‘Essential reading for all in global higher education’

‘In a league of its own’, ‘highly trusted and respected’, ‘of unique value to educators, administrators and policy-makers’, ‘enriching’ – distinguished readers tell us what they think about University World News’ distinctive contribution to global higher education, on our 10th anniversary.

Here are their comments in full (listed in alphabetical order):

“In a time of post truth and fake news, the UWN is a sound, updated and reliable source of high-quality information and news from universities all over the world. We learn from you, you inform our debates and discussions, you bring interesting ideas and intelligent analyses. No one doubts your independence. We would be poorer without you.”

Bjørn Einar Aas, senior adviser, University of Bergen, Norway, and former president, European Association for International Education.

“University World News is the only global source for current news and commentary on higher education – it is in a league of its own. It is particularly valuable because it provides analysis of developing and emerging economies, and not just the countries that tend to dominate discussion of academic life. UWN authors also reflect a diversity of perspectives and nationalities.

"UWN's journalists provide well-written articles reporting on key issues that permit the readers to obtain a global understanding of the complex world of higher education. In a world where developments in one country or region affect others, the wide perspective that University World News provides is particularly valuable.

“University World News highlights some of the most important issues affecting higher education worldwide. UWN's opinion and interpretative articles also bring thoughtful perspectives on key issues from a range of global experts

“Further, it is available to everyone and not hidden behind a paywall!”

Philip G Altbach, research professor and founding director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, United States.

“University World News is a highly trusted and respected news source on global higher education issues. UWN's focus on global issues makes it unique among higher education news outlets. UWN's contributing writers represent many countries from around the world adding to its global perspective.

“As an educational leader and researcher in higher education, this global orientation is very important to me since higher education institutions now operate in a global context. Reading UWN each week keeps me informed about important trends and developments in higher education. I highly recommend UWN to anyone involved in higher education.”

Patrick Blessinger, adjunct associate professor of education at St John’s University, New York City, United States, and chief research scientist for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association.

"I would like to express my sincere congratulations to University World News on its 10th anniversary.

"As an international higher education publication with a genuinely global perspective, UWN has systemically contributed to increasing access and encouraging dialogue on various global, regional and national higher education issues. It also provides a major platform for debate and dialogue on various higher education issues.

"I do hope that UWN continues having more thematic special issues that focus on the various sociological issues related to higher education and the community. Its partnership with the MasterCard Foundation on Transformative Learning and their recent partnership with the Center for International Higher Education in publishing a number of books anchored on publications in UWN and International Higher Education is a major initiative that deserves more attention, especially in its capacity to encourage more debates that address higher education’s impact on various aspects of our social world.

"Once again, congratulations and looking forward to your next decade of facilitating the debates that help direct the development of global higher education and policy directives."

Roger Chao Jr, senior consultant of the UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation, China.

“University World News is my personal National Geographic in the world of higher education. It's a unique source of news and analytics on universities from various parts of the world.

“What's distinct about UWN is that every issue allows you to realise in just 10 minutes how universities around the world are different, yet have very similar challenges.

“UWN brings a global community of higher education researchers and experts closer together. It is something special to first read someone's article in UWN and then talk to this person in a conference. I hope that despite the wave of the ‘new nationalism’ in some countries, UWN will remain a powerful source of global discussions about higher education.”

Igor Chirikov, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Education, Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia, and SERU-International managing director at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California, Berkeley, United States.

“The sociopolitical and economic context of higher education has dramatically shifted in the past 10 years. UWN with its global perspectives has been a beacon informing us of issues and developments on international higher education. Unsurprisingly, the next decade is going to be even more complex and competitive for international higher education. We need the unifying voice of UWN and its quality reporting and global reach more than ever before.

“For scholar-practitioners like myself, knowing what is happening is only a part of the interest; we are constantly looking for underlying issues that explain why something is happening. UWN’s team of global reporters and contributors fill this gap of not only providing latest news but also providing deeper analysis on developments and issues related to international higher education. It offers a unique value to educators, administrators and policy-makers, not only in terms of the quality and extent of its reporting but also convenience of a weekly digest of news and developments.

“Over eight years, I have contributed more than 50 articles and conceived a productive partnership of hosting a series of global webinars, which attracted more than 4,000 registrations. I have always respected and admired the passion and commitment of the UWN team. I wish them the very best in terms of its growth and impact of engaging and informing a global audience on international higher education.”

Dr Rahul Choudaha, executive vice president of global engagement at StudyPortals.

“I have in my life a sense of ‘Before-UWN’ and ‘After-UWN’.
Before-UWN I was a grumbling education journalist from the UK, already inoculated against insularity by two decades in Paris as a member of the foreign press. There was then so little foreign news in the sectoral press, or a demand for it.

“After-UWN, and now that I am rooted in academia, I have a Sunday reading/tweeting ritual. It is rare that I do not find something I want to share for its comparative political or policy interest.

“Congratulations to all at UWN for becoming an authoritative source for readers across the world.

“As an occasional contributor I should also add that UWN has a great group of editors. They are competent, constructive and courteous: would that these were world-wide characteristics!”

Anne Corbett, senior associate of LSE Enterprise at the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom.

“University World News is distinctive both in content and scope in its weekly global reporting.

“University World News ' contribution is connecting higher education professionals with colleagues worldwide and providing readers with timely and relevant information.

“Congratulations on your anniversary.”

Marguerite J Dennis, executive director, MJD Consultants, has been a higher education administrator for more than 40 years – at St John’s University in New York, at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and at Suffolk University in Boston, United States.

“University World News since 10 years is my Sunday morning immersion in developments in global higher education. There are many publications, also on-line, on higher education, but UWN is the only one that provides global news on higher education, including – very important and unique – on what is happening in the emerging and developing world.

“UWN is for me an important way to interact with higher education policy-makers, scholars and practitioners around the world on my own commentaries, enriching my own views and connections.

“The collaboration between UWN and International Higher Education, the publication of the Center for International Higher Education, is illustrative of the way UWN is combining news with analysis of trends in global higher education.

“As contributor to UWN and as director of the Boston College Center for International Higher Education, I congratulate UWN with its 10th anniversary and look forward to ongoing collaboration in spreading news and analysis on global higher education.”

Hans de Wit, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, United States. Previously he was founding director of the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, and professor of internationalisation of higher education at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands.

“University World News is the single authoritative global source for keeping track of the politics, reforms and thinking on all things related to higher education. I personally depend on it to help make sense of the rapid fire changes and innovations that characterise the modern world of tertiary institutions.”

Dr John Aubrey Douglass, senior research fellow of public policy and higher education at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

“University World News, in just 10 years, has established itself as essential reading for all of us in higher education and quality assurance, as well as for interested colleagues in other areas. Its coverage brings us closer together and enables us to better engage each other. It informs and enriches the international higher education community, enlarging our sense of common purpose and commitment. We need this global voice, this perspective, moving forward.”

Judith S Eaton, president, Council for Higher Education Accreditation, USA.

“Congratulations to University World News as it is celebrating 10 years of dedicated, insightful, and informative work on current, emerging, and future themes and events in global higher education!

“UWN has provided excellent professional reporting and coverage that has been broad and strategic, as well as local, regional, and international, from developed countries to emerging economies, from conventional topics on teaching and research, to innovation and technology, and present at well established widely known events to those that are new and provide a different angle.”

“Our best wishes to UWN. We hope that it continues to pursue a distinctive, in-depth coverage of important and strategic news on, and extremely useful to, the higher education community around the world!”

Fernando León García, President, CETYS University, Mexico.

"UWN and UWN Africa have made a phenomenal contribution over the past few years. Not only is it essential that we have regular information about the evolution of the global higher education system, but it is essential that there is reflection on the innovations that are being attempted in various parts of the world.

“UWN does this, and UWN Africa does this for a part of the world where there is very little coverage of higher education. UWN has become an indispensable resource for academics and administrators around the world.”

Professor Adam Habib, vice-chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; chair of Universities South Africa; member of the Board of Directors of UWN Africa.

“UWN offers university leaders an excellent kaleidoscope of the changing higher education landscape. Trends in world higher education policies weekly are highly appreciated. The articles and commentaries give valuable insights.”

Esa Hämälainen, administrative head of the University of Helsinki, Finland.

“Over the last 10 years, higher education has become a truly global and multi-polar enterprise. Once monopolised by a small set of institutions and nations, the leading group has multiplied, creating a dynamic open and complex system with some regional differentiation.

“Tracking, monitoring, commenting, critiquing and analysing these developments has been the indispensable and distinctive contribution of University World News. No other publication provides such coverage, and includes the diversity of experiences and perspectives.

“For me, it is the go-to place every Sunday. As personal, social and economic demands on/for higher education pick up pace, UWN should remain at the forefront, helping us understand and meet the inevitable challenges, while ensuring the diversity of educational and research experiences and provision, and commitment to/engagement with the ‘public good’; do not get drowned out by competing forces and ‘fads’.”

Ellen Hazelkorn, professor emeritus and director, Higher Education Policy Research Unit, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland; education policy consultant, BH Associates.

“University World News has made an unprecedented contribution. There has never been any platform that put together global news on higher education in the scope, quality and with inestimable regularity as University World News has done.

“My week always ends with a new edition of this useful news piece. Sitting in Africa where most information escapes us due to different reasons, University World News consolidates major happenings of the week in the field of higher education, thus putting us at par with the rest of the world every weekend.

“For Africa, it provides an unprecedented platform to share developments and new initiatives in Africa's higher education with the rest of the world. Even within Africa most occurrences in higher education are now shared through University World News.

“The establishment of the Africa edition of the University World News with news, features and special reports from the continent has been very beneficial. It gives useful information from and about a higher education sector which for many years could have been thought of as having no significant news or developments in higher education. It has given quite significant visibility to African higher education.

“The African Network for Internationalization (ANIE), a pan-African network on international education in Africa finds University World News an unparalleled platform for disseminating outcomes from their dialogue sessions, conferences and disseminating outcomes of research.

“Previously, it was difficult to find regular updates on contemporary and important developments in Africa’s higher education. This platform presents a one stop resource where you find new information from Africa ... and on the same platform news from other regions of the world. It is something to look forward to at the end of every week and this regularity makes it fresh and contemporary.

“So far University World News has made an unparalleled contribution, especially for Africa, which did not have as many opportunities as other parts of the world to present its story.

“With such information sharing, it creates possibilities for closer cooperation as partners from different regions have an opportunity to grasp new developments in different regions.

“Scholars and practitioners from Africa should always contribute to University World News as this would enrich the contributions from Africa.”

James Otieno Jowi is the founding executive director and secretary general of African Network for Internationalization of Education, who also lectures in comparative and international education at the school of education, Moi University, Kenya.

“In 10 years University World News has become essential reading for scholar-researchers, university leaders, government officials and policy-makers, NGOs and commercial organisations concerned with higher education – across the whole world. The format is clear and simple, UWN is an essential news and comment source, and underpinning these functions is a set of values common to higher education everywhere.

“Its commitments to intellectual freedom and creativity, critical thought, open borders, the value of learning, the care of persons, and cultural diversity – values that are broadly shared and deeply felt – have given UWN an enabling and unifying role in global higher education.”

Simon Marginson, director ESRC/HEFCE Centre for Global Higher Education, University College London Institute of Education, United Kingdom.

“There is no doubt that UWN has become the leading global publication keeping track on relevant news in the field of higher education at the international level. What some years ago seemed to be an impossible task of having the most updated news in higher education in a single comprehensive repository, thanks to UWN is today a reality.

“UWN combines access-free serious, independent and trustable journalism from many countries, with original contributions from top level global higher education experts. Such combination of talents and perspectives is a unique and highly valuable contribution that UWN makes to the global higher education community.

“In recent years, higher education has achieved a significant level of complexity, both nationally and internationally. UWN helps readers – either policy-makers, university administrators, or scholars – to have a sense of what is going on globally, and to yield valuable perspectives relevant to their own work."

Francisco Marmolejo, lead, Global Solutions Group on Tertiary Education and lead education specialist for India, the World Bank Group.

“Ten years is not really a long period in the life of a newspaper but it is quite remarkable what UWN has achieved during that short period. To my knowledge, there is no other newsletter that covers higher education news and developments from a truly global perspective, whether it is from a small country such as Seychelles or a huge one like China. And the fortnightly UWN Africa edition, which rightly emphasises the importance of higher education for Africa, brings into perspective the many challenges and developments in that region.

"In this increasingly globalised world, may the UWN and its sister UWN Africa continue to inform and enlighten us on the trends, tribulations and achievements in higher education throughout the world for decades to come."

Professor Goolam Mohamedbhai is former secretary-general, Association of African Universities; honorary president, International Association of Universities; former vice-chancellor, University of Mauritius. He is a member of the Board of Directors of UWN Africa In 2004, he received the distinguished award of Grand Officer of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean or GOSK.

"The weekly University World News is a ground breaking, freely accessible newspaper on current issues and research on higher education. The paper reaches an international audience of interested scholars, researchers and the public on higher education issues globally and through its Africa edition, brings African issues to the fore as well.

"For the past decade, University World News has highlighted pertinent issues that are addressed by politicians, students and scholars, at a time that higher education is being pushed to the centre of global development agendas.

“The journalists are generally present at crucial meetings discussing higher education, and encourage scholars to report on their research as it affects higher education.

“The articles presenting global perspectives and coverage of similar issues have helped scholars and interested audiences connect their agendas and realise how global their issues of interest are. We hope to see the newspaper continue to grow and expand, particularly in the dissemination of research and knowledge that impact on our societies."

Teboho Moja, professor and programme director, Higher Education Program, New York University, USA; visiting research fellow, Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria, South Africa; extraordinary professor, Institute for Post-School Studies, University of the Western Cape, South Africa; editor-in-chief: Journal of Student Affairs in Africa; and chair of the Board of Directors, UWN Africa

“In an increasingly international and diverse higher education landscape, frequent news and analyses on this field have become crucial. In the past 10 years, University World News has played an essential role in providing institutions, researchers, teachers and senior administrators of universities and colleges with this type of information.

“More than a regular newspaper, UWN has become an important forum of discussions and exchanges, unravelling global perspective on every aspect of higher education.

“UWN has covered higher education-related topics not only to the well discussed developed regions of the globe, but also has given relevant emphasis to developing regions such as Latin America, Africa and South Asia. I am proud to have contributed in a small way to this.”

Bruno Morche, higher education specialist, Edtech consultant and doctoral researcher in Brazil. He holds an MA in comparative education from the UCL Institute of Education in the United Kingdom and his international and professional background – giving lectures, working as a consultant and researcher – encompasses many countries such as Brazil, the United Kingdom, India, Chile and the United States.

"As a frequent reader of UWN I would like tell you how well read your magazine is in Denmark – and over the whole world for that matter. I have often been contacted by other news media after they have read a comment by me in UWN. The same experience I have with colleagues from around Europe that I met in various fora for university presidents. They also contact me about items covered by UWN articles.

“Thus, I dare to say that UWN has become a central source for university-related news in Europe.

“The reason for that is that we all have to learn from each other but it is not possible to stay informed by reading reports, more general news media etc. A dedicated source like UWN with short and to-the-point stories is by far the best way or source for us who are interested in what is up and down in universities, both in Europe and in the rest of the world.”

Jens Oddershede, professor, department of physics, chemistry and pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark; chair of the Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy; and former chair of Universities Denmark.

“I see UWN as an important and – first of all – reliable source of information and updates on the international academic community. I appreciate UWN's emphasis on academic values and its attentiveness to breaches of these values.

“Vigilance on the part of media is required when we now see that academic freedom is under siege even in countries that have enjoyed a long history of democracy. The watchdog role of UWN should not be underestimated and could very well be nurtured with even more enthusiasm and energy in the years to come.

“We need an antidote to the forces that undermine academic freedom and the legitimacy of research-based evidence. There is a need for UWN.”

Ole Petter Ottersen, vice-chancellor, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.

“From my perspective, I am worried that the Swedish higher education system to a large extent lacks a careful and systematic tracking of the global developments in higher education. UWN, which covers more than the traditional dominant actors in higher education and research, is therefore valuable.”

Hans Pohl, programme director, Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education.

University World News has helped to reveal both the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly changing international higher education landscape. It reminds us that although we may be on different continents and in different time zones, what the university is, what it should be, and what it can aspire to be is shared by partners the world over, working together with shared values and mutual respect.

UWN's global focus and digital format helps to stitch together the diversity in international higher education.

"Higher education is at its core a duality – it is both an intensely local exchange of ideas and knowledge between students and teachers, and expansively international, in that the benefits of research and teaching are not limited to the local, but for all of humanity. Knowledge builds on knowledge. The local, day-to-day can sometimes overshadow this shared purpose, and the global perspective of UWN helps keep things in proper focus.

"I hope UWN continues to present a wide range of regional voices and situations, while challenging the international higher education sector to articulate the universal, shared principles and values within local manifestations and contexts."

Robert Quinn, founding executive eirector of the Scholars at Risk Network, an independent not-for-profit corporation based at New York University.

“The work of UWN is very valuable and unique in our higher education world today. UWN should continue its fruitful work around the world and featuring articles from high-level contributors and associations worldwide. Certainly we, at the IAUP [International Association of University Presidents], have planned to continue our mutually beneficial partnership into the future.”

Dr Gerald Reisinger, secretary general, International Association of University Presidents or IAUP.

“UWN became a very valuable source of ideas and information about global higher education in a very short time and gained and kept a reputation for timeliness, integrity and accessibility.

“Its strengths are its geographic reach, the breadth and depth of coverage and the diversity of topics, nations, and types of institutions it covers. It digests a lot of news from many different sites and venues, alerting you to policy shifts and volatility in the sector’s enabling environments, covering everything from fees and visa issues to major political decisions.

“While UWN is a terrific tool for monitoring lots of different news outlets, it is also a platform for a diversity of opinion. There are very few places that offer its commentator 1,500 words or more to develop an argument or make a case.
There are even fewer places that publish longer pieces so quickly.

“These qualities are even more important in an environment where sustained, coherent, reasoned argument is forced aside by slogans and appeals to visceral emotion.

“In short UWN is a great resource for communicating with practitioners, policy-makers, students and teachers.”

Alan Ruby, senior fellow, the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

“As a policy researcher and adviser in international higher education, University World News has been one of the most valuable sources of information worldwide. The range of topics that UWN covers and its format – short articles with appropriate links to relevant studies and reports – makes it a very uniquely valuable instrument to keep abreast of recent trends and ongoing developments.”

Jamil Salmi is a global tertiary education expert and professor emeritus at Diego Portales University in Santiago, Chile.

“UWN shares knowledge about higher education across borders, both through articles covering global issues but also offering interesting reading on regional and national developments. It gives a snapshot of higher education globally which helps the reader to search for more detailed information elsewhere.

“Its Africa edition is a particular asset as this continent is facing the greatest challenges in higher education, but also has a flurry of ongoing activities. Finding the most recent information on both is helpful.

“UWN’s contribution is distinctive, first, because it is an electronic newsletter so it provides access to the most recent developments in higher education around the world. Second, it does not have the ambition to be too academic but combines easily readable, short articles on interesting topics by individual authors or through commentaries by a pool of good UWN journalists. Third, it is a weekly newsletter and offers new information on a regular basis.

“The global perspective is a true asset. It is difficult to find information, in one place, on the most recent and innovative developments in higher education around the world. The choice of articles is comprehensive and the layout attractive. One can have an overview of the titles in one glance and then easily retrieve those that are of interest. UWN has become a genuine resource for higher education researchers and practitioners worldwide.”

Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic, senior advisor, international affairs, Council for Higher Education Accreditation or CHEA; former head of higher education at UNESCO.