By Prof Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman

THE SUN, 16 May 2023

As we move towards the next milestone of advancement for humanity and the future of global development, the role and impact of higher education and universities have never been more profound and the stakes for tertiary institutions have never been higher.

In measuring a university's success as it progresses to the next frontier, using rankings as the ultimate way of recognizing and assessing achievement continues to draw debate.

Students and parents have relied heavily on the rankings and recognition of the best universities in selecting the universities they wish to join.

Researchers and academia also rely on rankings to assess strength in their chosen fields and avenues for further growth and support.

In their expertise, rankings also help them gauge the potential for advancing knowledge and breakthroughs.

The university community takes pride in their university's achievement of a position in the rankings and the ensuing recognition as an excellent research and education institution.

Suppose a university is high in the rankings. In that case, it can impact the government, general society and the private sector through a chain of effects, from the students it produces to new research outcomes that will save lives and propel the nation to greater heights.

On almost all occasions, rankings continue to dominate the ambition and drive of the university to seek the best avenue for the maximization of growth, the building of potential and the cultivation of talent and knowledge.

While it would be easier to avoid the potential pitfalls of the rankings game, doing so would lead, in the long term, to missed opportunities for real and in-depth progress and improvement.

This would nullify any attempts at moving forward.

In the core elements of institutional excellence, recognition and repute, relying on rankings has rarely been the ultimate measurement and index in pursuing pre-eminence.

The first indicator of importance is the implacable focus on strengthening inner resilience and excellence in raising the bars high enough to warrant natural recognition and rankings.

This is reflected in the core vision and purpose of many top universities worldwide including Harvard University and our neighbouring National University of Singapore.

The pursuit of self-renewal and rejuvenation of institutional progress catalyzes crafting strategies earmarked towards inner excellence, agility, resilience and sustainability in anticipating and facing the needs and challenges of tomorrow.

With rising global challenges from diseases to wars that increasingly affect the future of civilizations, the role of universities has never been more crucial and relevant, with constant pressing need for change, growth and the reimagination of purpose and values.

Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) is an Energy University focused on transforming visions and plans towards the next energy great leap.

They are also focused on the internationalisation and industrialisation of Uniten.

Revitalising their strategic manoeuvres and embracing the spirit of transformation for the better.

The path for upward mobility in rankings and increased global recognition, underscored by the focus on the building of internal capacities and strength, will be derailed if there is no projected and consistent support,
and investment in the appropriate structure and phases of growth, as well as maintenance of what has been accomplished.

This is especially stark in relation to a university's three critical focal points of research, academics and services through talent empowerment, all of which aim to impact humanity and the world positively.

Generating this kind of impact gives credence and value to achieve the desired position in the rankings and sets the bar high.

The absence of a focused and well-defined financial aid programme will negatively affect the university's ecosystem and hinder Malaysia's efforts to become a leading education hub.

The journey has been challenging and the support needed is massive and multifaceted in ensuring an agile, resilient and sustainable drive towards this end.

The top tier league offers the highest of standards from the world's best universities, reflecting different ball games in their sources of funding support, systemic structures of growth and the sustainable cultivation and maximisation of resources in maintaining crucial success levels.

In the rankings system, competition among universities and the barometer of assessment in different categories remain highly competitive and selective.
A plateau is hard to escape when a particular stage is reached as maturity sets in.

The competitive nature of the indicators at play starts to settle into a potential trough unless a formidable push is initiated into injecting the significant changes needed.

While many question the need for the ranking system as the ultimate yardstick of a university's success, we argue that it remains fundamental in elevating the university in reaching for the right impact on society in general.

We will need to seriously rethink and remake archaic development models and structures of finance to fuel our acquisition of the necessary capital to fund expansion and progress, which is crucial to make the giant leap into the elite tier of the world's best universities.

This requires not only the participation of the entire campus community and its immediate circle of stakeholders but, more importantly, also needs future-driven and visionary insights and commitments from the main contributors and backers in ensuring that the process is given consistent attention and impetus to enable us to cross the finish line with our heads held high

A university well recognised in the rankings will have the advantage of being fuelled by exceptional incentives to be at the forefront of knowledge, despite the overwhelming competition to lead.

Visibility and branding power on the global stage is the first edge to be gained.

Elite universities such as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others, fully utilise this established magnetism of brand power to their full advantage in galvanising and attracting research expertise and funding, the world's brightest talent and the best technology and resources.

Rankings will provide a clear pathway for benchmarking against the world's best. particularly in the quest to improve vulnerabilities and enhance areas that will need further improvement.

The absence of a central evaluation and assessment tool in comparing the data,
achievements and aspects of growth will deny us the opportunity for a holistic overview and strategic planning of the vision ahead to outline the steps that must be taken for improvement and progress.

A university's status, values and worth are not degraded by striving for proper fundamental steps in gauging its performance and using existing guides, inspirations and best practices from the best in shoring up its capacities and readiness to achieve the highest bars set.

From saving lives to charting new frontiers in space, universities and academic institutions will always be at the forefront of humanity's renewal and progress.

They will always be at the centre of reference and knowledge authority for the benefit of humankind.

Being in a favourable position and with the proper support to climb further in the rankings builds and complements confidence levels not just among the various stakeholders ranging from the community to the researchers but also among both public and private sectors, in gaining the high expectation of a lasting positive impact on the community as well as national and global development.

In terms of outcome negotiation, with more excellent bargaining chips from the higher rankings and the subsequent positive implications, an increased level of favourable deals and partnerships for the benefit of the university and the community will be in the picture.

Specific and broad-based strategic tie-ups and partnerships with global and regional firms and institutions, especially in the critical areas of development, creation of tools of tomorrows drivers of growth through science and technology, and ideas and innovations that will change lives and feed the hungry, will create new openings and ventures that will have an immense and monumental impact for the country.

From human capital advancement to the inflow of high technology and research eminence from various quarters of the globe, the monumental impact and spill-over effects with the positive chain reaction encompassing all layers of society and the stakeholders in the nation's progress will be immeasurable.

Meeting the highest indicators of a world-class university involves having the courage and conviction to embark on a transformative and future-driven strategic and visionary revitalisation of internal strength and readiness to embrace the changes of tomorrow.

Success without due support and necessary investment in the right and critical growth platform is next to impossible.

Time and urgency with the right systemic endeavours and support are paramount in
ensuring that this leap to the top tier of world-class universities in a context where funding and injection of capital for the necessary closing of the gaps with the elites will be significant and productive.

With sheer vigour in shaping the quintessence of academic leadership and knowledge creation underscored by a mission-led and purpose-driven core of passion and resilience, the university has been.

It will always be at the forefront of leading the national hope for global excellence and recognition with the aim of a lasting impact and legacy for the nation, people and the world.

The journey has been challenging, and the support needed is massive and multi-faceted in ensuring an agile, resilient and sustainable drive towards this end.

With significant challenges of the changing times and demands of the future in the
increasingly competitive and changing field of higher education, the great leap forward requires a bold reimagination of purpose and values, propelled by the proper focus and resources that will embody the rejuvenation and transformation of culture, capacity and capability.

This is the period of reckoning for making the big leap.

The opportunities to make that happen are here and now, for this is a critical juncture in our joint quest to make Malaysia stand tall in the eyes of the world through our legacies, impact and contributions to the future of the world and humanity.