For your attention we would like to offer an article of Yukiko Simmi (Professor of Hitotsubashi University) and Acasi of Yonezawa (Professor of Nagoya University) “Japanese project “Leading global University”. In the article one can read about the main characteristics of the project and some certain doubts as for its possible consequences.
“Leading global University” project started in September, 2014, when Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology in Japan (MEXT) defined 37 participating universities. Within 10 years these universities may be eligible for additional state funding to improve global competitiveness or conduct within a University reforms aimed at increasing internationalization (for example, to change the management system and organizational structure, curriculum, admission process, etc.).
Participating universities are divided into two categories:
– category A has 13 major research universities. Their main task is to increase global competitiveness and become the top one hundred international University rankings.
– category B includes the remaining 24 University parties. Their main objective is to raise the level of internationalization of Japanese higher education.
Unlike other initiatives of academic excellence, the project “Leading global University” ties funding to results of scientific activity, and to increase the global competitiveness of the University through increased internationalization, reform of the management system, the reorientation of personnel policy in accordance with the principles of global competition.
The very status of the project participant is an advantage for the University to attract Japanese and foreign students and partners, because it was enabled to a small group of universities by the government, according to the best international standards.
Not only the advantages are analyzed in the article but also drawbacks and risks of the project are. Among the last ones there are possibilities of management down-coming transition of the government, decreasing of universities independence level and steps standardization in the development of internationalization.
You can find the full version of the article on the site:
http://ihe.hse.ru/data/2015/07/14/1085710748/WHE_08_view.pdf#page=35