Abandoning these rankings is way overdue, IMHO:

"The higher-education sector should collectively — and vocally — agree that the current rankings are not fit for purpose."

nature.com/articles/d41586-025…

Lizzie Gadd @lizziegadd is spot on, as always!

#rankings #universities #prestige #academicchatter

To reform universities, first tackle global rankings

Universities are in thrall to a rankings system that prioritizes narrow aspects of academic life. Three changes would give institutions the freedom to explore fresh ways of working.

^{Gadd, Elizabeth}

The UK's University business model is now pretty stark.... fees from non-UK students, and drawing down reserves (and income from investments) are the only two things left to cross-subsidise the rest of universities' activities (research & the teaching UK students, both of which are 'loss-making').

This model cannot go on forever - international students are in a post-Brexit deciine reserves are by their character, limited!

The crisis in higher education is going to get deeper!

#universities

Kudos to the #Rutgers University Senate:
senate.rutgers.edu/wp-content/…

"Be it resolved that, the Rutgers University Senate urges the President of Rutgers University to formally propose and help establish a Mutual Academic Defense Compact (#MADC) among all members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance [#BTAA]…Under this compact, all participating institutions shall commit meaningful funding to a shared or distributed defense fund…Participating institutions shall make available, at the request of the
institution under direct political infringement, the services of their legal counsel, governance experts, and public affairs offices to coordinate a unified and vigorous response."

#Academia #Universities
@academicchatter

From Chris Brink: "It is not difficult to construct a university ranking. What is needed is not so much any technical skill as enough blind self-confidence to tell the world that the arbitrary choices you have made in constructing your ranking actually represent reality."
universityworldnews.com/post.p…

#Academia #Rankings #Universities
@academicchatter

Academic rankings: The tide begins to turn

The development of academic rankings has reached an inflection point as some of the world’s leading universities – concerned about fundamental fla...

^{University World News}

The #UMontana is cancelling more than 5,000 #journals from #Elsevier, #TaylorAndFrancis, and #Wiley, forced by "rising journal…#prices and a stagnant #budget…The library has seen a $700,000 reduction in money received since fiscal year 2020."
nbcmontana.com/news/local/mans…

#Academia #Cancellations #Libraries #Publishers #ScholComm #Universities
@academicchatter

Mansfield Library at UM set to cut largest e-journal packages

Cuts are coming to the Mansfield Library’s collections to address a more than $300,000 funding gap.When University of Montana students access the library’s onli

^KECI

🤩 Super nice!

SURF, the Dutch ICT provider for the #educational sector, now provides sector-wide authenticated access to #Mastodon at social.edu.nl ! 🥳 Everybody at #universities in the Netherlands can now easily join Mastodon using their existing university credentials.

Following @SylviaFysica fantastic suggestion, they adopted the awesome name @SLURF 🐘 😆

surf.nl/mastodon-pilot-voor-on…

SURF Mastodon Pilot

This is the Mastodon Pilot instance ran by SURF for the Dutch research and education community - more info https://surf.nl/mastodon-pilot

^{Mastodon hosted on social.edu.nl}