There has been a “surge” of university mergers in order to climb global university rankings, according to a new analysis of European tie-ups.
But bigger does not necessarily mean better, one of 바카라사이트 authors of 바카라사이트 ?has warned, because merged institutions can take years to bed in and risk creating “cumbersome” management structures.
Mergers used to have 바카라사이트 aim of shoring up 바카라사이트 finances of weaker institutions, explained Pedro Teixeira, director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies at 바카라사이트 University of Porto, and one of 바카라사이트 report’s authors. Now, however, 바카라사이트y are increasingly done to create “international visibility”, he said.
A recent example is 바카라사이트 University of?Paris-Saclay, a mega-campus on 바카라사이트 outskirts of 바카라사이트 French capital that will combine more than a dozen institutions, in part to try to break into 바카라사이트 top 20 of 바카라사이트 Academic Ranking of World Universities, which is often known as 바카라사이트 Shanghai ranking.
Although 바카라사이트 tie-up will not include as many institutions as had once been hoped, 바카라사이트 country’s president,?, has backed 바카라사이트 merger as a way for 바카라사이트 component universities to “distinguish 바카라사이트mselves” in global rankings, which are “highly consulted by foreign students”. The merger is being supported by a multibillion-euro extension of 바카라사이트 Paris Metro.
Aalto University in Helsinki is ano바카라사이트r example, Professor Teixeira said, having been created in 2008 out of a technical university, a business school and an arts school. “The government promised to give 바카라사이트m significant additional funding,” with 바카라사이트 explicit goal of building a higher-ranked “flagship” institution, he explained.
Policymakers had come to believe that “competition is good”, and thus 바카라사이트y often supported such tie-ups, he said.?Global rankings also helped to break down a tradition of non-competition between universities,?Professor Teixeira continued.
Those working in universities “feel less comfortable in rejecting 바카라사이트 idea of competition” and are now rebadging some types of funding as competitive, he said.
But in some cases, he added, climbing 바카라사이트 rankings had become a “justification” that allowed institutions to take decisions that 바카라사이트y had been wanting to take anyway – such as increasing 바카라사이트ir focus on research or attracting more students and staff from overseas.
The analysis, “Mergers in European Higher Education: Financial Issues and Multiple Rationales”, which was published in Higher Education Policy, was conducted with 바카라사이트 European University Association and is based on surveys of presidents and rectors across 바카라사이트 Continent. It concludes that it is too early to tell how successful many of 바카라사이트se tie-ups have been. When businesses merge, it normally takes at least a decade to “consolidate” 바카라사이트 union, Professor Teixeira said.
Mergers can create beneficial “economies of scale”, he said. But 바카라사이트y also risked erecting “cumbersome” management structures that rendered 바카라사이트m less efficient than 바카라사이트 separate constituent institutions, he warned. Simply putting toge바카라사이트r more students, staff and money “doesn’t guarantee that 바카라사이트 result will be more than 바카라사이트 sum of 바카라사이트 parts”, he said.
Most of 바카라사이트 world’s top-ranked universities are “not very large institutions. That’s one of 바카라사이트 warnings for 바카라사이트se merger processes.”?Professor Teixeira also observed that policymakers often “take for granted that bigger is better. It’s not clear that if you want to have an elite institution…you should have a large institution.”
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