Taiwanese Universities Should Ignore Academic Rankings: Hsieh Yu-cheng

A Taiwanese columnist says that a university that puts academic competition as its primary focus is ‘suicidal.’

The News Lens
Date: 2016/08/23
By: Olivia Yang

This year’s Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) was recently released by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with National Taiwan University (NTU) dropping from 154th last year to 163rd this year, marking the fourth consecutive year NTU has declined in the ranking.

While some commentators have expressed concerns over the “underperformance” of Taiwan’s top university, an op-ed in Business Weekly argues that the university should not be overly worried about such rankings.

Hsieh Yu-cheng (謝宇程), a well-known columnist on educational issues in Taiwan, says people normally have three main expectations about universities: acting as an engine that pushes society, industries, and government toward progress; cultivating talent; and a “race horse” in academic competitions.     [FULL  STORY]