The Times Higher Education (THE) Mena Universities Summit, which concluded yesterday at Qatar University (QU), drew more than 180 participants including university leaders, higher education experts, educators, and business and industry organisations from over 21 countries to advance discussion on the issue of Mena university ranking.
The event, the first such in the region and in Qatar, was organised by QU and THE magazine. The opening ceremony included speeches by QU president Professor Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad and THE magazine editor-at-large Phil Baty.
There were keynote presentations by global tertiary education expert Dr Jamil Salmi on how to build a world class university, lessons from the world’s fastest rising universities, and implications for emerging economies, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) president Dr Jean-Lou Chameau on ‘From Startup to Maturity’ detailing his organisation’s academic and research initiatives and accomplishments.
Baty said that the conference was an opportunity for the participants to make a contribution to the dialogue on universities ranking — an interactive environment where they can share experiences and learn from their challenges and achievements.
“We are starting to shape a brand new THE ranking here in Qatar -- a new Mena Universities Ranking”, he said, adding, “We want to create this ranking in full partnership with the university leaders in the region, so this summit is an excellent opportunity to make some history.”
Prof al-Misnad said: “The ranking journey is one that involves significant internal investment, negotiations, prioritisation, and compromise. It is true that rankings play an increasingly influential role in recruiting the best students and faculty, securing donor funds, and generally achieving prestige among peers, but we have to acknowledge the inherent tensions between answering local needs and expectations on the one hand and looking to meet international standards of success on the other.”
“We must engage meticulously and meaningfully in the debate on how to make sure ranking criteria serve the ultimate goal of continuously improving the quality and relevance of higher education in a changing world and within their local and regional contexts.
“So while universities need to understand how the various ranking systems work in order to focus on the appropriate inputs, ranking criteria need to remain true to the concept of quality education that is appropriate to a specific context. Universities are best placed to engage in this conversation, and this is what makes this summit so important.”
The morning’s panel discussion on university-industry collaboration brought together Qatar Petrochemical Company vice chairman and CEO Dr Mohamed Youssef al-Mulla, Commercial Bank CEO Abdulla Saleh al-Raisi and Silatech CEO Dr Tareq Youssef.
