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Universities' Reputation
Universities' Reputation
Universities' Reputation
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Universities' Reputation

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This book is the result of a number of people´s work and dedication, and who together have made it possible to hold the Building Universities´ Reputation conference at the University of Navarra on April 22nd, 23rd and 24th 2015.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 18, 2015
ISBN9788431331047
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    Book preview

    Universities' Reputation - Juan Manuel Mora

    Universities’ Reputation

    John Haldane

    Concepción Naval

    Rupert Younger

    Pilar Lostao

    Louise Simpson

    Juan Manuel Mora (Coordinator)

    Jan Sadlak (Foreword)

    Víctor Pérez-Díaz (Appendix)

    Juan Carlos Rodríguez (Appendix)

    This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act in conjunction with international copyright agreements, no part may be reproduced for any purpose without written permission of the publisher.


    © 2015. Juan Manuel Mora (Coord.)

    John Haldane

    Concepción Naval

    Rupert Younger

    Pilar Lostao

    Louise Simpson

    Foreword: Jan Sadlak


    Editor: Miriam Salcedo de Prado

    Design: Jokin Pagola

    Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA)

    Plaza de los Sauces, 1 y 2. 31010 Barañáin (Navarra) - Spain

    Telephone: + 34 948 25 68 50 - Fax: + 34 948 25 68 54

    e-mail: info@eunsa.es


    ISBN: 978-84-313-3104-7


    Digital design: Coffee Design (Dublin, Ireland)

    This book is the result of a number of people´s work and dedication, and who together have made it possible to hold the Building Universities´ Reputation conference at the University of Navarra on April 22nd, 23rd and 24th 2015.

    In these few lines, I would like to thank each of them for their work, support and enthusiasm regarding this project.

    To Universia, the Conferencia de Rectores de las Universidades Españolas / Conference of Spanish University Rectors (CRUE), CASE, World 100 Reputation Network, Corporate Excellence, the Asociación de Directivos de Comunicación/Association of Communication Executives (Dircom), the European Foundation Society and Education and the British Council: Thank you for your joint work as partners.

    To the Ministry of Education and Science, the Government of Navarra and Pamplona City Council: Thank you for your institutional support.

    Thank you to la Caixa Foundation, Iberdrola, Ernst & Young (EY), and Knights of Columbus for your support as sponsors.

    Finally, thank you to the whole team from the University of Navarra for their magnificent planning and running of the Building Universities´ Reputation conference 2015.

    Juan Manuel Mora

    Table of Contents

    Foreword

    I. Students at the heart of the university education enterprise

    1. Introduction

    2. Interpreting rankings when choosing university

    3. Perspectives on reputation

    4. Foundations of higher education

    5. Conclusions

    II. Reputation, quality and success in education

    1. Introduction

    2. The debate surrounding reputation

    3. Culture of quality and culture of success

    3.1. The study of quality and reputation as perceived quality

    4. Quality in education

    4.1. The purpose of education and personal quality

    5. Ten challenges in achieving academic excellence in the university

    6. Consequences for the governance of universities

    7. Conclusions

    III. Corporate reputation: considering the reputation of the World’s Leading Universities

    1. Introduction

    2. The different publics of university reputation

    3. The different dimensions of university reputation

    4. Reputation engagement: the 3-2-1 model

    4.1. Engagement factors

    4.2. Reputation for and with someone

    4.3. Authenticity

    5. Conclusions

    IV. Strategic management of university reputation

    1. Introduction

    2. Premises

    2.1. Tangibles and intangibles

    2.2. Reputation or reputations?

    3. How to manage reputation

    4. Conclusions

    V. How international PhD students choose top universities and interpret reputation and rankings

    1. Introduction: objectives and methods

    2. Findings

    2.1. How do PhD students define university reputation? What clues do they seek in terms of defining a reputable university?

    2.2. To what extent do students use rankings and other information to support decision making?

    2.3. What role does reputation play in attracting student talent relative to more tangible or factual factors such as location, facilities, price?

    2.4. To what extent do rankings correlate with reputation and act as a proxy for reputation?

    2.5. How do PhDs regard the reputation of their own university compared to peers?

    2.6. Do students understand the concept of brand?

    3. Conclusions

    VI. Cultivating Reputation with the aid of Communication

    1. Introduction

    2. The process of forming reputation

    2.1. At the heart of the organization

    2.2. In the sphere of the stakeholders

    2.3. The public opinion9

    3. Cultivating reputation

    4. The role of communication

    4.1. Tasks of the communication department

    4.2. A strategic vision of communication18

    4.3. Organization of the department

    5. Conclusions

    GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

    BIBLIOGRAPHY

    APPENDIX

    1. The debate on the reputation of universities

    2. Significance of the concept of reputation

    3. Research on university reputation

    4. A simple definition of reputation, yet rich in its implications

    5. The diverse publics, areas and fields of university reputation

    6. The components or elements of reputation

    7. Explicative factors of reputation

    8. Measuring reputation: the issue of rankings

    9. Managing reputation and other open questions

    References

    Foreword

    Dr. Jan Sadlak

    President, IREG Observatory on Academic

    Ranking and Excellence

    In recent times, higher education has become more central to the lives of more people than ever before in history. It is a consequence of a whole series of reasons the most prevalent being: emergence of knowledge-based economies, globalization and a new wave of information technology and digital communication. There is sufficient evidence to state that no country can afford to neglect its higher education, as higher education institutions are large and unique contributors to the development of human capital and innovative products. In other words, the university is seen as both a powerhouse and a nursery essential for economic development and ­social advancement. Not less important is the fact that universities are also conserving and extending the intellectual, scientific and cultural capital that represents the heritage of a country, region or community, and as such, can be transmitted to future generations.

    Against this background it is not surprising that one of the pillars that supports an acceptance of the university as a social, educational and knowledge generating institution is reputation. The reputation of a university [or any other higher education institution] is ultimately an emblem of its acceptance amongst a variety of stakeholders - peers, experts, students and parents, funding bodies, media, employers, professional organizations, international organizations, etc.

    A strong reputation can translate into stronger student demand, more successful faculty recruitment and fundraising activities. This is why reference to reputation finds its place in marketing or when trying to gain a competitive advantage. In short, reputation has gained recognition as an intangible asset with tangible results.

    Hierarchies based on reputation are a social reality and take place in various situations. At the same time, it should be noted that however important it can be, a long and rich history of a particular academic establishment is not enough to sustain reputation. Sustaining the environment conducive to reputation is needed as well as a lasting commitment to another constituent of the university ethos, that of seeking excellence. Both should be an effect of a culture of quality as well as capability, motivation and sincerity. It needs to be kept in mind that a university, as institution and academic community, must enjoy a large degree of space that will facilitate extensive self-determination, without which it would not have the capacity to innovate.

    The renewed interest has highlighted, to some extent, that reputation [or prestige] is an important, even if the most contested, indicator in many national, regional and international academic rankings. In this context, it is appropriate to comment on the background of the current focus in rankings. It emerges as a consequence of dominant trends such as massification in student enrolment, diversification of institutions and study programmes, and global competition for talent and resources. All this calls for a shared basis for evaluation as well as readable information by various stakeholders that addresses the quality of higher education institutions and their activities. No less important is that most of the stakeholders do not have sufficient capacity to undertake a fully-fledged analysis of the complex internal workings of a particular university. The need for straightforward information, even if not comprehensive, is quite evident. And in a broad way it is what academic rankings are doing. It explains why, in a relatively short period of time and despite the challenges of comparing varied systems, institutions and activities, they become an entrenched phenomenon in the evaluation of quality and performance in higher education.

    Without a doubt, the concept of reputation as a common currency in a variety of university markets and the fact that it has implications for policy, governance and administration, calls for its management, empirical research and open debate. It is a credit to the University of Navarra, and its partners, that they have taken note of the strategic significance and value which building universities’ reputation represents, and that they have organised a space around this topic in order to study this important issue. Anyone attending the Pamplona Conference will undoubtedly acknowledge the quality of the background documents, stimulating debates… not to mention the beauty of the campus and its surroundings. Compiling a book based on six contributions presented at the plenary sessions of the event reflect the state of the art position on this topic and give a glimpse into the depth of the discussions.

    To sum up, the university today is under pressure as a result of social, economic and technological changes. It is important, therefore, that universities be creative and respond to local conditions and general trends as competition increases for staff, students, funding and partners. In this context reputation is an asset, while its continuity and enhancement is a challenge.

    I. Students at the heart of the university education enterprise

    John Haldane

    Director of the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs

    University of St. Andrews

    1. Introduction

    Let me begin by quoting the opening paragraph of a commentary article by Janan Ganesh published in the Financial Times on 21 April 2015, the day prior to the opening of the international conference on Building Universities’ Reputation hosted in Pamplona by the University of Navarra:

    In the world of universities, the word brand itself has a bad brand. At best, it sounds shallow. At worst, it evokes a marketing spiv. Swap the B-word for reputation and suddenly it is easier to talk about this decisive educational variable. For nobody doubts that a university’s reputation – its image and perceived values, the gut reaction created by a mention of its name – goes a long way to determining its prospects.

    The relevance of the points is evident notwithstanding that Ganesh was not speaking about universities but about political parties - for the world of universities read politics, for educational read electoral, and for "a

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