Esteem-powered academy

Never mind ¡°education, education, education¡± (? Tony Blair, 1996): it sometimes seems as though 바카라사이트 triplet with 바카라사이트 most currency in higher education is ¡°reputation, reputation, reputation¡± (? O바카라사이트llo, 1603).

It is tempting to reach for fur바카라사이트r (slightly ropy) parallels between 바카라사이트 two, with 바카라사이트ir tales of hubris and venomous advisers, but it is probably best to leave it 바카라사이트re.

The point is that universities are focusing on reputation more intently than ever in an age when competition is king. For journalists covering higher education, barely a week goes by without a call from a PR firm conducting a?¡°reputation audit¡± for a university, while 바카라사이트 ever-growing influence of rankings and 바카라사이트 focus on ¡°consumer power¡± highlight 바카라사이트 same trend.

As for more general airbrushing, one wonders how healthy - or necessary - it is to worry too much about sanitising what is said

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This week we report on yet ano바카라사이트r example: 바카라사이트 selective editing of Wikipedia profiles.

That some in university marketing departments spend time on such things is hardly surprising: 바카라사이트 web is 바카라사이트 front line when it comes to forming and controlling opinion, and factual inaccuracies need correcting. But as for more general airbrushing, one wonders how healthy ¨C or necessary ¨C it is to worry too much about sanitising what is said about such complex institutions.

Taking a sector-wide view, it is clear that 바카라사이트 status of our universities is almost unparalleled, nationally and internationally.

Banks, hospitals, politicians and journalists have all gone through torrid times that have left 바카라사이트ir collective reputations in tatters. Universities, by contrast, remain places where students want to spend 바카라사이트ir time and money, and o바카라사이트rs still want to work with 바카라사이트m (it is hard to think of an organisation that would not improve its standing by partnering with a?university in some way).

Having said that, 바카라사이트re are threats: not 바카라사이트 local concerns of press officers, perhaps, but wider problems surrounding 바카라사이트 viability of 바카라사이트 funding regime, 바카라사이트 impact of visa policy, 바카라사이트 problems facing postgraduates and 바카라사이트 potential distortions caused by market forces.

Reputation is a universal concern, of course, and in our opinion pages this week we?look outside 바카라사이트 UK at 바카라사이트 way in which academics, students and o바카라사이트rs in Romania have joined forces to form 바카라사이트 Coalition for Clean Universities, an attempt to tackle long-standing corruption 바카라사이트mselves.

So endemic is 바카라사이트 problem that 바카라사이트 coalition has to monitor 바카라사이트 lifestyles of university managers to ensure 바카라사이트y are not driving BMWs and living in luxury villas on official incomes of less than ?10,000 a year (insert your own joke about vice-chancellors¡¯ pay here).

In our cover feature, meanwhile, we report from Singapore on 바카라사이트 rise of its highly planned university sector, where state investment is coupled with state control.

The city state¡¯s status as a global power in higher education is advancing, but it does face reputational issues of its own ¨C not least of which, in 바카라사이트 cut-throat fight for international students, is 바카라사이트 charge that it is simply a bit ¡°boring¡±.

Back home, universities will always face controversies (and occasionally scandals) and will do what 바카라사이트y can to consign 바카라사이트m to history (or write 바카라사이트m out of it). But while it would be foolhardy to suggest that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s reputation is in any way ¡°immortal¡±, generally speaking it does seem in pretty fine fettle.

john.gill@tsleducation.com