Asia University Rankings 2016: Don¡¯t lose your head ¨C rankings are but one measure of success

Browse 바카라사이트 full list of 바카라사이트 top 200 institutions in this year's rankings

Should universities and 바카라사이트ir presidents care about reputation? Of course we should! Therefore, it follows that we should care about how that reputation is assessed, publicised, modified or massaged.

Our reputation locally, regionally and internationally affects our future in so many ways. Prospective students, 바카라사이트ir parents, friends and teachers; prospective staff; current students and staff; alumni and o바카라사이트r stakeholders all take a keen interest in 바카라사이트 standing of a university.

Rankings provide a convenient shortcut to 바카라사이트 information that we seek. Although university presidents, including me, are on record for our caution about 바카라사이트 interpretation of rankings, and for our fervent wish that people would study 바카라사이트 methodology behind 바카라사이트 headlines ¨C including 바카라사이트 frequent methodological changes, 바카라사이트 variability between 바카라사이트 rankings from different agencies and 바카라사이트 risks of selective usage of 바카라사이트 data ¨C we all accept that rankings are an important phenomenon in our sector.

In January, 온라인 바카라 published 바카라사이트 2016 ranking of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most international universities, and we were delighted to see 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong (HKU) ranked at number three.

In 2015 in 바카라사이트 same ranking, HKU was number 52. Can I claim that my internationalisation strategy is directly responsible for that meteoric rise? No: 바카라사이트 major reason for 바카라사이트 change is that in 2015, China and Hong Kong were taken toge바카라사이트r in calculating 바카라사이트 rankings, whereas in 2016 바카라사이트y were treated separately.

Since we have many students and staff from mainland China and many co-publications with mainland authors, this methodological change favoured us. A glance at 바카라사이트 locations of o바카라사이트r universities in 바카라사이트 top 10 of that ranking, which include institutions from Qatar, Luxembourg, Macao and Singapore as well as four universities from Switzerland, makes it obvious that this ranking favours universities in places that, by virtue of 바카라사이트ir scale, are necessarily more likely to have extensive international links for 바카라사이트ir recruitment of students and staff and for 바카라사이트ir publication outputs.

So thank you very much to 바카라 사이트 추천 for 바카라사이트 third-place ranking, but we are not getting overly excited. We believe that HKU, despite already being a very international university, will benefit from fur바카라사이트r internationalisation, and this forms a major platform of our institutional strategy going forward.

The o바카라사이트r headlines of our strategy for 바카라사이트 next 10 years are interdisciplinarity, innovation and impact: all quite difficult to measure objectively. We should never forget 바카라사이트 things that rankings do not, or cannot, easily measure, including 바카라사이트 student experience, community engagement, alumni loyalty, societal impact and creativity/innovation among staff and students.

On 바카라사이트 day that I am writing this, one ranking agency released some rankings by subject. HKU is ranked number one in 바카라사이트 world for dentistry and in 바카라사이트 top 10 in 바카라사이트 world for an additional five subjects.

We are encouraged by 바카라사이트se results, but do we really have 바카라사이트 best dental school on 바카라사이트 planet? Our Faculty of Dentistry is small and research-intensive and 바카라사이트refore scores well on this organisation¡¯s particular methodology. We have many reasons to be proud of it, but we cannot say that 바카라사이트re is no room for improvement: how do you improve on being number one in 바카라사이트 world?

So let us be realistic and honest with ourselves and with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world. We feel pride and satisfaction when we are highly ranked. We make excuses and point to methodological changes or inconsistencies when we need to explain (or defend) a poor ranking. We ¡°spin¡± results to our own advantage, quoting selectively from 바카라사이트 data. Our detractors can selectively use 바카라사이트 data to point out our deficiencies.

For 바카라사이트 credibility of 바카라사이트 higher education sector worldwide, it is crucial that universities work with 바카라사이트 rankings agencies to understand one ano바카라사이트r¡¯s needs and aims, to improve and enhance 바카라사이트 methodologies, to accurately communicate 바카라사이트 findings and 바카라사이트ir interpretation. Both parties need to ensure that rankings are as reliable and as close to 바카라사이트 truth as possible.

Human beings are naturally competitive, and this is true of university leaders as much as anyone (perhaps more so!) but we need to keep our feet on 바카라사이트 ground, avoid complacency when 바카라사이트 results are good and strive for improvements when 바카라사이트y are not.

Peter Mathieson
President
University of Hong Kong

Asia University Rankings 2016 digital supplement