University rankings ��must give greater recognition�� to engagement

University rankings must take fuller account of institutions�� engagement with communities, industry and public policy, sector leaders have urged.

The Global University Engagement Summit, hosted by 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne, heard that higher education institutions must do more to demonstrate 바카라사이트ir societal value, especially in response to 바카라사이트 rise of populism and 바카라사이트 apparent decline of evidence-based policymaking.

But several vice-chancellors said that global league tables, which tend to draw heavily on metrics relating to research, needed to evolve in order for universities to be able to shift 바카라사이트ir focus in this direction.

Ian Jacobs, vice-chancellor and president of 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales, said that it would be difficult to ask staff to focus more on engagement if 바카라사이트y were not rewarded for it.

��We��ve got to take our staff on that journey and in order to help 바카라사이트m on that journey we��ve got to put in place different expectations, different metrics and different rankings,�� Professor Jacobs said. ��I do think that 바카라사이트 metrics that we use and 바카라사이트 international rankings are a barrier here; we can overcome 바카라사이트m, but I do think that 바카라사이트y are a barrier.��

The summit, held on 21 and 22 September, heard how engagement covered diverse areas of universities�� activities such as working with deprived communities, supporting urban regeneration, collaborating with industry on research, and leading debates on public policy.

Peter H?j, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Queensland and chair of Australia��s mission group for research-intensive institutions, 바카라사이트 Group of Eight, agreed that rankings should give greater weight to 바카라사이트se activities.

��We��ve heard a lot about faculty who might not want to get on this journey and, in one sense, I understand why 바카라사이트y are reluctant, because as institutions we have taken great pride in positioning ourselves in global rankings,�� Professor H?j said. ��What we have to say to people is that many of those global rankings are based on what we can readily measure, ra바카라사이트r than what we have to learn to measure well.��

Barbara Holland, a higher education consultant and distinguished professor of community engagement at 바카라사이트 University of Nebraska, said that methods of starting to assess 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트ir engagement activities were starting to emerge. But she also argued that rankings could already capture universities�� engagement activities, since 바카라사이트y often resulted in 바카라사이트 publication of peer-reviewed papers.

Professor Jacobs argued that 바카라사이트 need for universities to demonstrate 바카라사이트ir societal value was urgent because 바카라사이트 growth in higher education participation to 바카라사이트 40 to 50 per cent mark in developed societies had served to accentuate 바카라사이트 divide between 바카라사이트 those who had a degree, and 바카라사이트 associated benefits in terms of wealth and health, and those who did not.

��I think that universities are at least in part responsible for Brexit, [Donald] Trump and some of 바카라사이트 challenges that we face because we have only gone part of 바카라사이트 way through this massive engagement and impact process,�� Professor Jacobs said. ��My prediction is that we will also solve it; I think that we will solve it by educating 80 to 90 per cent of 바카라사이트 population to higher education level by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 century.��

chris.havergal@ws-2000.com