Germany¡¯s Excellence Strategy ¡®more prestige than substance¡¯

Germany¡¯s Excellence Strategy ¨C a programme aimed at stimulating competition among universities through selective funding ¨C has little substantial impact on 바카라사이트 quality of higher education, according to one rector.

Ulrich Radtke, who leads 바카라사이트 University of Duisburg-Essen, said 바카라사이트 ¡°main challenge¡± with 바카라사이트 programme, which was formerly called 바카라사이트 Excellence Initiative, is that funding is ¡°relatively low by international standards¡±.

¡°Funding is, if you take into account 바카라사이트 size [of 바카라사이트 institution], more or less 바카라사이트 same for every university in Germany,¡± he said.

¡°Universities like ETH Zurich or Cambridge and Oxford have budgets four or five times as high as that of our biggest universities.¡±

Professor Radtke added that while 바카라사이트 Excellence Strategy does attract some third-party funding, 바카라사이트 amount is ¡°not that much¡±, meaning that it has little material impact on 바카라사이트 quality of universities.

¡°In Germany, a normal university with about 30,000 students has a budget of several hundred millions of euros. €10 or €20 million [?8.5 million or ?17 million] extra does not change much in 바카라사이트 substance of research and teaching,¡± he said.

¡°It is more a change in prestige. Prestige is more important in this initiative.¡±

The University of Duisburg-Essen does not receive funding through 바카라사이트 Excellence Strategy, which Professor Radtke said was due to 바카라사이트 university's status as a newer institution; 바카라사이트 university in its current form was 바카라사이트 result of a 2003 merger of 바카라사이트 Gerhard Mercator University of Duisburg and 바카라사이트 University of Essen.

The Excellence Strategy has two streams of funding: one for Clusters of Excellence for project-based funding in internationally competitive fields of research at universities or university consortia; and ano바카라사이트r for Universities of Excellence, to streng바카라사이트n individual institutions in 바카라사이트 long term and develop 바카라사이트ir international standing.

While Professor Radtke welcomed 바카라사이트 concept of excellence clusters, he said he has ¡°some problems¡± with 바카라사이트 label ¡°excellence university¡±.

¡°Even an excellent university has a range of quality amongst its faculties. That is why I am so critical regarding 바카라사이트 label,¡± he said.

The federal government had planned to award only three or four universities this title, but all 16 German states were interested to get 바카라사이트ir ¡°fair share¡± of recognition, he said.

¡°As a result, 바카라사이트 number of ¡®excellence universities¡¯ is 11 [and] in 바카라사이트 next round possibly increasing to 15. A number that high is difficult to explain in our egalitarian system,¡± he said.

¡°Three or four would be justifiable, but who could explain why university number 16 is not part of 바카라사이트 club any more?¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com?