpZikCBC6

https://t.co/haqhI1UgTU

kindle: https://t.co/yevikDczrO

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@LebbyRachel1 It was great to meet up again as usual Rachel.

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@Free_ByTheSea Yes that’s exactly how I originally got hacked

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@Free_ByTheSea And thank you for your help!

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

If anybody thinks the Jason Arday fiasco is somehow unique in universities then please read this incredible story about another “Professor” back in 1992 recounted here by her former colleague Roger Watson. And there are also plenty more in my new book https://t.co/RI7bSbEyu5

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@lounew13 Thanks to you for all your help ❤️

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@brianoflondon @ClareCraigPath @MartinNeil9 @LawHealthTech @LeilaniDowding @potkazar @TRobinsonNewEra @jengleruk @annmcelhinney @benhabib6 @Chris_Davies @danwootton @HowardCCox @BareReality @MarkChangizi @HeartsofOakUK @MarkSteynOnline @Free_ByTheSea @zoeharcombe @DrHoenderkamp @NicholasLissack @DrAseemMalhotra @Artemisfornow @daveatherton @AmandaLovesElon @NizzaFluss @Francis_Hoar @Jikkyleaks @joshg99 @RetsefL @1979pop @Nico_DeSanto @lounew13 @AllisonPearson @TalHartuv @YaffaRaz @sonia_elijah @MaidmentRos @PamelaParesky @PlanetPonzi @NickHudsonCT @MontgomeryToms @LucyTCWife @LoisPerry26 @CaliforniaFrizz @KathyConWom @jonsac @AndrewEborn @bepipezzulli @CherylGrainger4 Yes it’s me!!

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@1675pn @AllisonPearson @stkirsch Yes it certainly includes Blair's role

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@TopPsychCoach Thanks for your help!

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@ClareCraigPath @MartinNeil9 @LawHealthTech @LeilaniDowding @potkazar @TRobinsonNewEra @jengleruk @annmcelhinney @benhabib6 @Chris_Davies @danwootton @HowardCCox @BareReality @MarkChangizi @HeartsofOakUK @MarkSteynOnline @Free_ByTheSea @zoeharcombe @DrHoenderkamp @NicholasLissack @DrAseemMalhotra @Artemisfornow @daveatherton @AmandaLovesElon @NizzaFluss @Francis_Hoar @Jikkyleaks @joshg99 @RetsefL @1979pop @Nico_DeSanto and also thanks to @lounew13 @AllisonPearson @TalHartuv @brianoflondon @YaffaRaz @sonia_elijah @MaidmentRos @PamelaParesky @PlanetPonzi @NickHudsonCT @MontgomeryToms @LucyTCWife @LoisPerry26 @CaliforniaFrizz @KathyConWom @jonsac @AndrewEborn @bepipezzulli @CherylGrainger4

[Prof Norman Fenton @profnfenton]

@ClareCraigPath @MartinNeil9 @LawHealthTech @LeilaniDowding @potkazar @TRobinsonNewEra @jengleruk @annmcelhinney @benhabib6 @Chris_Davies @danwootton @HowardCCox @BareReality @MarkChangizi @HeartsofOakUK @MarkSteynOnline @Free_ByTheSea @zoeharcombe @DrHoenderkamp @NicholasLissack @DrAseemMalhotra @Artemisfornow @daveatherton @AmandaLovesElon @NizzaFluss @Francis_Hoar @Jikkyleaks @joshg99 @RetsefL also thanks to my dear friend @1979pop of course, and @Nico_DeSanto @tilakdoshi