We are pleased to announce that John Aubrey Douglass, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), was recently featured in an article by the Chinese Social Sciences Net (CSSN). The article, titled "Reflecting on the Deficiencies and Shortcomings of Global University Ranking Systems," delves into the origins, impacts, and inherent flaws of global university rankings, drawing insights from experts including Douglass.
In the article, Douglass discusses the emergence of global university rankings as tools for governments to assess the value and quality of expanding university networks. He highlights that these rankings often focus narrowly on limited data and prestige hierarchies, overlooking universities' broader contributions in teaching, research, and public service. Douglass also addresses the negative consequences of such rankings, including the proliferation of journals, meaningless citations, and a decline in the value of metrics that measure university efficiency, quality, and innovation.
Douglass advocates for a more comprehensive perspective in evaluating universities, one that encompasses their diverse activities and societal roles. He introduces the concept of the "New Flagship University," which provides a broader framework for understanding the goals and missions of influential public universities. This model emphasizes that contemporary universities engage in a wide array of complex activities, reflecting significant differences from their counterparts 50 or even 20 years ago.
The full article is available on the CSSN website.