This paper discusses empirical comparisons of higher education institutions across world regions. It argues that institutional data systems have the potential for complementing global comparisons promoted by rankings by providing sensible information on institutional size, budgets, staffing, enrolments and activity profiles. With this perspective…

In 2002, "Stepping Forward as Stewards of Place" identified "public engagement" as having the essential qualities of being "place-related," "interactive," "mutually beneficial" and "integrated." The publicly engaged institution was defined as being "fully committed to direct, two-way…

Educationalists are well able to find fault with rankings on numerous grounds and may reject them outright. However, given that they are here to stay, we could also try to improve them wherever possible. All currently published university rankings combine various measures to produce an overall score using an additive approach. The individual…

University rankings have gained popularity around the world, and are now a significant factor shaping reputation. This book is the first comprehensive study of rankings from a global perspective, making an important contribution to our understanding of the rankings phenomenon. (Contains 17 figures, 17 tables and 4 illustrations.)

This article profiles Loren Pope, a college consultant and a former education editor at "The New York Times" who touted "no name" colleges and called the nation's most famous university, Harvard University, a rip-off. In his influential book "Colleges That Change Lives" (Penguin, 1996), Mr. Pope profiled 40 institutions--most of them small…

Since 2002, the University Evaluation Task Force of China University Alumni Association Network (CUAA), "University Weekly" and "21st Century Talent Report" have made joint efforts in the evaluation of higher education institutions in China. Compared with the ranking in 2007, China's University Ranking in the 2008 report is…

The purpose of this exploratory article is to broaden our understanding of institutional reputation. It argues that it is vital to understand how prestigious institutions of higher education evaluate the basis of their own reputations. While accepting the importance of institutional research outputs, which are so critical to the current…

Authorizers are as varied as the schools they oversee. Some are responsible for just one charter, while others monitor hundreds of charters serving tens of thousands of students. Some are school districts, while others are independent statewide boards, universities, not-for-profits, or state education agencies. Regardless of their size and type,…

The Top 100 degree tables published in this edition of Diverse, and the many more detailed tables included on the Diverse Web site, delineate the institutions that have conferred the most master's, doctoral and first professional degrees to students of color in academic year 2007-2008. Each table shows the number of degrees for a specific minority…

University rankings are having a profound effect on both higher education systems and individual universities. In this paper we outline these effects, discuss the desirable characteristics of a good ranking methodology and document existing practice, with an emphasis on the two main international rankings (Shanghai Jiao Tong and THES-QS). We take…

A set of recommendations is provided regarding data collection and reporting to support and facilitate the accreditation process in postsecondary education. The following chapters are provided: (1) introduction (types of accreditation, evaluation of standards, potential users, and the development process); (2) conceptual schema (conceptual…

Argues that college size is a valid, readily available, easily understood, and nonjudgmental criterion that relates directly to other important college characteristics. Therefore, size should be considered the main criterion in the classification of community colleges. Using size as a criterion yields interesting patterns showing how community…

Recent reports by government agencies show concern regarding the extent to which American workers lack the workplace skills necessary to meet the challenges of today's workplace. The Work Keys system, a program developed by American College Testing (ACT) to help improve the job skills of the workforce, is described. A pilot project is being…

In this document we discuss 19 university league tables and ranking systems from around the world. Sixteen of these are "national" league tables collected from ten countries (Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States); three are "international" or…

A taxonomy of potential values conflicts in evaluations is presented. Basis is the distinction of types of conflict (aims vs. means conflicts; qualitative vs. quantitative conflicts). Six areas of values are discussed: the ethical, methodical, social and interactive, legal, economic, and personal values. The taxonomy of conflicts between these…