International Symposium on University Rankings in Yokohama

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

With the progress of globalization in higher education, there is an increased need for universities to recruit students beyond their national boundaries. Universities around the globe claim to be “world-class” educational institutions, and use the rankings as indicators of their relative positions in the world. This explains the increased awareness and sensitivities about rankings at the top management level of each university, and the increased level of outreach activities to increase visibility via the Internet and other media. Such activities are justified as a “correction” of a low profile and/or underestimation; however, irrespective of these activities, those who are engaged in rankings certainly try to establish objective benchmarks for evaluating universities.

What do university rankings mean? How are they determined?

The most famous and influential university ranking is probably the one published by the Times Higher Education (THE) every autumn. For the past few years, THE collaborated with Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in collecting and assessing the data on universities, but recently announced that it would switch to the data provided by Thomson Reuters, starting from the ranking to be published in 2010. QS will continue to publish its own rankings. Apart from THE, Webometrics (Spain) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) are renowned for their unique ranking methods.

Yokohama National University, as part of the commemorative events for its 60th anniversary, is pleased to host a symposium on university rankings, and details are attached. Those who are interested are invited to participate in the symposium, and invited to register using the form on a separate page. Participation in the symposium is free of charge, but we will ask you to pay 5,000 yen (cash at the door) if you are joining us for the buffet dinner after the symposium.