Global Forum on University Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses (UNESCO, Paris 16-17 May 2011)

Sharifah Hapsah ShahabudinVice Chancellor,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

(The National University of Malaysia)

UNIVERSITY RANKINGS: INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVES

1. RANKINGS ARE EVERYWHEREPART OF LIFE

NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES

SETARA: RANKINGS ACCORDING TO TYPES OF INSTITUTIONS (RESEARCH INTENSIVE, TEACHING INTENSIVE, TECHNICAL INTENSIVE

QUALITY ASSURANCE: INSTITUTIONAL AUDIT FOR SELF ACCREDITATION STATUS

PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

GOOD GOVERNANCE FOR GREATER AUTONOMY

QUARTERLY REPORT ON PROGRESS OF NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGIC PLAN

VIEWED AS INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKS FOR

COMPARING THE STRENGTH OF INSTITUTIONS BY:MASS MEDIA, POLICY MAKERS, POLITICIANS

INDUSTRY & ACADEMIC PARTNERS

SOCIETY AT LARGE

STUDENTS & ACADEMIA

NOT A PERFECT MEASURE OF A UNIVERSITY’S

ACTUAL WORTH BUT CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE

COMPARATIVE DATA FOR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT

2: BUILD HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE TO RANKINGS

ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE COMPARATIVE DATA SHOULD BE INCORPORATED IN THE UNIVERSITY’S COMPREHENSIVE CAPACITY BUILDING STRATEGIES THAT ENSURE A GENUINE AND SUSTAINABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEDIUM TO LONG TERM

DON’T PLAY RANKING GAME

DO NOT LET RANKINGS DISTRACT FROM THE REAL INSTITUTIONAL MISSION

UNIVERSITIES SHOULD BE JUDGED ON HOW BEST THEY FIT THE PURPOSE OF THEIR ESTABLISHMENT AND PUBLIC FUNDING.

INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES

CASE OF UKM

As a national university it has a special mandate to promote Malay as an academic language & nation building

SPECIAL MISSION

INDEXED BY

SCOPUS

INDEXED BY ISI WOS & SCOPUS

USING CITATION RATIO TO BENCHMARK & NURTURE

VIBRANT RESEARCH & PUBLICATION CULTURE &

INTERNATIONALISING MALAY LANGUAGE

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Impact of research, education  and services

wealth generation

local, national & global levels

INNOVATIONS

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

social development

Environmental sustainability

9

Langkawi Geopark1st UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK IN SE ASIA• >25 years of research by UKM in collaboration with the  Langkawi Development Authority for sustainable  ecotourism, economic opportunity for locals

• world's 52nd Geopark listed on June 1 2007 in the UNESCO Global Network of Geoparks for people to enjoy the geological, archeological, cultural, biodiversity  and ecological wonders

• UKM researchers accorded global recognition

Valuing DiversityValuing DiversityResponsive in providing Service Responsive in providing Service to Allto AllSocial accountabilitySocial accountability

Educating young minds

UKM OrchestraUKM cricketers are national players

Replanting mangrove seedlings

Cleaning after the floods

SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH: USE OF SOLAR PANELS IN REMOTE AREAS

Stand alone solar panels tested in remote Orang Asli villages

Drying food

Street lighting

Power for TV, radio

Orang AsliIndigenous people

Going Beyond Ranking• The  genuine  test  of  a  university’s  mettle  is  how  it 

continuously  anticipates  and  leads  change  through innovations that  create  new  value  and  give  social, environmental and financial returns  for the university, the nation and region. 

• Although  innovations  in  stakeholder  engagement  are currently missing in ranking, the omission should not deter us from continuing to value these activities. 

• We  need  to  devise  better  indicators  and  methods  for assessing the impact on business innovation, socio‐cultural promotion and environmental development of a region.

TERIMA KASIH

THANK YOU

UKM SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS

GREAT HALL

FERNARIUM

ENGINEERING LAKE

STADIUM