What makes a university rise among the Greats?

Be aggressive in your efforts. Be astonishing in your output.

Firstly, we need to identify that there are two types of universities:?

1) The Greats and

2) The Standard.

Most of the standard ones rise to a certain level, which I would like to coin as Golden Age (GA), after which, due to various scenarios, end up declining and remaining stagnant for years to come. They are successful but within the average.?

However, there is a fast-growing percentage of universities, called the “Greats” that due to their timing, leadership, innovation, and probably, mission, focus, and discipline, just keep on rising above the (GA). Those become unstoppable. Now, the question is, what makes these institutions the “Greats”?

1.?????????????Great faculty and high-quality delivery. If we talk about great faculty, that does not mean greatly qualified (alone), but proficient, dynamic, and most importantly, inspirational to students (and the community. Social impact is essential). These would usually come (and develop) impactful research and make a difference in each student’s life. It is critical to have self-driven faculty that wish to develop their abilities further to meet the industry and societal demands.??

2.?????????????Great students. Faculty is one key aspect but another one is students. Great students are those who can think with clarity, sharply, and critically while expressing their ideas. They need to be academically bright but also equipped with the so-forgotten life skills. There is 10% of the total who will be self-motivated to grow beyond imagination. Those students are the key to the success of a university.?

3.?????????????Corporate alignment. A student may or may not get great jobs (since that depends on them as much as on the university), but the Great HighEd institution must make sure they get corporate exposure through projects, sessions, collaborations, internships, and grants.??

4.?????????????Entrepreneurship spirit. A University must nurture and develop critical thinking. The power of ethical questioning while addressing societal challenges and meeting one’s vision for a business idea is what makes an entrepreneur succeed. A university has the responsibility of inculcating this spirit to a certain level after which students must be driven enough to take it further ahead.??In short, teaching an entrepreneurial spirit isn’t optional. Taking it forward, it is on the student.?

5.?????????????Practice-oriented and high-quality research. This is one of the aspects that set a university below or above the Golden Age. Research is critical in the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. Alongside this, funded research (both internal and externally) is essential and shall be seen as an investment.??All financial involvements/funds dedicated towards research shall be observed as a profitable (in terms of output) investment with 100% returns (may not be tangible in a direct form. Once again, knowledge creation and dissemination).?

6.?????????????Networking. A university shall provide students with a vast range of networking opportunities. This is mainly driven by two actors: faculty and alumni. Alumni are an equally critical aspect of a university’s functioning. Often disregarded as secondary, alumni can propel the institution towards greatness or drop it dead to misery.??Alumni engagement must be extremely robust.? The byproduct of networking? High-profile (and paying) jobs and opportunities (not necessarily financially-driven).

7.?????????????Internationalisation. The university must be driven and live by international standards. Playing by national rules (only), will not work in a globalized world anymore.??The game is now, more than ever, intercontinental.?

8.?????????????High functional infrastructure. The infrastructure must address all the faculty and students' needs. It shall be comfortable, pleasant, and the equivalent to their homes. If it isn’t, there is a problem, and a minor inconvenience can turn into a red flag really quickly.??

9.?????????????Bandwidth of study opportunities. The “Greats” have options of all sorts for all kinds of people. Variety is key.??

10.??????????Innovation. Needless to say, if a university remains stuck in a particular field or situation, it is game over. A university must move upwards and forward, always.

Which external parties shall assess the success of a university on a comparative basis? Accreditations. These are the only external audits that help an institution grow and enhance its processes. Preferentially, international accreditations of various kinds provide that edge of internationalization to rise above imagination while ensuring that quality controls are kept in check.?

Ultimately, the aim of a university is to provide a successful career to all its stakeholders, including students, academic, non-academic staff, and families. All are learners.

It shall not be forgotten that The “Greats” attract the Great. And this is a vicious loop that will not cease to exist.?