10Th October 2014

MARKET NEWS AND MEDIA REVIEW BULLETIN: 30TH SEPTEMBER – 10TH OCTOBER 2014

Compiled by Jamie Aston

Contents

Summary Section - UK

- USA and Canada

- Australia and New Zealand

- Asia

- International

Full Articles - UK

- USA and Canada

- Australia and New Zealand

- Asia

- International

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Summary Section

UK Back to top

UK universities slip down international rankings :: BBC :: 2nd October

Three UK universities have lost their place in the top 200 of a global higher education league table.

The universities of Reading, Dundee and Newcastle slipped out of the top 200 of the Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings for 2014-15.

Toolkit maps HE ‘cold spots', links to economic growth :: University World News :: 2nd October

A new interactive toolkit developed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, or HEFCE, has the potential to boost socio-economic development in the United Kingdom – and in future possibly allow previously higher education-deprived youngsters a chance to study.

'Harmful' UK student visa policy 'baffles' top academic :: BBC :: 7th October

The UK's policy on student visas is baffling, the vice-chancellor of Oxford University has told an audience of academics.

USA and Canada Back to top

Pilot program launched for 15 business schools, including Wharton and Harvard :: Find MBA :: 3rd October

The loans will be available for international students at 15 business schools, including the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, Harvard Business School, and MIT Sloan School of Management, among others. (See a complete list of business schools below.)

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New Study Shows International Students Increasingly Tap Wireless Devices To Make U.S. Higher Ed Choices :: PR News Wire :: 2nd October

More than $63.3 Million Awarded to Colleges and Universities to Strengthen Global Competitiveness through International Studies and World Language Training :: U.S. Department of Education :: 8th October

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of 269 grants, totaling $63,354,605 to institutions of higher education to strengthen the capacity and performance of American education in foreign languages, international and area studies, teacher preparation, and international business education.

USA: Focus on pathway programmes and quality control among IEPs :: The Pie News :: 9th October

The US’s English language industry is gaining momentum almost a year after the sector as a whole pulled its socks up to comply with the Accreditation of English Language Training Programs act.

Australia and New Zealand Back to top

Melbourne University keeps top Australian spot in global rankings :: The Age :: 2nd October

Melbourne University has entrenched its place as Australia's highest-ranking tertiary institution but failed to reclaim its position in the world's top 30.

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Australia’s universities face ‘inevitable decline’ :: University World News :: 9th October

The peak body representing Australian public universities has called on a Senate committee to back the government’s plans to lift restrictions on vice-chancellors setting their own tuition fees, warning that unless this was done “the performance, competitiveness and reputation of higher education would be condemned to a path of inevitable decline”.

Asia Back to top

University boycott extended as democracy movement escalates :: University World News :: 30th September

Hong Kong university students – part of a huge, often spontaneous pro-democracy movement that has occupied the streets of central Hong Kong in recent days – said last Monday that they would extend their week-long boycott of classes to an indefinite one.

China’s Communist Party keeps lid on Western-style democracy hopes :: The Australian :: 8th October

Exposure to Western-style university education in China does not arouse democratic aspirations among students because Communist Party control remains surprisingly tight, researchers say.

China, India to drive postgraduate mobility over next 10 years :: The Pie News :: 6th October

China and India are expected to propel growth in postgraduate student mobility over the next decade in all leading study destinations, according to forecasts by the British Council. Its latest Education Intelligence report specifically on postgraduate forecasting has been presented at AIEC.

International Back to top

Times Higher Education World University Rankings :: Times Higher Education :: 2nd October

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The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-2015 powered by Thomson Reuters are the only global university performance tables to judge world class universities across all of their core missions - teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. The top universities rankings employ 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available, which are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.

World University Rankings 2014-2015 show US strength on the wane :: Times Higher Education :: 2nd October

Evidence is emerging of a decline in the power of US universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-2015, despite the California Institute of Technology’s claim on the top spot for the fourth consecutive year.

How do we assess the impact of internationalisation? :: University World News :: 3rd October

Of course, assessment is not something new for many engaged with the internationalisation of higher education. However, current practices often take a one-dimensional, limited view as compared to a big-picture, holistic view of the impact of internationalisation strategies.

LinkedIn reveals university rankings based on career outcomes :: The Pie News :: 9th October

At a time when graduate employment is an increasingly driving force for students in the HE decision making process, online professional network LinkedIn (LI) has announced its first ever university rankings based on career outcomes across the USA, UK and Canada for specific programmes, generating some surprising results.

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Full Articles

UK Back to top

UK universities slip down international rankings By Katherine Sellgren :: BBC :: 2nd October http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29429466

Three UK universities have lost their place in the top 200 of a global higher education league table.

The universities of Reading, Dundee and Newcastle slipped out of the top 200 of the Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings for 2014-15.

Five others - Heriot-Watt, Keele, Liverpool John Moores University, Loughborough and the University of Surrey - are no longer in the top 400.

However, Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London remain in the top 10.

Holding on to the top spot for the fourth consecutive year is the California Institute of Technology in the United States.

Harvard University is in second place and the University of Oxford is in third.

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Capital appeal

London has the greatest concentration of first-class universities with four in the top 40 - more than any other city in the world - and seven in the top 200.

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Leading Asian institutions are continuing to rise up the rankings.

Asia now has 24 universities in the world top 200, up from 20 last year. Two Asian universities - Tokyo University and the National University of Singapore - now make the world top 25 and six others make the top 50.

The rankings rate universities worldwide on 13 measures including teaching, research and international outlook - such as numbers of overseas students and staff.

Phil Baty, the editor of THE World University Rankings, said that, while the UK had more top- 200 universities than any other nation except the US, the new data raised a number of key concerns.

"Overall, the UK's representation among the world's leading universities is declining - three leading names fell out of the top 200 this year, and two others occupy 198th and 199th place.

"Five UK universities lost their top 400 places. This loss of power and influence is not good for the UK's overall competitiveness in the global knowledge economy."

Mr Baty also raised concerns about the dominance of the south-east of England in the rankings.

"The five top UK institutions in the world are all from the South East 'golden triangle' of Oxford, Cambridge and London. Indeed, of the nine English universities in the world top 100, six are from London and the South East."

Reading University Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Bell, said although the placing was disappointing, "we do remain ranked among the world's best universities.

"We do world-class work on issues of critical global importance like climate change, food security and public health. And we have long-term investment plans in place as we seek to return to the top 200 as quickly as possible.

"One cannot read too much into a single year's rankings. Global league tables are highly volatile indicators. The fact that some UK universities have risen and fallen up to almost 40 places year-on-year shows it is much more important to look at longer-term trends over time."

Sir David said pressure from overseas institutions showed "the critical importance for government to sustain research funding and implement a clear immigration policy so we keep the doors open to talented overseas students and staff."

A spokesman for Dundee University said: "This latest result comes in the context of improved standings for Dundee in several other league tables, including the 2014 National Student Survey, in which we achieved record results, and the latest Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey, which rated us top in Scotland and joint 4th in the UK.

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"The THE World University Rankings demonstrate the increasing competition facing UK universities from higher education institutions in emerging economies across the world."

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: "It is of course disappointing to drop down to 202 in the Times Higher rankings, but, in the case of THE there does seem to be a sector-wide effect with many more UK universities losing ground to Asia-Pacific institutions.

"This may be as a result of the methodology, or the simple fact that other universities have improved at a faster pace than the UK as a result of increased government investment."

Levels of research income for the university were more than £120m, student satisfaction was high and 94% of Newcastle graduates were in work or further education within six months of leaving Newcastle, the spokesman added.

The general secretary of the University and College Union, Sally Hunt, said: "We have to recognise that our standing is under threat if we don't match our competitors.

"The Asian countries are seeing their universities climb the table because of strong support from government, while we face further cuts. Unless we wake up to this reality, we risk falling behind."

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Toolkit maps HE ‘cold spots', links to economic growth By Peta Lee :: University World News :: 2nd October http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20141002152429563

Source data URL :: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/crosscutting/coldspots/

New data published by HEFCE unravels links between economic growth and higher education provision, and also pinpoints ‘cold spots’ in higher education provision and participation across England.

Additionally, the data paints a clear picture of graduate employment and mobility, apart from the benefits to communities of local higher education institutions.

For instance, in areas around Liverpool and Manchester where fewer than 16% of adults hold a higher education qualification, unemployment stands at nearly 10%. Around Cambridge, where more than one in four adults holds a higher education qualification, unemployment rates are lower than 4%.

The maps distinctly show that ‘cold spots’ exist along the Cumbrian coast, in the border areas between England and Wales, from Kent to the Wash, Humberside and North Yorkshire, and in the southwest, for instance.

Professor Madeleine Atkins, HEFCE chief executive, said issues linked to higher education 'cold spots' could be complex.

However, thanks to the new toolkit: “Higher education providers, working with their local enterprise partnerships, will be able to establish a detailed picture of higher education in their localities, enabling them to identify any gaps in provision, participation and the supply of graduates.

“This provides a strong evidence base to explore potential solutions for delivering local economic recovery and growth.”

She said tertiary institutions had a key role to play as economic and social “anchors” in their local and wider communities.

“Working with local partners in this way to reach a joint understanding of the issues that affect them collectively, they can make an important contribution to the ongoing development of strategic economic plans and also, of course, make informed decisions about where and when to invest different forms of funding.”

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Toolkit catalyst

The catalyst for the toolkit’s development was a request earlier in the year from then universities and science minister David Willetts to Atkins, acknowledging the presence of ‘cold spots’ and requesting consideration of removing the cap on student numbers from 2015-16.

He suggested this might “contribute to the development of new, collaborative approaches to tertiary provision in areas which currently lack these facilities”.

Willetts added that a report from Universities UK on the economic impact of higher education showed that the sector in Britain contributed an output of more than £73 billion (US$118 billion) and more than 750,000 full-time jobs in 2011-12.

“This equates to 2.8% of gross domestic product,” he wrote, up from 2.3% in 2007-08. The figures also showed an increase on the year before, a reminder that higher education continued to be counter-cyclical and pivotal to driving long-term, sustainable growth.

Local enterprise partnerships have identified lack of tertiary provision as a brake on local growth in some areas. With the help of the toolkit, these gaps can be directly pinpointed and, hopefully, filled.

Willetts said that some of the recognised ‘cold spots', or lack of higher education facilities in areas like the southwest and East Anglia, definitely hampered local growth.

In the past, artificial constraints on student numbers had blocked the development of new provision and facilities in these regions.

“Number controls were a barrier to aspiration. Lifting the cap on student numbers from 2015- 16 removes this, allowing institutions to increase their fees income where they can develop provision to meet previously unmet demand.”

Revealing

Data from the toolkit highlights revealing statistics.

In Leeds and Birmingham, for instance, where there is a relatively high number of higher education institutions, the proportion of young people progressing to higher education was lower than expected in relation to General Certificate of Secondary Education, or GCSE, attainment.

Yet around Liverpool, despite some of the lowest UK levels of young people entering higher education, participation is actually higher than expected once GCSE attainment is taken into account.

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In his letter to Atkins, Willetts had asked for a collaboration with higher education institutions, the Skills Funding Agency, further education colleges and local enterprise partnerships to identify ‘cold spots’, and for proposals on “new approaches to encourage coherent tertiary offers in areas where there is demand for this provision”.

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'Harmful' UK student visa policy 'baffles' top academic By Judith Burns :: BBC News :: 7th October http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29522229

The UK's policy on student visas is baffling, the vice-chancellor of Oxford University has told an audience of academics.

Prof Andrew Hamilton said when he travelled abroad "one question persists - why has the UK adopted a visa system so hostile to student entry?"

"I do my best to answer but, frankly, the question baffles me as well."

The Home Office said the idea the visa system deterred international students was "not borne out by the facts".

But Prof Hamilton said the policy of limiting international student numbers was now harming the UK.

"For the first time in decades, the number of international students at our universities has dropped, most markedly from India," he said.

'Evidence'

"Why are we doing this to them - and to ourselves?"

The government's policy of tightening up the student visa system has been criticised as damaging to the ability of UK universities to recruit economically valuable international students.

Prof Hamilton used his annual oration to the university to urge political parties to end student migrant targets and to use research-based evidence in forming election policies, particularly on immigration.

He cited recent research by Oxford's Migration Observatory, which, he argued, showed the public did not link overseas student numbers with immigration issues.

"Study is the least frequent answer given when the public are asked what they consider the motives for migration to be," Prof Hamilton said.

"Student migration simply isn't an issue for them and there are few votes in restricting overseas student numbers.

"There are signs that this reality is beginning to dawn across the political spectrum - something to be welcomed and encouraged ahead of the election."

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'Public benefit'

He added that university research could help shed light on "complex political and policy challenges" and "defy the temptation to reach for simple or simplistic answers".

"In essence, we can provide the data, the understanding and the analysis to underpin arguments and the possible solutions for the problems we all face," he said.

Prof Hamilton called for more recognition of the huge public benefit that higher education brought to the UK - "sadly benefit which far outstrips the level of public investment in our sector".

He noted that UK public investment in higher education stood at 0.9% of gross domestic product (GDP), "one of the lowest in Europe", and urged politicians to come up with "properly developed policies on higher education", which would benefit not only students and universities, but would also be "hugely beneficial to the public good".

A Home Office spokesman said there had been "significant increases in students from countries such as China, Brazil and Malaysia".

"The UK is open to the brightest and best and we have been very clear that there is no limit on the number of international students who can study in the UK.

"Whilst the government has not shied away from taking tough action on abuse, we continue to welcome genuine students to our world-class universities.

"The UK remains the second most popular destination for international higher education students, after the USA, with latest figures showing a rise of 5% for university visa applications and an 8% increase for Russell Group universities."

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USA and Canada Back to top

Pilot program launched for 15 business schools, including Wharton and Harvard By (Not Stated) :: Find MBA :: 3rd October http://find-mba.com/news/2014/10/new-loan-scheme-available-for-international-students- doing-their-mba-in-the-us

The loans are capped at the cost of tuition, and can only be used for tuition. Foreign full-time MBA students are eligible to apply, while US citizens and permanent residents are ineligible.

Many banks don't lend to students who are studying internationally. To fill this need, Prodigy Finance uses a "community finance" model, by which alumni help fund loans that are intended for current students. Loan recipients pay interest of between 6 and 12 percent, depending on their profile and current Libor rates, which means that the alumni providing the money receive a return on their investment. Terms vary by business school.

Since launching in 2007, Prodigy Finance has distributed around $50 million to some 1,300 students. It provides loan schemes to students doing their MBAs at business schools all over the world, including Germany's ESMT, France's HEC Paris, Singapore's NUS Business School, and the UK's Oxford University Said Business Schools, among others.

In the US pilot program, loans are available for international students doing their MBAs at the following business schools:

 Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business  Cornell University - Johnson Graduate School of Management  Dartmouth College – Tuck School of Business  Georgetown University - McDonough School of Business  Harvard Business School  MIT - Sloan School of Management  New York University - Stern School of Business  Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management  UCLA - Anderson School of Management  UNC - Chapel Hill - Kenan-Flagler Business School  University of Chicago - Booth School of Business  University of Virginia - Darden School of Business  University of California - Berkeley Haas School of Business

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 Duke University - Fuqua School of Business  University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School

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New Study Shows International Students Increasingly Tap Wireless Devices To Make U.S. Higher Ed Choices By (Not stated) :: PR News Wire :: 2nd October http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-shows-international-students- increasingly-tap-wireless-devices-to-make-us-higher-ed-choices-277867981.html

Source report :: WES :: http://wenr.wes.org/2014/10/bridging-the-digital-divide-segmenting- and-recruiting-international-millennial-students/

International students are increasingly using wireless devices to research and select colleges and universities that best meet their higher education needs and many American schools might not be keeping pace with the trend. A new survey, released at the World Education Services (WES) 40th Anniversary Forum, shows 56% of international Millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) used a smartphone to search for and apply to U.S. colleges and universities while 26% had used a tablet. The report also revealed that a large number of the students will be funding their own education, with 66% indicating "financial support from family and friends" as a first option, while "personal savings" was the second choice with 38% of the respondents. The research further analyzes the responses and behaviors of the students by dividing them into four distinct segments — Explorers, Highfliers, Strivers, and Strugglers— based upon their academic preparedness and financial resources.* The study was conducted by WES, a nonprofit international-education research company that is also a leading provider of credential evaluation services to international students, universities and colleges throughout the United States and Canada.

"The survey results certainly highlight the fact that worldwide Millennial students are just as technologically savvy as their American peers. Clearly, the world of recruiting international students is changing and U.S. higher education institutions really have to adapt their recruitment strategies to reflect this reality. If they do not, they are setting themselves up for failure in this very important and competitive segment," said Rahul Choudaha, chief knowledge officer and senior director of strategic development of World Education Services. "Our research provides a valuable opportunity for colleges and universities to improve and even enact more effective international enrollment strategies which are future ready."

In the WES survey of nearly 5,000 international Millennial students who seek to earn a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree, 91% selected the college/university website as their main source of information and organic web searching came in as the second most popular method with 71%. The top fields of study by interest were Business/Management with 27% of the students, followed by 18% Engineering, and 13% Health Professions. The top two reasons noted for studying in the U.S. were to expand career and life opportunities (79%) and that more quality higher education options were available outside of the respondents' home countries (78%). Overall, the largest numbers of survey participants were from China and India, countries which also represent the two main sources of international students now studying in the United States.

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More than $63.3 Million Awarded to Colleges and Universities to Strengthen Global Competitiveness through International Studies and World Language Training By U.S. Department of Education Press Office :: U.S. Department of Education :: 8th October https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/more-633-million-awarded-colleges-and- universities-strengthen-global-competitive

"Life in the 21st century means adapting to the most hyper-connected, interdependent world we've ever seen," said Secretary Duncan. "To help keep America safe, partner effectively with our allies, and collaborate with other nations in solving global challenges, we need professionals with solid cultural knowledge and language skills that cover all parts of the globe. These grants will enable more students and educators to gain global competencies that equip them with an understanding and openness to cultures and languages around the globe, as well as the 21st century skills needed to preserve a rich, multicultural society and thriving democracy right here at home."

Funded under five programs authorized by Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, these grants are designed to help the United States enhance its leadership role in world markets, global engagement, and scholarship. This year, funded projects address the Administration's goal of broadening access to international and foreign language education by traditionally underserved students, faculty and institutions through collaboration with Minority-Serving Institutions, community colleges, and teacher education programs. Also for the first time, grantees will take financial need into consideration when awarding fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students in language and area studies training programs.

These five programs are:

 Centers for International Business Education (CIBEs): $4,571,400 to 17 institutions of higher education. CIBEs provide consulting on international business and marketing to businesses in their areas, develop business language curriculum, and teach international business topics to undergraduate and graduate students. They also provide instruction in critical foreign languages and international fields to improve understanding of the cultures of countries that trade with the United States. Grantees will partner with businesses and professional associations to offer internships and other real-world experience to prepare career-ready international business students.

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 Language Resource Centers (LRCs): $2,799,168 to 16 institutions of higher education. These centers serve to improve the nation's capacity to teach and learn foreign languages effectively through activities such as developing teaching materials for K- 16 foreign language instruction; research and dissemination of effective language teaching methods, conducting intensive summer language institutes; and training in administering and interpreting language performance tests.  National Resource Centers (NRCs): $22,743,107 to 100 institutions of higher education. These centers teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels and conduct research focused on specific world regions, international studies and the teaching of less commonly taught languages. Activities include K-16 teacher training programs that provide a keen understanding of the culture, history, politics, and economics of these regions; working with overseas institutions of higher education and other organizations located in the NRC's area of study, and collaborative projects with other centers and institutions that address themes of global importance.  Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships: $30,398,500 to 105 institutions of higher education to support FLAS fellowships at 118 colleges and universities. The FLAS fellowship program complements the NRC program, providing opportunities for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students to engage in area studies and world language training at schools that have established a FLAS fellowship program. Academic year and summer fellowships may be used at the home institution or an approved overseas program.  Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Education (UISFL): $2,842,430 for new grant awards to 31 institutions of higher education or partnerships between nonprofit educational organizations and institutions of higher education. Grants may be used for planning, developing, and carrying out programs to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages in the United States.

The Department also announced the award of $649,700 for ten continuation grants to the American Overseas Research Centers and $380,434 for three continuation grants for the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language program.

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USA: Focus on pathway programmes and quality control among IEPs By Farryl Last :: The Pie News :: 9th October http://thepienews.com/news/usa-focus-pathway-programmes-quality-control-among-ieps/

The US’s English language industry is gaining momentum almost a year after the sector as a whole pulled its socks up to comply with the Accreditation of English Language Training Programs act.

Growth is being driven by continued quality control and major expansion into pathway programmes that has sparked the government to release regulation guidance for sector comment.

Earlier this month, sector leaders gathered at the second annual English USA stakeholders conference which saw incremental growth since last year reflecting the surge in activity in the sector.

“The demographics are showing that the numbers are increasing every year, and with that comes more responsibilities, how best to serve the students and still grow our individual programmes,” Ken Krall, immediate-past Vice President of EnglishUSA told The PIE News.

“There’s enough students to go around, and we need to make sure we keep emphasising the US as the destination and compete with other English-speaking countries,” he said adding “it’s a good time now, but we need to make sure that we keep concentrating on that.”

At the event, accreditation agencies ACCET and CEA reported a “boom” in membership since the Accreditation act resulting in increased collaboration between the two bodies and the government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).

ACCET reported that between 2010 and 2014, membership has increased from 43 accredited IEP institutions to 93 (a rise from 227 to 293 sites).

Likewise, CEA now has 275 sites compared to 190 at this time last year and 102 in December 2011.

Meanwhile English USA’s membership has swelled to over 350 members.

With this drive, stakeholders are pushing to remain competitive on a global scale by expanding into pathway provision.

Speaking at the conference, NAFSA president Fanta Aw noted that increased internationalisation strategies among higher education providers are bringing in more students who need ESL instruction.

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But Aw warned that as students are still looking at the US as a destination “that should not be taken for granted; those trends can shift very rapidly.”

In response to the increase in pathway courses, SEVP recently released regulation guidance for sector comment that prioritises data integrity and acknowledgement of government regulations.

SEVP’s Tim Futoran emphasised the government’s interest in enforcing programme innovation within statutory and regulatory structure.

He also commented that pathway programmes are one of the biggest challenges currently in the sector and encouraged stakeholders to respond to draft guidance.

Speaking with The PIE News, Sandra Janusch, director of the University of Montana’s English Language Institute, which is in the process of developing a pathway programme, agreed that a balance needs to be struck between governance and industry growth.

“It’s obvious that pathway programmes are a very flexible model, and that the regulations are not as flexible, and so how these two things are going to marry each other is still up for discussion,” she said.

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Australia and New Zealand Back to top

Melbourne University keeps top Australian spot in global rankings By Benjamin Preiss :: The Age :: 2nd October http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-university-keeps-top-australian-spot-in-global- rankings-20141001-10ofuc.html

Melbourne University has entrenched its place as Australia's highest-ranking tertiary institution but failed to reclaim its position in the world's top 30.

The university rose one place to 33 in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, despite reaching a high of 28 in 2012. Australian National University came in at 45 this year.

Monash University rose from 91 last year to 83. Deakin was ranked in the top 350 while Sydney University moved up 12 places to 60.

Times Higher Education editor Phil Baty said Australian universities had enjoyed a strong year in the rankings. But, he said, Australia was entering a "period of radical reform" as the federal government attempts to deregulate university fees, which would allow universities to set their own course prices.

"The reforms may help a small Australian elite protect or even improve their global standing, but what about the rest?" he said. "Are we going to see a greater polarisation in Australia between a global super-elite and a large number of also-rans declining?"

Melbourne University vice-chancellor Glyn Davis said the latest rankings reflected the institute's "international esteem".

"While rankings are not the only indicator of the success of an institution, they do provide a benchmark to gauge how we are viewed against our international peers," he said.

California Institute of Technology topped the rankings for another year followed by Harvard, Oxford and Stanford universities. US universities accounted for 15 of the top 20. The University of Tokyo is Asia's highest-ranked university, at number 23.

The rankings are based on a range of "performance indicators" ranging from research to teaching environment.

RMIT international education associate professor Christopher Ziguras said opinion was divided in the academic community about the importance of rankings.

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"Whether students pay much attention to rankings is hotly contested. I think domestic students don't particularly," he said.

However, he said, international students may rely more on rankings. The international rankings were yet to measure student competence and the quality of education, Professor Ziguras said.

The rankings come after the National Tertiary Education Union released a list of remuneration packages for Australia's university vice-chancellors for 2013. Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Greg Craven topped the list with $1,095,000. Melbourne University's Glyn Davis was not far behind, receiving $1,055,000.

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Australia’s universities face ‘inevitable decline’ By Geoff Maslen :: University World News :: 9th October http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20141009095852310

In an opening statement on Thursday to the committee inquiring into the government’s controversial planned ‘reforms’, Universities Australia Chief Executive Belinda Robinson said the university sector was approaching a crossroads.

“Our universities will increasingly struggle to meet the quality and performance expectations of students, and our national research capability will continue to erode, if funding remains inadequate,” she said.

“Against a backdrop of successive governments unable or unwilling to invest in universities and research at the level needed to keep the system strong in an increasingly intense and globally competitive environment, a new approach is required.”

Provided amendments were made to improve fairness and affordability for students, the bill would allow universities to build more predictable and durable business models, less vulnerable to government funding instability, frequently changing policy and budget priorities.

Robinson told the committee that Australia was now in second last place among developed countries for the level of public investment in tertiary education – 30th out of 31 OECD countries. In addition, public investment per student had declined in real terms by 17% between 1994 and 2012.

“An under-funded university system isn't serving students, it isn't serving families, and it certainly isn't serving our economy or Australia's ability to remain globally competitive. Australia can't afford to be left behind,” she said.

Grasp the nettle

Referring to the establishment of the committee by Labor, Greens and independent senators who have rejected the changes, Robinson said opposing the bill was not a solution: it would simply defer indefinitely a problem that previous governments had failed to adequately address.

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“We may not get another shot at this for some time. We are urging senators to pass the bill with amendments, including reducing the magnitude of the 20% cut in the government contributions to relieve upward pressure on fee price; maintaining the [current low] interest rate on student loans; and providing for an adjustment package to assist with the transition to a market-based system,” Robinson said.

“In amending and passing the bill, senators will create a legacy in having shaped and positioned Australia's higher education system for delivering long-term national productivity and prosperity.”

She said the “meritorious increase” in providing greater access to a university education by young people had left both major parties when in government struggling to defend the cost the system imposed on taxpayers.

Government funding per student has dropped by 14% in real terms since 1994 and, despite some increases, these had been insufficient to offset the long-term decline.

“With both major parties announcing further reductions when in government, it has become very clear to the sector that a new approach is needed to provide bottom-line insurance against frequently changing policy and budget priorities and to assure the quality and performance expectations of our students,” Robinson said.

“The sector has looked carefully and closely at the government's proposals and come to the consensus view that fee deregulation, the next logical step in higher education policy, should not be opposed.

“But we do believe that substantial improvements to the package are required.”

The concerns

She said concerns raised by students, their families and others about higher education affordability under the government’s plans would be addressed if the amendments proposed by Universities Australia were accepted.

“They are intended to ensure that no-one is deterred from enrolling at university because of price. We also believe that competitive pressures and the desire not to be priced out of the market will serve to put downward pressure on university fees.

“Nevertheless, for additional assurance, there may also be merit in amending the legislation to provide for the establishment of an independent expert advisory panel to monitor the implementation of the reforms and provide advice to the government on any policy adjustments that may be required.”

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Robinson said such a panel could also be charged with the responsibility for more formally reviewing the higher education system at the appropriate time and would be consistent with the recommendation of the Office of Best Practice Regulation that a post-implementation review be completed within five years of the bill’s commencement.

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Asia Back to top

University boycott extended as democracy movement escalates By Yojana Sharma :: University World News :: 30th September http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20140930094914985

“We urge students to boycott classes indefinitely and teachers to boycott teaching,” said the statement by Hong Kong University Students' Union and Scholarism and other groups.

The week-long university strike that started on 22 September with rallies around the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, or CUHK, before spreading to central Hong Kong was to have ended on Friday 26 September with school-age students led by the campaign group Scholarism joining the strike for its final day.

Instead, huge crowds surged onto the streets that weekend and into Monday, blocking major roads. The students and public were angry about police tactics and dozens of arrests made outside Hong Kong government headquarters, where students broke through the police cordon to occupy the area late on the Friday night.

The one-week class boycott has been extended because of “violence by the police force”, said the Hong Kong Federation of Students, or HKFS, which has 60,000 members and is one of the student boycott’s largest organisers.

The boycott had been called after China last month insisted that candidates for a promised Hong Kong leadership election in 2017 would be pre-selected by representatives of China, angering pro-democracy groups. Young people are demanding genuine democracy.

HKFS and Scholarism warned that civil disobedience would spread unless Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung responded to protesters' demands by 1 October. Possible action included a general strike, and more class boycotts, they said.

Occupy Central co-founder Chan Kin-man said that if Leung announced his resignation, the occupation of the key areas in Hong Kong would stop for a short period of time before they decide on their next move.

The tactic appeared to work, with Leung holding a press conference just minutes before the student deadline at midnight on 1 October, agreeing that the administration, though not Leung himself, would hold talks with the students.

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Crucially the student group did not cite Leung's resignation as a prerequisite for the talks, adding that political reform was the only topic of discussion. So far, a day has not been set for the talks to begin and protesters continued in the streets the following day in pouring rain.

Arrests

The protests escalated after pro-democracy legislators, professors and student leaders were arrested during the police action at the government offices on that Saturday morning, among them Alex Chow and Lester Shum, leaders of HKFS, three Hong Kong legislators and the convener of the Alliance for True Democracy, Joseph Cheng, a political science professor at Hong Kong’s City University.

Thousands poured onto Hong Kong’s main arteries demanding their release – in particular the release of Joshua Wong, 17, leader of Scholarism, a group of high-school students. Yvonne Leung, president of the Hong Kong University’s student union told media that Wong had been dragged away by police on Saturday morning.

Michael Davis, a professor of law at Hong Kong University, or HKU, said: “The legitimacy of the Hong Kong government is at stake and they certainly undermined their position by [tear] gassing students on the streets.

“That kind of aggressive behaviour, I think, stimulated almost half the protesters to come out,” he told local radio, describing it as a critical moment for the Hong Kong government. “They really need to be trying to do something to represent Hong Kong concerns and not just Beijing concerns.”

While Wong was held for 40 hours – the maximum allowed under Hong Kong law without charges being laid – the crowds on the streets mushroomed to over 80,000, according to HKFS estimates, with police unsuccessfully attempting to disperse them with pepper spray and teargas.

“I don’t think they [Beijing] will listen to our demands, but I am angry that the Hong Kong police treat us in this way, that is why I am here,” said a HKU law student who gave her name only as Grace. She said she had not taken part in the initial student boycotts though she had joined pro-democracy rallies through the streets of Hong Kong in early July.

While police refused to answer many questions at a press conference, they said teargas was used 87 times at nine different locations on Saturday and Sunday.

While many protesters had come prepared with goggles and face masks, most had only their umbrellas to protect them, leading to the protests being dubbed the ‘umbrella revolution’.

More than 70 people were arrested during clashes with police outside the government headquarters over that weekend, with CUHK offering legal advice to students who were arrested. HKU estimated that least 10 of its students were arrested and said it would provide legal advice and other support to the students.

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In a statement, HKU’s Vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson said: “We will be flexible and reasonable in understanding the actions of students and staff who wish to express their strongly-held views.”

He added a plea for all parties to express their views peacefully and constructively. “We will also be flexible in understanding practical difficulties that staff and students may face in reaching the campus during periods of transport disruption,” the statement said.

Refusal to back down

Despite a major escalation in the protests, Chief Executive Leung – who had refused to meet with students to consider their demands – said at a press conference on Sunday 28 September that the Hong Kong government was “resolute in opposing the unlawful occupation of government buildings”. He reiterated that the Hong Kong government would uphold Beijing’s decision on elections.

A Hong Kong government statement on that Sunday said the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or China’s one-party parliament on Hong Kong’s elections, was “legally binding”.

Consultations on the Hong Kong election system had been scheduled to take place but the administration announced that these would now be held at a “better time” – a move that Occupy Central slammed as a delaying tactic. The administration was “just hoping people’s desire for genuine universal suffrage to fade over time”.

Leung issued a video-statement addressing Hong Kong citizens. He called on people to leave the protests, and dismissed rumours that police had opened fire or that the government was ready to call on China’s People's Liberation Army to maintain order.

Commentary in the online edition of China’s communist party newspaper the People’s Daily blamed the unrest in Hong Kong on “extremists” backed by “foreign anti-China forces”. Pictures and reports of the Hong Kong unrest have been censored in China.

Occupy Central

The pro-democracy group Occupy Central, which had been planning a civil disobedience campaign and sit-in in Hong Kong’s central business district, abandoned its separate campaign and joined the student protests last weekend.

“The Occupy movement has become fully fledged with tens of hundreds of citizens taking to the streets fighting for genuine universal suffrage and supporting the students,” the group said in a statement last Monday.

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Co-founder of Occupy Central, Benny Tai, a law professor, conceded the students had taken the lead. “It's important for us to join with the students, and we will stay until the last minute with the movement.”

Occupy Central had been expected to start their sit-in on 1 October – a public holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Communist takeover in China.

Despite the weekend clashes, by Monday 29 September police appeared to have given over the streets to the crowds, and retreated. The Hong Kong government said on the Monday that it had pulled back anti-riot police.

Many students had slept in the streets overnight, others at university and college buildings, with HKU providing facilities for students to rest before returning to block Hong Kong’s main thoroughfares, leading to the closure of some 36 banks in the central business district, other businesses and public offices.

The authorities took the unusual step of suspending school classes on Monday 29 September in many areas affected by demonstrations, citing “serious disruption to traffic”. The Education Bureau announced that schools and colleges on Hong Kong island would also remain closed on the Tuesday.

In the absence of an obvious police presence there was a more carnival-like atmosphere last Monday with youth protesters singing songs and waving their mobile phones, and others joining them after work in the evening, massed on the streets of Hong Kong.

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China’s Communist Party keeps lid on Western-style democracy hopes By Bernard Lane :: The Australian :: 7th October http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/international-students/chinas-communist- party-keeps-lid-on-westernstyle-democracy-hopes/story-fnahn4sk-1227082805309

Exposure to Western-style university education in China does not arouse democratic aspirations among students because Communist Party control remains surprisingly tight, researchers say.

They carried out anonymous interviews and surveys at the first Western institution allowed to set up in China, the University of Nottingham Ningbo, and found students acutely aware of the party’s power to advance — or blight — their careers.

“I would expect in an international university in China a greater likelihood that people would be punching the air with fists and demanding freedom,” said University of Melbourne higher education researcher Andrys Onsman.

“I hadn’t expected that party membership would maintain its great influence on student life.” He said Hong Kong was an exception.

The paper, co-authored by Stirling University’s Jackie Cameron, is about to appear in the Australian Universities Review as The New York Times reports widening debate among US academics on ground rules for university partnerships in authoritarian countries.

In the Nottingham study, the researchers cite evidence that the spread of international education has helped foster campaigns for democratisation in illiberal states, such as in the Middle East.

But they say the Chinese Communist Party effectively discourages this at Nottingham Ningbo through detailed reporting on students and its “student affairs office”, which has power over student employment opportunities and takes control in case of campus emergency.

“Although the university is labelled a UK university in China, it is only the academic provision that is British,” they say. “The university experience and all other facets of the university are Chinese and are under control of the party.”

Compared with students at an ordinary university in China, those at Nottingham were just as ready to express strong loyalty to the state, the one difference being that Nottingham students were more likely to agree with the statement, “I am ashamed about some things in China.”

Dr Onsman said this may reflect the better-off backgrounds of Nottingham’s Chinese students — or their contact with international students, mostly British, who make up 25 per cent of numbers at Ningbo.

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More interaction and exchange of views on Australian campuses should not be assumed, according to University of Sydney China scholar Jocelyn Chey.

Professor Chey said Chinese nationals often lived “in a sort of a bubble while they’re here, they’re not being exposed to a range of ideas and opinions — it’s something that universities should pay attention to”.

Even students with reasonable English can find themselves surrounded by other Chinese — in class, shared accommodation, tour groups and part-time workplaces. “I conclude from interacting with them that their view of the world is still very much coloured by the mainstream media they are reading,” she said.

In one recent encounter with two Chinese students in Sydney, she found them better informed about events in Hong Kong than about Australia’s politics, although they were curious and keen to learn.

Professor Chey said promoting wider exposure to Australia was made more difficult by the sheer numbers of Chinese students; in the year to July, higher education enrolments were edging towards 40,000.

Monash University, the first Australian institution permitted to set up in China with a local partner, said it would not have gone ahead without a guarantee of autonomy in academic areas.

The joint graduate school in Suzhou offers masters in not obviously contentious fields such as IT, international business, applied linguistics and industrial design.

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China, India to drive postgraduate mobility over next 10 years By Sara Custer :: The Pie News :: 6th October http://thepienews.com/news/china-india-to-drive-postgraduate-mobilty-over-next-10-years/

The projection also shows Asia’s dominance of enrolments seen over the past decade will lessen, however. This is because tertiary-aged populations will decline in the region at the same time as figures rise in other source countries, alongside rapid GDP growth.

Nigeria is predicted to be among other increasingly important source markets and Nigeria, India and Pakistan are expected to show double-digit growth to 2024 while China’s growth will be significantly slower.

Nevertheless, despite its aging population, China is expected to remain the largest source market for international postgraduate students, reaching 338,000 enrolments by 2024.

India meanwhile is forecast to be the fastest growing source market over the next 10 years with total enrolments rising 7.5% from 88,000 in 2012 to 209,000 by 2024.

The US will maintain its dominance in the market and is predicted to be the fastest growing destination for internationally mobile postgraduates with a 4% growth rate, with India accounting for 54% of that growth.

The UK will hold on to its second place spot but is predicted to see a slowdown of growth to 3.5% compared to the 4.1% average increase seen between 2007-2012.

Forecasters say China will make up 44% of the UK’s growth but suggest such a cool down could be because of significant falls in enrolments from key growing markets India and Pakistan.

Germany, meanwhile, is pegged to be the third largest PG destination with a projected growth rate of 3.6%, 27% of which will be fuelled by Indian enrolments.

Indian students will also account for 39% of Australia’s projected 4.1% growth, placing it fourth in terms of overall destinations by 2024.

Zainab Malik, Director of Research at Education Intelligence, told delegates at AIEC that India will see 20 million more tertiary students within a decade.

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And like the UK, Japan is expected to see growth stagnate to just 1.6% relying on China to account for 56% of the increase. Canada, meanwhile, is projected to grow by 4.1% (29% of growth will be pinned on Indian enrolments).

The forecast is based on demographics and economics in six destination countries and 23 source markets.

Malik cautioned educators of becoming too reliant on either China or India and highlighted many other markets of interest.

Beyond China and India, Nigeria is predicted to show the strongest growth over the next 10 years at 8.3%. Other countries pegged to to see significant increases in outbound students include Indonesia (7.2%) Pakistan (6.4%) and Saudi Arabia (5.2%).

“There are a number of drivers outside of demographics and economics that do change in international education,” she told The PIE News. “If you’re so dependent on one market that we are forecasting to be strong – based on their demographics and economics – you’re completely ignoring those other factors that come into play.”

“We don’t know what’s going to happen with politics and policy in the future; we don’t know what the workforce demands are going to be, so by not diversifying your recruitment strategies you’re basically opening yourself up to risk,” she added.

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International Back to top

Times Higher Education World University Rankings Times Higher Education :: 2nd October http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2014-15/world-ranking

Link takes you through to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014/15 official webpage – includes rankings, table tools, analysis articles and methodology breakdown.

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World University Rankings 2014-2015 show US strength on the wane By Chriss Parr :: Times Higher Education :: 2nd October http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/world-university-rankings-2014-2015-results- out-now/2016100.article

The West Coast institution heads a top 10 for 2014-15 that still consists almost entirely of US-based universities, with only the universities of Oxford (third) and Cambridge (fifth) and Imperial College London (joint ninth) preventing a clean sweep.

But despite the fact that Harvard (second), Stanford (fourth), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (sixth), Princeton University (seventh), the University of California, Berkeley (eighth) and Yale University (joint ninth) all make the top 10, there is evidence of an overall decline for US universities, with significant losses further down the league table. This includes the University of Chicago, which slips from ninth to 11th.

The US has 74 universities in the top 200, down from 77 last year. Some 60 per cent of those institutions rank lower than they did 12 months ago, with an average fall of 5.34 places per university.

It is a similar story for Canada. While the University of Toronto retains 20th place and the University of Victoria joins the top 200 in joint 173rd place, all other Canadian top 200 universities have lost ground.

The UK, meanwhile, has lost three universities from the top 200 (the University of Reading, the University of Dundee and Newcastle University), and now has 29 top 200 institutions, down from 31.

Conversely, the leading Asian institutions continue to rise, and the continent now has 24 universities in the world top 200, four more than last year. Two Asian universities make the world top 25 (the University of Tokyo and the National University of Singapore), while six feature among the top 50.

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“Western universities, in many cases starved of vital public funding, are losing ground,” said Phil Baty, THE rankings editor, who added that there was “something approaching a crisis” for US state institutions.

Philip Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, said that the “serious hit” in funding to the “great American public universities” had major implications for US science and competitiveness.

He added that on average Canada had a better higher education system than the US, without the “peaks nor the valleys” found among the ranking positions of American universities. “[Canada’s] top universities are excellent, but could easily be even better if they had the additional funding – and probably the competitive spirit – needed,” Dr Altbach said.

In Europe, Germany gains two new top 200 representatives (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and Technische Universität Dresden), to overtake the Netherlands as the third most represented nation behind the US and the UK.

The THE World University Rankings, powered by Thomson Reuters, use 13 performance indicators to examine universities’ strengths.

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How do we assess the impact of internationalisation? By Rahul Choudaha and Bernhard Streitwieser :: University World News :: 3rd October http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20141002095714747

In a world of increasing fiscal constraints, discourses that emphasise measuring impact continue to gain traction.

Most recently, the Scaling Social Impact series by Harvard Business Review and The Bridgespan Group focuses on how organisations can have a greater social impact. In the same vein, the Stanford Social Innovation Review also has a special section on innovative ways to measure an organisation’s impact on various populations.

In light of the increasing complexity and changes in higher education, universities engaging in internationalisation need to candidly ask themselves if and how their strategies are in fact meeting the goals and outcomes they have set for themselves.

Why assess internationalisation impact?

Impact assessment helps make a stronger case to stakeholders of all types who are involved with a university – public funders and legislators, private donors and alumni, university leaders, tuition payers, faculty, staff and students – for funding programmes and strategic initiatives.

By proactively making impact assessment an integral part of funding decisions, campus international education leaders also demonstrate their confidence by not shying away from showing the outcomes of their programmes and initiatives.

In addition, impact assessment keeps programmes on track by not only helping to identify areas of improvement and thus deliver better overall outcomes, but also helping to focus on how they affect individuals – particularly faculty and students – at different stages of their engagement.

Finally, we are in a world of data and technology, which can assist not only in assessing impact in multiple dimensions but also in tracking it over time. This will further intensify the need to build strategies that are measurable, impactful and evidence-based.

There will be an increasing demand not only to assess the impact on stakeholders but also to understand how the data compare with that coming from peer institutions.

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Currently, we often measure the impact of internationalisation from a rather insular and imperfect viewpoint, which comes down to simply counting the number of globally mobile students.

This argument has also been suggested by other scholars and practitioners in the field who agree that institutions need to go beyond the rhetoric and numbers and rigorously measure the impact on campus at the level of individuals as well.

If sending and receiving students is seen as being a vital element of campus internationalisation – in some cases perhaps the most overt and vital element – then as part of that activity the collection of evidence and its rigorous analysis must go hand in hand with it as a way to justify the overall effort and expense.

If we neglect engaging with this piece of the puzzle we may as well ask ourselves if we are wasting our money, or to put it more delicately, if we are putting money into a venture whose success requires a great leap of faith.

Our suggestion is that engaging in serious and committed assessment avoids any need to take that leap of faith.

How to make impact assessment work?

If one accepts the need for assessment of internationalisation, then another, more practical issue presents itself: if internationalisation is relegated to just one or two offices on campus, should those offices be the ones to collect the evidence needed to support that what they are doing is effective?

Do these designated offices even have the staff, the expertise and the time to conduct a regular and rigorous evaluation of their work? And if not, are they at least able to collaborate with a research office that will be able to help collect these data and analyse them?

In many cases the likely answer to this question is ‘no’, since all of the activities involved in comprehensive campus internationalisation already require inordinate amounts of time, energy and human and material resources.

Many of these well-intentioned offices have precious little time left to engage in assessment, unfortunately. Moreover, the expertise needed to conduct rigorous and informative analysis may simply be lacking in these offices.

And now to solutions and changes that may serve to successfully engage all of the stakeholders who are critical to successful campus internationalisation – from top-level leadership and administration, to designated offices tasked with internationalisation, to faculty who ideally support the endeavour.

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We suggest the following points, some of which have also been discussed and elaborated in work by Darla Deardorff, Riall Nolan and Fiona Hunter, Lisa Childress and other analysts and organisations like NAFSA: Association of International Educators::

 Top-level campus leadership must provide the material and financial resources to substantively support their currently enthusiastic but in reality empty rhetoric.  It is these campus leaders who must be engaged to the point where they can clearly designate and support offices and personnel tasked with clearly specified internationalisation duties.  The university’s administrative cadre must create and foster real links between researchers and offices that coordinate study-abroad and international student services.  This level of support must be provided to assist in the substantive collection of data, its rigorous analysis and the reporting of results to upper management and faculty.  Designated internationalisation offices must, whenever possible, create incentives and support for personnel if they are tasked with collecting data and conducting analysis.  If that is not possible, these offices must be given the funds they need to hire at least one person who is knowledgeable in assessment research. And lacking that, these offices need to be linked up with a faculty member trained in assessment and research who can partner with the office to assist in the collection and analysis of data.  Faculty must be encouraged to feel greater buy-in by receiving regular and well- constructed outcomes data that can help convince them of the real and positive benefits of study abroad.  Faculty should also be assisted by a campus teaching and learning centre to know how to appropriately incorporate the experience and the newly acquired international consciousness study-abroad students and international students potentially bring into the curriculum and classroom discussions.

In sum, higher education institutions that are truly committed to excellence in internationalisation will embrace impact assessment as an integral part of their strategies and funding decisions.

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LinkedIn reveals university rankings based on career outcomes By Katie Duncan :: The Pie News :: 9th October http://thepienews.com/news/linkedins-first-foray-university-rankings/

Employment patterns of over 300 million LinkedIn members were analysed across eight professional categories: accounting professionals; investment bankers; finance professionals; marketers; media professionals; designers; software developers and software developers at start-ups.

“Today’s students are tomorrow’s professionals,” said LinkedIn’s director of product management Christina Allen in an official statement. “We recognise that by helping students get this first step right, they will be more likely to make a smooth transition from campus to career.”

Allen said the aim behind the new rankings and associated decision tools, was to help prospective students make “informed choices” on universities and programmes that may impact their future career.

Challenging existing preconceptions that an Ivy League school education delivers the best job prospects, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the USA has outperformed the likes of Harvard, claiming first place for most software developers and designers in the country.

“CMU does well in the ranking because of our excellent academic offerings and because our alumni have already had success, so it’s an ongoing, self-reinforcing cycle over time,” Andrew Shaindlin, CMU’s associate vice president for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving told The PIE News.

CMU’s associate dean for career and professional development, Kevin Monahan, added that CMU alumni have been sharing the results with pride via their social networks, noting that the LinkedIn results have “provided an interesting twist to the ranking bonanza”.

In Canada, Neil Bearse from the Queen’s School of Business, which ranked first for investment bankers and marketers and second for finance professionals, commented: “LinkedIn’s data-mining is a novel approach to help paint a more representative picture.”

“As the dominant ‘professional’ social network, LinkedIn probably has the most robust data set about graduate employment and the hiring practices of top firms,” he added.

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“While their methodology may have its flaws such as vetting of accuracy of information within someone’s profile or graduates who don’t use LinkedIn, they are no more glaring than those in the traditional ranking criteria.”

The results for the UK are particularly interesting, reflecting recently published research by Prospect Research & Marketing showing that UK universities often provide a superior graduate careers service compared to markets like Australia.

The London School of Economics (LSE) won out in three categories: marketers, investment bankers and finance professionals.

“LSE alumni can be found in every corner of the labour market,” Jenny Blakesley, Director of LSE Careers told The PIE News.

“LSE Careers works hard to facilitate the transition from education to employment by providing an extensive range of opportunities for our students to engage with professionals whatever sector they aspire to work in,” she said.

Speaking at AIEC in Brisbane where LinkedIn was introducing the concept to Australians, LinkedIn’s account director, marketing solutions Michael Levine, said the company was “excited” about its first foray into university rankings.

However Levine noted that LinkedIn is also “treading very carefully” into the new space and does not want to jeopardise the quality of data that it has.

As well as analysing career patterns of its users, LI cross-referenced this data with information from its own education networks such as University Finder, Field of Study Explorer Decision Boards and recommendations on its University Pages.

Responding to a question about whether LinkedIn expected this to overtake other forms of HE ranking, Levine observed that while this did not represent “the silver bullet”, it would be the only place on the web that provides this kind of career outcome data. “It’s another means to help students in their decision making process.”

An Australian university delegate observed that the relevance of the rankings as an international tool would depend on LI’s uptake in key student markets such as China; Levine revealed high hopes for successful market penetration in China.

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