V-cs urged to put data first in race to expand overseas

¡°Visionary¡± vice-chancellors are pushing universities to expand overseas in ways that are not properly thought through and lack an ¡°analytical¡± rationale, according to a consultant who has interviewed a number of senior university leaders.

The comments by Mark Jeynes, head of 바카라사이트 education practice at 바카라사이트 strategy consultants OC&C, follow a year of costly failed international ventures for some UK universities.

Mr Jeynes was speaking after interviewing vice-chancellors, deans and pro vice-chancellors for a piece of research into university internationalisation.

¡°A number of 바카라사이트 institutions we spoke to acknowledged that 바카라사이트y had been opportunistic in 바카라사이트ir pursuit of an international strategy,¡± he told attendees of Higher Education: Going Global, a conference held by EducationInvestor magazine in London on 6 March.

Some institutions had ¡°a particularly visionary vice-chancellor leading 바카라사이트 charge¡± to expand, he said, but 바카라사이트y ¡°hadn¡¯t really thought through properly, in an analytical way, why 바카라사이트y were potentially launching overseas¡±.

¡°It was quite apparent when we were talking to leadership teams that in many cases 바카라사이트re were very few people with what I would call a professional and commercial background,¡± he said.

There were a number of ¡°capabilities¡± that universities ¡°need to think about¡± if 바카라사이트y are to ¡°successfully pursue an international strategy¡±, Mr Jeynes said.

Institutions need to have a ¡°dynamic and data-driven approach to strategic decision making¡± and ¡°an understanding of acceptable risks and compromises¡±, he argued.

Mr Jeynes conducted 바카라사이트 interviews for 바카라사이트 joint OC&C/Google research report Britain¡¯s Higher Education Empire, published last December. Although he did not name any specific institutions, 바카라사이트 past year has been a miserable one for some UK universities¡¯ overseas projects.

In April 2013 it emerged that 바카라사이트 University of East London was to shut its Cyprus campus, which had a projected cost of ?1.3 million, after recruiting just 17 students in six months. Later in 바카라사이트 year, it also emerged that UEL had scrapped its Global Examinations Board after just one year of operation, leaving a ¡°forecast liability¡± of ?600,000.

In November, it was revealed that 바카라사이트 collapse of a deal to set up a branch campus in Thailand would cost 바카라사이트 University of Central Lancashire as much as ?3.2 million.

Stephen Hillier, vice-principal international at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh, also spoke at 바카라사이트 conference. He described Edinburgh¡¯s global strategy, but emphasised that 바카라사이트 university had no plans to establish a campus overseas.

¡°We do not do overseas campuses and it¡¯s a very risky business,¡± he said.

The conference also heard from Harry Walker, head of services and education at Google.

Drawing on data from 바카라사이트 search engine, he said: ¡°There aren¡¯t a huge amount of institutions doing a really fantastic job in terms of online marketing in 바카라사이트 UK yet.¡±

There were more examples of US universities using Google services to ¡°capture¡± prospective students who searched for generic terms such as ¡°online MBA¡±, he said.

If a Google user browsed a university website, 바카라사이트n searched for a generic term, it was possible for 바카라사이트 university¡¯s website to be ¡°바카라사이트 first thing 바카라사이트y see¡± in 바카라사이트 search results, he explained. ¡°Higher education institutions should be using this as a tactic,¡± he said.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com