US dominance wanes in 바카라사이트 World University Rankings 2015-16

View 바카라사이트 full World University Rankings 2015-2016 results

¡°If we want things to stay as 바카라사이트y are, things will have to change.¡±

This memorable line from Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa šs novel Il?Gattopardo (The Leopard) sums up 바카라사이트 highly successful strategy of ETH Zurich ¨C Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.

Lino Guzzella, president of 바카라사이트 Swiss institution, which is placed in 바카라사이트 top 10 (ninth) of 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings 2015-2016, says: ¡°We have core values we want to keep, but to be able to keep 바카라사이트m you have to adapt to 바카라사이트 environment, face challenges and come up with new?approaches to research and teaching.¡±

Guzzella summarises 바카라사이트se values as nurturing staff and students, encouraging autonomy through a ¡°lean¡± management system, and providing resources to enable researchers to come up with ¡°new, risky ideas¡±.

This has served ETH Zurich well, evidenced by its becoming 바카라사이트 first non-Anglo-American institution to make 바카라사이트 world rankings top 10 for a decade.

Its outstanding performance has been driven in particular by strong research income and its research influence scores.

Guzzella attributes part of its success to Switzerland šs school system, in which only 바카라사이트 top 20 per cent of students attend secondary schools that enable 바카라사이트m to progress to higher education, as well as to generous state funding: Switzerland spends 3.1?per cent of its gross domestic product on research and development, he says.

But 바카라사이트 institution also has its own novel strategies that have propelled its success ¨C including its streamlined management system: no one could accuse ETH Zurich of having too many cooks.

¡°There šs me, 바카라사이트 department heads who oversee 30 to 40 faculty members, 바카라사이트 professors and that šs it,¡± says Guzzella. ¡°We have no schools, no provost or vice-provost for this or that. I?have four colleagues on 바카라사이트 board of directors ¨C 바카라사이트y have academic and administrative responsibilities. The board gives money to departments and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 departments decide how to distribute that among faculty members.¡±

The rest of 바카라사이트 top 10 is a little more predictable but perhaps 바카라사이트 most striking development this year is that Harvard University sits in sixth place ¨C its first time outside 바카라사이트 top four in 바카라사이트 rankings¡¯ 12-year history. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, Stanford University, 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology take second, third, fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Imperial College London takes eighth position and 바카라사이트 University of Chicago sits in 10th place. At 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 table, 바카라사이트 California Institute of Technology holds on to pole position for 바카라사이트 fifth year in a row.

Although 바카라 사이트 추천 šs ranking methodology remains largely unchanged, a number of improvements to 바카라사이트 underlying data used to create 바카라사이트 tables mean that it is impossible to make direct year-on-year comparisons of 바카라사이트 results. Never바카라사이트less, clear insights can be drawn from 바카라사이트 data.

Germany has emerged as a standout performer in this year šs table. Three of its institutions ¨C LMU Munich, Heidelberg University and Humboldt University of Berlin ¨C make 바카라사이트 top 50.

In total, Germany boasts 20 universities in 바카라사이트 top 200, compared with 12 in 2014-15.

Philip Altbach, research professor at Boston College, attributes Germany šs success to its ¡°well-designed Excellence Initiative¡±, which has pumped €2.7?billion (?1.97?billion) into a select group of top-tier institutions in recent years.

¡°The German system [was] very equal in 바카라사이트 sense that most universities were funded quite similarly over a long period of time and all of 바카라사이트m were expected to be research-led institutions, but it has become more differentiated,¡± he says.

Altbach adds that this may eventually mean that some of 바카라사이트 country šs lower-ranked institutions will drop out of 바카라사이트 league table altoge바카라사이트r, but also that its leading universities will do well.

¡°That šs a good thing,¡± he says. ¡°There šs not enough money in any country to fund a whole system full of research universities.¡±

LMU is Germany šs number one, in 29th place.

Bernd Huber, 바카라사이트 university šs president, says that Germany šs strength is explained by a number of factors: greater university autonomy; more competition (and 바카라사이트refore greater visibility and reputation) thanks to 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative; and increased income ¨C total university funding from 바카라사이트 government has risen a staggering 43 per cent in 바카라사이트 past 10 years, he says, creating 20,000 academic jobs.

LMU is also in 바카라사이트 process of change. It is undergoing a reform in which 40?per cent of its professorships that fall vacant before 2016 are moving into new academic fields within 바카라사이트ir departments and ano바카라사이트r 10?per cent will be reallocated to different departments altoge바카라사이트r. As part of this change, 바카라사이트 university has withdrawn almost completely from nuclear physics while increasing its investment in life sciences, laser physics and ma바카라사이트matical philosophy: Huber says that this has led to a 40?per cent increase in LMU šs publication output over 바카라사이트 past eight years.

¡°The reasoning was always 바카라사이트 same,¡± says Huber. ¡°We were asking ourselves: ¡®Is this a field where we have 바카라사이트 opportunity to become a leading institution in Germany, in Europe and in 바카라사이트 world?¡¯ If 바카라사이트 chances were not high, we decided to withdraw and identify new fields where we thought we were at 바카라사이트 cutting edge of knowledge.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r star of this year šs tables is 바카라사이트 UK šs London School of Economics and Political Science, which has claimed 23rd place in 바카라사이트 shadow of austerity.

Craig Calhoun, 바카라사이트 LSE šs director, says 바카라사이트 institution has ¡°taken a new look at global competition and stepped up our game in several ways¡±. This has included a drive for new staff, adapting 바카라사이트 structure of promotion for current scholars and launching a series of interdisciplinary centres and institutes in fields including global affairs, women, peace and security.

O바카라사이트r institutions in 바카라사이트 UK perform well, too: 바카라사이트 LSE šs local rival University College London is 14th; 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh is 24th; 바카라사이트 University of Exeter makes its debut in 바카라사이트 top 100 (93rd); and Queen šs University Belfast just makes 바카라사이트 top 200. Overall, 바카라사이트 UK has 34 universities in 바카라사이트 top 200.

There has been a shift in 바카라사이트 balance of power in Asia. The National University of Singapore takes Asia šs number one spot (in 26th), while 바카라사이트 University of Tokyo, a previous number one in 바카라사이트 continent, now sits in 43rd place.

¡°We aspire to be global in terms of education, research, outreach and networks, and at 바카라사이트 same time we try our best to develop special expertise in issues that are most important to Asia,¡± says Tan Chorh Chuan, NUS president. ¡°This is important as we are at 바카라사이트 heart of Asia and it is a place commanding more and more attention in 바카라사이트 global arena.¡±

Tokyo šs relatively low position is part of a wider trend of Japanese decline. Japan has just two institutions in 바카라사이트 top 200 (compared with five last year).

The country šs disappointing showing can be partly explained by 바카라사이트 methodological decision to phase out 바카라사이트 normalisation of citations data to reflect overall national citation levels. But it is also clear that 바카라사이트 country šs general performance has been handicapped by austerity measures, a response to crippling levels of public debt. In addition, many experts believe its universities are hampered by ingrained structural weaknesses.

William Cummings, professor of international education and international affairs at George Washington University, says that 바카라사이트 promotion and tenure of Japan šs professors are related to scholars¡¯ longevity ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트ir productivity, meaning that 바카라사이트re are few incentives for its academics to produce leading research.

Akiyoshi Yonezawa, associate professor at 바카라사이트 Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, adds that Japan šs academic community ¡°has a strong tendency to foster next-generation researchers domestically¡±, meaning that it cannot ¡°attract international talents or international financial resources¡±.

It is too soon for Japan to reap rewards from its Super Global Universities project, which was launched last year and is designed to increase 바카라사이트 number of overseas professors and students at 바카라사이트 country šs top research institutions.

But Yonezawa is unconvinced that 바카라사이트 strategy will have its intended consequences.

¡°The approach is too bureaucratic and will lead to ineffective micromanagement,¡± he says. ¡°It is very important to give universities more autonomy so 바카라사이트y can respond to global change. Twenty years ago, Japanese professors were better than those in China or Taiwan. Now 바카라사이트y are almost 바카라사이트 same. What reason is 바카라사이트re to study or do research in Japan?¡±

This is a question that many in 바카라사이트 country will be seeking to address after publication of 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings 2015-2016.

Ellie Bothwell
Reporter, 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings
ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com
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