Beyond Rankings: How far Academic Excellence Initiative may go?

The second webinar in our Beyond Rankings series focused on Academic Excellence Initiatives (AEIs), examining their impact on universities and national higher education systems. Over the past two decades, numerous countries have implemented AEIs to elevate select universities' global visibility and competitive standing, often driven by aspirations to climb international university rankings.

During the webinar, we explored the multifaceted effects of AEIs:

• The original intentions behind AEIs
• The alignment of AEIs with global ranking ambitions
• The broader implications of AEIs for national higher education policies
• The variability of AEIs across different national contexts
• The extent to which AEIs transcend ranking metrics
• Lessons learned from global perspectives on academic excellence initiatives

The webinar concluded with insights highlighting the complexities surrounding AEIs, emphasising the delicate balance between achieving global academic prominence and nurturing diverse national educational objectives. Participants talked about AEIs' strategic impacts, contributing to ongoing conversations on enhancing higher education quality and international competitiveness without solely focusing on rankings.