Improving the Quality of Universities by World‐University‐Ranking: A Case Study of the University of Maribor

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a case study of the University of Maribor. We emphasize that ranking of heterogeneous young universities without established reputations must be conducted very carefully. Usually, such universities do not appear in lists of the top universities in the world. This should not be understood as a problem, but as an opportunity for development: global university rankings can strongly contribute to university development. Our results show that more successful institutions can have a stimulating effect on the less successful ones. A healthy competition between institutions emerges, representing an important driving force in assuring further development and achieving higher status. The results present an example of good practice.

1. The authors would like to thank Jan Sadlak for his encouragement in the developing of initial ideas of this study as well as Marko Jesen[sbreve]ek, Mladen Kraljić, and Victor Kennedy for valuable comments concerning the early version of the paper. The authors would also like to acknowledge the database support received from Toma[zbreve] Seljak and Damir Mlakar for quantitative analyses concerning the faculties' research performance at the University of Maribor.

Notes

1. The authors would like to thank Jan Sadlak for his encouragement in the developing of initial ideas of this study as well as Marko Jesen[sbreve]ek, Mladen Kraljić, and Victor Kennedy for valuable comments concerning the early version of the paper. The authors would also like to acknowledge the database support received from Toma[zbreve] Seljak and Damir Mlakar for quantitative analyses concerning the faculties' research performance at the University of Maribor.

2. Available at ⟨http://cobiss.izum.si⟩.

3. Available at ⟨http://sicris.izum.si⟩.

4. Available at ⟨http://cordis.europa.eu⟩.

5. Available at ⟨http://www.uni‐mb.si/povezava.aspx?pid = 158⟩.