The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 29 May 2013.
US: Universities should think like ‘big business’ report says
A new study from the New America Foundation suggests that thinking more like big businesses may be the key to success for US universities, IVN reports. The research organization’s report, ‘The Next Generation University’, focuses on six public universities identified for successes in enrolment, financial aid provision and students’ attainment. As well as arguing that universities should become more business-minded, the report highlights the importance of easing the transition from community college to university, focusing on degree completion rates, and offering ‘hybrid’ courses – taught both online and in classrooms.
India: Plans to rebuild ancient university
India’s Nalanda University, founded long before Europe’s oldest universities, is to be reborn as the new Nalanda International University, BBC News reports. This new institution will be based in Rajgir, about 10km away from the ruins of the original ancient Buddhist institution, which was destroyed about 820 years ago. As its name suggests, Nalanda International University will have a strong emphasis on international collaboration, and will focus on courses in humanities, economics, management, sustainable development, Asian integration and oriental languages.
Singapore/China: NUS to open first overseas research center in China
The National University of Singapore (NUS) plans to officially open its first overseas research institute today, China.org.cn reports. The center, which has a target of growing from 50 to 300 researchers within three years, is located in the Suzhou Industrial Park, a project launched in the 1990s through collaboration of the Chinese and Singaporean governments. Research will focus on areas of interest to both countries, and the center will also provide some specialized training for Chinese officials in fields such as entrepreneurship, public policy and intellectual property.
Austria: Government wants to limit foreign student numbers
Austria’s government has appealed to the EU for a way to limit the number of students coming to its universities from other European countries, PressEurop reports. German students in particular have taken up a lot of spaces at Austrian universities – one in nine first-year students are from Germany, according to the Austrian Ministry of Economy. The government says it wants to ‘give priority’ to Austrian students, but it’s unclear how this could be achieved without breaking EU policy on free movement within the region.