GFDD Attends UNU Panel on University Rankings

On October 20, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) attended the event “Ranking is not Enough: Measuring University Performance,” organized by the United Nations University.

The objective of the forum was to present a new ranking system by which to gage university performance. The panel featured Professor Peter Haddawy, Director of the United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology; Elizabeth
D. Capaldi, University Provost and Executive Vice President, Arizona State University; Craig W. Abbey, Assistant Vice President for Academic Planning and Budget at the University of Buffalo and Director of Research for the Center for Measuring University Performance; and Neils Weertman, Vice-President of Product Management, Scopus and SciVal Elsevier.

The panelists, members of the newly created Global Alliance for Measuring University Performance, other university ranking
systems do not supply universities with the information they require to improve their operations and to make informed decisions concerning their academic offerings. They argued that methods of evaluation must be more holistic in nature.

The new Global Research Benchmarking system is thought to provide a more comprehensive approach to analyzing the research contributions of universities, which advocates believe will in turn help to strengthen the quality of research. The
system will evaluate research based on subject areas as well as subareas, an aspect that distinguishes this system from other existing university ranking systems.

The project will rank universities based on nine variables, including: total research, federal research, giving, quality of faculty, members of national academy, faculty awards, SAT scores of entering students, total doctorates and post doctorates.

The Global Research Benchmarking system will
be carried out in collaboration with ProSPER.Net and Elsevier. In its first year, the project will assess 300 universities internationally. The results of the benchmarking initiative will be published in the Fall of 2011.

The United Nations University, the think tank of the United Nations, organizes frequent lectures with top-ranking authorities on issues of critical concern to the United Nations.

GFDD and FUNGLODE attend seminars and conferences about
matters impacting the global community in order to remain at the forefront of academic debate and network with renowned experts, as part of their mission to bring world-class programs concerning social and economic development and democratization to the Dominican Republic.
 
Related link:
www.ony.unu.edu