Impact and Influence of Rankings — The View from Inside Higher Education

Abstract

Due to very high competition, universities are looking for ways that might increase their position in rankings. It often happens that they are adjusting their programmes, missions or are trying to get into cooperation with highly prestigious universities (Faculty, Poland). If we are not very careful the long term effect will be universities focussing on natural sciences alone, that carries no responsibility for outreach activities and where teaching is something you devote as little effort to as possible (Faculty, Denmark). Experience of rankings The annual publication of university rankings has perpetrated a feeding-frenzy that sends shock-waves throughout the higher education system worldwide. Few HE leaders are unaware of global rankings, and most have familiarity with either national or global rankings (Adams and Baker, 2010; Jaschik, 2009c). While many HE leaders claim they do not overemphasize rankings, few HE leaders or senior administrators are either unaware of their own rank or that of their national or international peers. The increasing hype surrounding rankings is treated with a mixture of growing alarm, scepticism and, in an increasing number of instances, with meaningful engagement with the process of collecting the necessary data and responding to the results. University administrators are said to be the 'most engaged and obsessively implicated' E. Hazelkorn, Rankings and the Reshaping of Higher Education