Countries that aspire to build ?world-class universities? to drive economic development and compete in global rankings of the best international universities may be ?chasing a myth? that could take years to materialise, cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build and operate, and still fall short of the social and economic rewards commonly associated with these ?elite? institutions, according to a new World Bank report The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities.
The two most prestigious league tables for world-class universities, published annually by the Times Higher Education (THES) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), select the top 200 and 500 universities, respectively. Most universities recognised as world-class originate from a very small number of countries, mostly Western. In fact, the University of Tokyo is the only non-US, non-UK university among the top 20 in the SJTU ranking.
The distribution of the THES ranking of the top 50 show that 20 were in the US, 8 in UK, 6 in Australia, 3 each in Canada and Japan, 5 in Western Europe and 5 in the rest of Asia. The SJTU ranking was more skewed with 36 in US, 5 in UK, 2 each in Japan and Canada and 5 in Western Europe.
The report warns that countries rushing to build elite international universities must ponder whether they can afford the huge price of building and running such institutions with short-changing the rest of the country?s education system. And maintaining the favourable conditions that are instrumental for the establishment of a new world-class institution requires constant vigilance, as the growing faculty shortage faced by the IITs illustrates. India?s economic success has translated into a much larger income gap between the institutes and industry than existed in the past. As a result, fewer promising graduates seek an academic career, notes the report.
It is estimated that the IITs are already suffering from a shortage of at least 900 qualified faculty. At the Delhi IIT alone, 29% of faculty positions are unfilled. Without the autonomy to raise salaries and offer more competitive employment packages, the IITs are at risk of losing their competitive edge. The younger Indian Institutes of Management face the same hurdle in their quest for world-class status.
It goes on to add that while Brazil is the world?s 10th largest economy and sixth largest car producer and is home to world-class companies such as Embraer and Aracruz Celulose, there is no Brazilian university among the top 100. Similarly, universities of France and Germany?two of the strongest global economies and having historically excellent universities?do not appear high in the recent rankings. In 2008, the best French and German universities were placed 42nd and 55th, respectively.
The new Bank report says three factors distinguish elite international universities from their competitors, namely: a high concentration of talented teachers and students; significant budgets; and strategic vision and leadership. Harvard University, for instance, has a student population that is 19% international; Stanford University has 21%; and Columbia University, 23%.
The proportion of international faculty at Harvard University, including medical academic staff, is approximately 30%. Similarly, the proportion of foreign academics at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge is 36% and 33%, respectively. By contrast, only 7% of all researchers in France are foreign academics. Unquestionably, the world?s best universities enroll and employ large numbers of foreign students and faculty in their search for the most talented.
World-class universities have four main sources of financing: government budget funding for operational expenditures and research, contract research from public organisations and private firms, the financial returns generated by endowments and gifts, and tuition fees. In Western Europe, public funding is by far the principal source of finance for teaching and research. In Asia, the National University of Singapore has been the most successful institution in terms of substantial endowment funding, with a current portfolio of $774 million through effective fund-raising. The US and (to a lesser extent) Japan have thriving private research universities.
The World Bank report also says that world-class universities thrive in an environment that fosters competitiveness, unrestrained scientific inquiry, critical thinking, innovation and creativity. Moreover, institutions that have complete autonomy are also more agile because they are not bound by cumbersome bureaucracies and externally-imposed standards. As a result, they can manage their resources efficiently and quickly respond to the demands of a rapidly changing global market.