Do it in the dark: universities prepare for Earth Hour 2012
On Saturday 31 March, people around the world will be switching off as many lights as they possibly can, as part of the annual Earth Hour event. Students and universities are of course also doing their bit, and some have come up with especially creative ways of raising awareness – and having some fun in the dark.
Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour began in Australia in 2007, and has rapidly grown into the world’s largest environmental event. The aims are to focus attention on climate change, and encourage people to think about how they could reduce their energy use on a daily basis.
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HE News Brief 26.3.12
- Canada:Canada to receive 3,000 Brazilian students
- UK: Government injection for research and development
- Middle East: Comparative data for MENA required
- Vietnam: Lawmakers to vote on autonomy for universities
Going Global Conference, London 2012
QS attended the 2012 edition of the Going Global International Education Conference organised by the British Council. Among others, this was a good occasion for several QSIU analysts to get further in touch with universities and their leaders in a more practical way, beyond rankings figures.
After opening addresses from Dr Jo Beall and Rt Hon. Dr Vince Cable, the conference in London continued with a talk from Professor Homi Bhabha, who raised some major questions and challenges, setting the agenda for debate over the following two days. The second session of the day was devoted to the necessity of institutions to welcome change and transformation, in order to respond to the needs of new generations. Ben Wildavsky presented a number of emerging models that point the way to change, whether driven by technology or by changing notions of how to serve students.
Parallel sessions were taking place during the following days of the conference, some with specific regional focus (I attended the Eastern Europe and Central Asia one and found it very interesting) and others relating to global problems such as the changing role of the university, employability or internationalisation. The diversity of speakers and their experience in higher education has delivered knowledge and expertise in a concentrated manner to all those attending. But if you did not have the chance to be there, you can access videos and presentations from the 2012 Going Global Conference here
Scholarships still available via QS Education Trust
More than 150 postgraduate students from all around the world have benefited from QS scholarships over the past six years. And there are now plans to extend the scheme to undergraduates.
QS is the only publisher of global rankings to devote some of the income from associated conferences and other activities to help outstanding students. The QS Education Trust was founded in 2005 and now has funds of more than $1.2 million to support students taking MBAs and other postgraduate programs.
The original aim was to become the world’s largest independent community-based provider of postgraduate scholarships. But the company hopes to incorporate undergraduate studies in 2012.
At present, there are separate schemes for MBAs and other postgraduate programmes. Most awards are worth between $10,000 and $20,000, but one at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, in Belgium, offered in association with several leading MBA recruiters, is worth a total of €425,000.
“QS Scholarship winners are united by their demonstration of responsible leadership and community commitment, in very varied circumstances” Nunzio Quacquarelli, Managing Director of QS
There are dedicated awards at 14 business schools, but other scholarships can be taken up at universities all around the world. Alexandru-Cosmin Buteica used his to take MSc programmes in management and business administration at the Rotterdam School of Management, at Erasmus University. Whilst there, he also spent a semester as an exchange student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, in Santiago.
Alexandru learnt of the awards when he attended a QS Top MBA and Masters Fair at the University of Bucharest, where he took his first degree. He was awarded the QS Top Community Scholarship, for demonstrating commitment and skills in contributing to the advancement of communities.
The co-founder of FORCE, the Foundation for Opportunity, Responsibility and Chance for Education, he has since won a place on the International Talent Programme run by ING, the Dutch bank. He said: “I plan to build up a strong career path in the future, and do what I like best: learn from the people that surround me, invest in my personal development and give as much time, energy and knowledge as I can to the communities in which I am active and especially to the youth. I am still involved in various Romanian NGOs and I do my best to contribute to the development of communities and invest in youth education.”
Alexandru, who is now 25, added: “The QS scholarship was a great financial opportunity for me, as it covered the whole tuition fee for my Master’s. I am most grateful to the QS foundation for offering this scholarship, which contributed to my international education and personal development.”
Details of the awards can be found at here. The deadline for applications is May 28. Universities and business schools and universities interested in the scheme should email scholarships@qs.com .
HE News Brief 19.3.12
- UK: Elite Russell Group of universities announce four new members
- Mexico: New regulations for private institutions
- Uganda: Private universities emerge in Uganda
Leaving their 1994 Group membership , Queen Mary, Durham, Exeter, and York have all joined the elite Russell Group, which now has 24 members. The Group represents the UK’s elite group of research intensive institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial. According to the Research Assessment Exercise in 2008, 60% of research in the UK is produced by the Russell Group. Professor Michael Arthur, chair of the Russell Group and the vice-chancellor of Leeds University, says that the four institutions were invited to join the Group because of their innovation and research intensity across a broad range of subjects.
The number of private institutions have grown considerably in Mexico, from 995 in 2006 to close to 1,500 in the current year. The number of students attending these universities increased from 400,000 in 2006 to one million in 2012 and come mostly from underprivileged backgrounds. The rapid growth rates are prompting many to be concerned with the quality of education received at private institutions, particularly because there are no quality assurance regulations in place. In order to curb this, the Ministry of Education has announced that private institutions will go through a thorough assessment process by national assessment bodies to ensure standards are up to scratch. The government is trying to balance increasing student enrolment numbers (Mexico (37%) trails behind Chile (56%) and Argentina (71%) for instance) with policing new institutions for quality.
A year after the furore surrounding Makerere University, which was once known as the ‘Harvard of Africa’, many are contemplating the role of private institutions in the country. Makerere, some are saying suffers from overcrowding which may have contributed to the strikes that took place last year. Private institutions, which total 30 in the country, are viable alternatives for many however some worry that the rapid growth in private institutions may contribute to further divisions within society. Mahmood Mamdani, director of Makerere’s Institute of Social Research, says that ‘commericialisation’ of higher education may lead to an even deeper divide between the rich and poor. Private institutions at the moment costs more than public universities and Professor Mamdani worries that only richer students could afford to go to a private institution while poorer students are relegated to overcrowded and badly managed public institutions
QSIU at Going Global in London…
Please, feel free to visit us if you are around!
HE News Brief 12.3.12
- Australia: Australian universities lose twenty percent of its foreign student numbers
- World: Institutions in the US, Japan, and South Korea top list of WIPO’s patent filers
- UK: Twenty years later and former polytechnics are making strides
- China: Thousand Foreign Experts program seeks to recruit foreign university staff and entrepreneurs
HE News Brief 5.3.12
- Europe: Research ministers call for bigger role for social sciences in Horizon 2020
- India: Massive rise in number of Indian students sitting Graduate Record Examination
- US: Liberal arts education on the rise in Asia
- Asia Pacific: Australia-China higher education forum announced
HE News Brief 27.2.12
- Australia: Australian universities may jeopardise its appeal in the Asian market
- UK: New structures in September causing anxiety
- Asia: Liberal arts education on the rise in Asia
- Rankings: Undergraduate course offerings decreased since 2006
Do not solicit survey responses
The QS Intelligence Unit works very hard to produce impartial, objective and rigorous evaluations of universities worldwide. The majority of stakeholders, even those who may not entirely agree with our approaches increasingly respect the integrity of our efforts. The reputation of our work is central to its continued value to all who place value upon it.
We cannot tolerate institutions overtly soliciting specific responses to our surveys and any institution found doing so may have their survey responses for the given year invalidated. Our policy is documented here.
The above is an an anonymous example of an institution breaching these guidelines. This does not reflect well on the said institution and not only will it result in responses being invalidated, repeated breaches may result in our disclosing the identities of institutions undertaking such action.
Just don’t do it.
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