Republic of Ireland
Top Private Colleges to Merge
Two of Ireland’s top private colleges announced that they had agreed to merger terms in August. Under the terms of the agreement, Dublin Business School will acquire Portobello College for an undisclosed sum. Portobello programs and accreditation status will continue uninterrupted. Portobello was established in 1989, as publicly funded colleges were struggling to cope with massive growth in tertiary enrollments.
The amalgamated college will have a student population of more than 8,500 and the potential to deliver close to 100 programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. DBS is part of international education provider Kaplan, Inc, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company.
— The Independent
August 2, 2007
Serbia
Academic Corruption Runs Rampant
According to reporting from the Times Higher Education Supplement, a culture of academic corruption is scandalizing Serbia and the economic and structural problems that underlie it. This culture of corruption was brought to the fore recently by the arrest of Emilija Stankovic, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and a senior member of the faculty of law at the University of Kragujevac on suspicion of graft along with several members of her faculty.
Investigators say they have uncovered a thriving industry at Kragujevac where a single exam pass costs approximately US$800 while a degree, without the trouble of classes and exams, will cost just over $8,000. So far, one third of the Kragujevac law faculty has been arrested. At another Serbian university, one faculty is said to have issued more than 1,000 fake degrees between 1999 and 2004. Allegations of similar practices at institutions elsewhere in Eastern Europe are commonplace in the popular press. Levels of public cynicism are high as a result.
Commonly cited reasons for the high levels of corruption include low academic salaries, pressure from senior staff and political superiors to pass certain individuals, and the abundance of bogus credentials. Corruption tends to appear most commonly in the enrollment and qualification processes, although it is also believed that academics have also benefited professionally from corrupt practices.
— The Times Higher Education Supplement
August 10, 2007
Sweden
Report Suggests Cutting Number of Universities by a Third
A recent proposal to cut the number of universities in Sweden from fourteen to a more manageable 5 has met with mixed reactions. A report by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education has suggested that the country would benefit from such a measure, and it is being touted by the agency’s chancellor, Anders Flodström.
While Swedish universities remain relatively competitive, they are no longer among the best in the world, according to Flodström. He believes the answer is to amalgamate institutions. Universities in Denmark and Finland have already begun moving in this direction, he noted.
Parties within the center-right coalition government see the suggestion as a possible means of incresaing the profile of the nation’s universities at home and abroad, but also say that it’s too soon to take a position. Sweden’s institutions of higher learning will present their ideas to the government this fall.
— Radio Sweden
August 7, 2007
United Kingdom
New Visa Law to Crack down on Bogus Colleges
Private colleges and schools outside the public review system will be required to obtain official accreditation from 2009. The new system will replace a registration scheme that has been blamed for allowing fake students to enter the country on student visas by registering at colleges and language schools that have been accused of acting as a front for people working illegally. Institutions will also be required to report students who fail to meet minimum attendance requirements.
About 300,000 foreign students are registered in the UK each year. A minority are thought to get their visas through bogus language schools taking money for largely non-existent programs. Government ministers are advising unaccredited institutions to seek accreditation by one of three approved academic bodies before the new rules come into effect. Some foreign institutions offering only part of their programs in the United Kingdom will be excluded from the requirement.
— The BBC
July 24, 2007
UK Universities Failing to Collaborate Internationally
According to the findings of a parliamentary select committee, British universities are failing to build partnerships with institutions abroad as compared to their peers and competition in other countries. The education select committee's report quotes Professor Lan Xue of Tsinghua University in China as testifying that UK universities have been aiming largely at attracting students to the UK rather than developing collaborative programs.
"The UK was not in the top five of countries whose [higher education] institutions were involved in joint programs with Chinese universities," Professor Lan told the committee.
The report stressed that international student flows had to be a two-way street with more British students being encouraged to spend at least part of their programs studying overseas. In addition, the report noted that the key to continued success was to maintain high standards, and that British institutions could lose their appeal to students from India and China as their own higher education systems grow. It also said the government and private sector should fund prestigious scholarships and fellowships.
— BBC NEWS
August 4, 2007
Another Ranking Joins the Fray, Scores Cambridge #1
Confirming the findings of many other university rankings, both global and domestic, Cambridge University has been ranked number one in the United Kingdom followed by Oxford and Imperial College, London by the Good University Guide, a newcomer on the rankings scene (and not to be confused with the Times Good University Guide, produced annually by the Sunday Times).
The editor of the new ranking (and former researcher for the Times Good University Guide) told The Scotsman that his ranking differentiates itself from others by placing greater emphasis on student opinion gathered through the National Student Survey. Other factors used to create the rankings include entry grades, student-staff ratios, spending on academic facilities and infrastructure, percentage of first-class and upper-class degrees, graduate prospects, and international enrollments. The guide can be tailored for individual users who can choose the indicators they deem most valuable to them.
— The Good University Guide
July 2007
(Northern Ireland)
16 Further Education Colleges Merged into Six Regional “Super Colleges”
The new colleges are:
— The BBC
August 1, 2007
(Scotland)
Regional University Created through Merger
The University of Paisley and Bell College have merged to form Scotland’s largest ‘modern university’ at a cost of approximately US$42 million over three years. The university will cater to more than 18,000 students across campuses in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley. The institution claims to have the country's largest School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, and also claims to be within geographic reach of 40 percent of the Scottish population.The merger is expected to lead to the extension of current degree and postgraduate courses at Bell College in Hamilton. The university will reportedly change from the University of Paisley to the University of the West of Scotland by the end of the year.
— The BBC
August 1, 2007
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