International rankings and accreditations have been one of the leading topics in the discussion on the development of higher education in Poland for several years. Many universities have set themselves the clear goal of increasing prestige and visibility in the international arena.
Multidimensional importance of rankings
International rankings are not only a tool for comparing individual universities. It is also, and perhaps above all, a very important source of information on the most recent indicators of measuring the effectiveness of university institutions and inspiration as regards the directions and areas of their dynamic and innovative development. A detailed analysis of individual ranking criteria allows for determining the areas of necessary improvement in a given university.
Lodz University of Technology has been involved in the process of increasing international visibility to a very large extent. In the ministerial non-competition project entitled "Foreign Accreditations" of the Knowledge Education Development Operational Program co-financed by the European Social Fund, our university has obtained the largest number of grants for foreign accreditation among all Polish universities. Our goal, however, is not only to obtain certificates and quality badges. As a result of international accreditations, we constantly obtain important data that are the basis for further decisions related to the strategic development of Lodz University of Technology.
Often, in the academic environment, accreditations are associated only with promotional benefits and the possibility of attracting new foreign students. However, this is a very limited view of the accreditation processes. Research clearly shows that the strong motivation of universities participating in the accreditation processes offers prospects for increasing external and internal reputation, establishing contacts with new international partners, strategic development and benchmarking.
This "useful" dimension of international accreditation was highlighted by the rector of Lodz University of Technology, Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik, who chaired the session entitled: The role of international accreditation in strategic management of Polish universities. Prof. Jóźwik with the participants of the panel - Prof. Jarosław Górniak, Vice-Rector for Development of the Jagiellonian University and Prof. Andrzej Kaleta, rector of the University of Economics in Wrocław, presented a number of decision-making solutions implemented in leading Polish universities in foreign accreditations.
Much attention was paid to the issues of institutional international accreditation. Rectors participating in the panel presented examples of their program and institutional accreditations and their translation into the improvement of change management processes in the area of science, education and cooperation with the environment.
International rankings and their methodology
The conference aimed also at presenting the results of the ending International Visibility Project (DIALOG program), in which 20 best Polish universities take part, including Lodz University of Technology. Justyna Kopańska, representing Lodz University of Technology in this project, conducted two sessions devoted to international rankings and their methodologies. During these sessions, the advantages and weaknesses of individual ranking methodologies and the position of Polish universities in world classifications were discussed. Gero Federkeil, the head of the U-Multirank ranking, also talked about changes in the methodology that can be expected in the near future. Andrew MacFarlane from the QS ranking spoke about the future of reputation research and the improvement of the results of Polish universities in this indicator in the last edition of the ranking. Vice-rector of the University of Bologna, Mirko Degli Esposti presented the perspective of Italian universities in relation to world rankings.
Challenges of higher education
The conference also included two other important panel sessions devoted to the most up-to-date challenges in the field of higher education. One of them related to the European Universities Initiative and how it will change the landscape of the European Space for Higher Education and Science. During this session, the participants discussed the significant impact of networking universities in Poland and the creation of a new culture of international universities, where everyday life is strongly based on scientific, didactic and administrative cooperation with foreign universities. Creating a network of European universities is undoubtedly one of the most important pillars of the development of universities in Poland and in Europe.
On the second day, there was a session devoted to the Evaluation of scientific activity in Poland 2020, led by Dr Zygmunt Krasiński, strategic advisor to the NCBR director. This is a topic that raises a lot of emotions nowadays. During the session, the impact of evaluation on the international prestige of Polish higher education was discussed.
ELSEVIER Awards Gala
The first day of the conference ended with the ELSEVIER Research Impact Leaders Awards gala. The awards have been awarded since 2016 and are part of Elsevier's global initiative to support research and the advancement of science. They are an expression of recognition for those institutions that contribute to increasing the recognition of Polish science in the world. The awards are granted in six categories - Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technologies, Humanities, Medical Sciences, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.
Lodz University of Technology was nominated in the Agricultural Sciences category this year. Among the 183 publications of Lodz University of Technology in this area, over 35% of the works were published in the best journals. The most active authors are: Prof. Grażyna Budryn, Prof. Dorota Zyzelewicz, Prof. Elżbieta Klewicka.
The University of Rzeszów became the winning university in the Agricultural Sciences category in 2020.
More information about the conference: https://perspektywy.org/warsaw2021/program/
More information about the International Visibility Project: http://intvp.edu.pl/