HE News Brief 21.6.11

by Abby Chau

IN THIS EDITION

• INTERNATIONAL: Institutional reputation in the age of rankings
• INTERNATIONAL: The European University Association releases its critique of rankings
• UNITED KINGDOM: More UK Students are reportedly targeting US Ivy Leagues
• INTERNATIONAL: Rethinking the phenomenon of academic ‘brain drain’
  • • At the recent Worldviews Conference on Media and Higher Education, a discussion about league tables turned to institutional reputation in the new age of rankings. John O’Leary, a member of the QS Advisory Board, said that league tables have made institutional reputation unstable and that institutions must now manage their reputation. Recently the University of Alberta’s Dean of Medicine suffered a blow when he failed to attribute sections of his convocation speech to the right sources. In February, the London School of Economics was hit by accusations of ties with Gadhafi’s regime. Whether incidences like these have a real impact on institutional reputation still remains to be seen. Full Story: The Global and Mail More: University World News
    • The European University Association has just released a report on Global University Rankings and their Impact, which seeks to add to the global dialogue on league tables. The EUA represents 850 institutions and rectors organisation which spans 47 countries. It says the report was generated because of the interest voiced by their members to look into the different ranking systems worldwide. The report says rankings in general measures research performance rather than teaching quality and that they may be susceptible to data manipulation. However it also says that they have added a dimension of accountability for institutional performance. The EUA says that the report will be part of a series once they receive feedback from their members. Full Story: The Australian
    • A report by the Institute of International Education records a growth in UK students studying in the United States. The figures has grown between 2004 and 2009 and are projected to augment even more this year as tuition fees are set to skyrocket in 2012. Harvard has received a third more applications this year than they did last year. And other American Ivy League institutions have also seen their number of UK students double in recent years. Full Story: The Guardian
    • Canadian institutions’ relationship with brain drain has changed in the last few decades, says Noreen Golfman, dean of graduate studies at Memorial University. From a period of hiring international faculty, to a period of anxiety of potential brain drain, the government has finally installed a program in order to target the best talents globally. However the program which awarded chairs to the sciences and to all males, has led Golfman to rethink the notion of brain drain and a more extensive discussion of what it means is needed. Full Story: Inside Higher Ed