Page 168 - VC Message

Leading with Purpose
Messages of the Vice Chancellor OP ED & RENCANA MEDIA

Global rankings are not just a peripheral
concern, they are taken seriously by the
world’s top elite universities as a core
essence of their strategic positioning.
According to QS data, a university’s
global ranking can influence up to 60
per cent of prospective international
students’ decision-making, with academic
reputation and graduate employability
cited as top concerns.
Many global universities now have a
dedicated ranking management team
to align with the highest standards and
performance goals. This is not about
gaming the system, but about aligning
with the best practices to ensure rigorous
standards.
Rankings and ratings are not confined to
the academia alone. From business and
corporations to hospitals and sports,
these provide a yardstick for excellence
and to hold ourselves accountable to
those high benchmarks.
Some concerns are raised and rightly so,
including manipulations and academic
dishonesty in gaming the system,
including unethical practices such as “gift
authorship” of research papers to boost
rankings which have been rightly flagged
by the ranking organisations, highlighting
some gaps and loopholes.
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However, to use these as an argument
to abandon rankings altogether is far-
fetched, where dishonesty in academia
is not caused by rankings per se. The
vast majority of scholars and universities
maintain integrity even as they strive for
excellence.
THE dichotomy of rankings and global Done right, they can push universities Strict obligations to integrity and norms
evaluations has been deepening recently, to meet the highest global standards in and upholding these to the highest
where robust debates have been ongoing education and research, they provide standards are the fundamental essence
on whether university rankings are a an external benchmark as a measure of any academic institution, and this goes
vain pursuit, a “fame game” that distorts against the world’s best. They act as in parallel with the pursuit of excellence
academic priorities or they remain a benchmarks identifying areas for growth through ratings and rankings. Both should
crucial yardstick for higher education. and maintaining the quality of offerings. not be at the expense of the other.
While there would be different arguments Most rankings assess a broad range of Unethical behaviours must be addressed
and both the downsides and positive factors related to quality, from research through strong academic governance
returns from this notion, rankings still impact to employer reputation. This signals and a culture of integrity, rather than by
matter not as an end in themselves, but the compelling need to rebuild strength discarding the ranking systems that,
as a fundamental catalyst for confidence, across multiple dimensions, all areas that in fact, encourage improvement when
accountability and alignment with the matter intrinsically to a university’s mission approached ethically.
world’s highest standards in maintaining Singapore’s universities have penetrated Ranking organisations themselves are
the quality metric. the global top 10 by excelling in research becoming cognisant of these risks, and
In short, rankings have been an output and global presence, and are used new initiatives and methodologies have
inalienable part of the global higher as the main fundamentals for the country’s been created, including tracking research
education landscape. They shape public growth. paper retractions or unethical publication
perceptions of institutional quality for Genuine academic excellence and high practices.
multiple stakeholders – from students and rankings often go hand in hand. The The key essence is to publish more quality
families to employers and governments, world’s top-ranked institutions - MIT, research, not fraudulent research; to raise
influencing enrolment, reputation and life Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, among others metrics by doing better, not by bending
choices.
- did not reach the top just by playing the rules.
The key is to approach rankings with “numbers games” but by a hard fought Another critique that persists is that
a critical yet constructive mindset – to and sustained excellence in scholarship, rankings create undue pressure, enforcing
neither worship the rankings as the teaching, and innovation. Rankings, in a “publish or perish” environment and
ultimate pursuit nor reject them outright. these cases, are a byproduct of true devaluing teaching or community service,
quality and standard by merit. but strategic balance is the key.