Higher-Edge: Institutions: Publications: Not-So-Foreign©, Volume 8, Issue 37

Not-So-Foreign^©
A Bulletin for International Education Professionals
Volume 8, Issue 37; November 5, 2009

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – India woos US universities
2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - We’re number 1! Europe dominates in Business Schools and but the US holds firm on University rankings
3) OVER THE COUNTER - Update on Nigeria: Universities re-open
4) GLOBE TIPPING – Travel germs: practical tips to avoid picking up unwanted passengers on your trip

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – India woos US universities

India’s Human Resources Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, is in the US meeting with university officials to develop an education partnership between India and the US.

Mr Sibal will be meeting with US Secretary of Education, Anne Duncan, to discuss, among other things, twinning programmes at higher-education level. He will also be meeting with presidents of Yale, Harvard, Boston, Georgetown and Duke Universities as well as the New York Academy of Sciences and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Minister hopes to attract these universities to set up campuses and increase collaborations with India universities, especially in light of the proposed innovation universities to be established in India over the next few years, especially in light of the proposed innovation universities to be established in India over the next few years.

Sources in the Ministry say that Yale has already indicated its willingness to collaborate with India.

Source “Sibal visits US to woo leading universities”, The Economic Times, October 26, 2009

2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - We’re number 1! Europe dominates in Business Schools and but the US holds firm on University rankings

This week saw a flurry of activity as two sets of rankings, Eduniversal Global top 1000 Business Schools Rankings and the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, were released.

The Eduniversal business school ranking is organized into nine regions in order to improve the international comparability of business schools and to enable students to find out which schools are strongest in their country and region. Western Europe dominated the top ten with six schools, London Business School rating highest at number two. This was followed by North America with three schools from the US and one from Canada. The top place went to the Harvard Business School while McGill University’s Desaultes Faculty of Management came in at fifth place.

In contrast, the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2009 places the US in all but three of the top 20 spots. Further, 36 of the top 50 universities are from the US.

Harvard, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley come in first, second and third respectively. The universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Tokyo are the only outsiders at fourth, 10th and 20th respectively. University College London and Imperial College London placed 21st and 26th while Toronto and British Columbia placed 27th and 36th respectively.

In comparison to the Times Higher Education QS (THE-QS) rankings released last month, Harvard still placed first but British institutions dominated the top 10, reflecting the eroding dominance of North American universities. The difference is a result of using different methodologies; THE-QS relies heavily on academic peer review while the Chinese rankings have a heavy research focus.

Source “Eduniversal 2009 Business School Rankings”, Eduniversal.com

Source “Academic Ranking of World Universities – 2009” Shanghai
Ranking Consultancy

Source “Times Higher Education – QS World University Rankings 2009 – TOP 200 WORLD UNIVERSITIES” Times Higher Education

3) OVER THE COUNTER - Update on Nigeria: Universities re-open

Nigerian Universities have re-opened after three months of crippling strikes by union members.

The three staff unions signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the government after weeks of negotiations, preventing threats of student unrest amongst the displaced students. Amidst fears that there were insufficient funds to implement the agreement and that it was not legally binding, the universities resumed lectures this week.

While uncertainty still shrouds the resumption of classes, it may now be possible for those students for whom the insecurity poses a dilemma to obtain their transcripts from the University administration should they decide to continue their degrees abroad.

Source "Life returns as varsities reopen – NASU, SSANU, shun UI" Nigeria Tribune, October 13, 2009

4) GLOBE TIPPING - Travel germs: practical tips to avoid picking up unwanted passengers on your trip

With international concern rising on the spread of H1N1, travelers are becoming increasingly aware of protecting themselves from various bugs they may catch while travelling.

Be mindful of areas where hand contact is high such as escalator handrails and bathrooms and keep your hands clean by carrying a small hand sanitizer. Consider bringing a surgical mask to prevent germs being transmitted by coughing and sneezing particularly on-board or in busy terminals.

For more on how to protect yourself on-board, click here.