We have big plans for our Arab University Rankings and, as I announced at the Times Higher Education MENA Summit in November, we will be setting up an advisory board to support our work on the Arab University Rankings methodology.
The creation of the advisory board is an important part of our commitment to widen the transparency of our approach – as we’ve seen with our Impact Rankings advisory board and our World University Rankings advisory board.
The Arab University Rankings were created in 2021 to support the rapid growth in the quantity and quality of universities in the Arab region. In the 2021 ranking, 125 universities were ranked, plus 30 reporter institutions; the 2022 ranking sees 169 universities ranked with a further 48 reporters.
We are now looking to ensure that the methodology is even more focused on the needs of students, universities and governments across the Arab region. In particular, we want to focus on some of the great feedback we had at the MENA Summit, and how we align with updates to the THE World University Rankings where appropriate for the Arab region.
We believe it is now time to create a board to help us to explore the proposed changes (alongside other issues) in more detail. The role of the board will be clear: to advise on the general strategy for the Arab University Rankings in order for it to achieve its objectives. THE will still be responsible for the final decisions, but the board will help us get those decisions right.
We are looking for people passionately committed to higher education in the Arab region, from universities, government and related sectors. We expect members to participate as individuals, not as representatives of a particular organisation, but we hope that they will be able to provide insights from differing perspectives to make the rankings stronger.
We will be looking for people who believe that they can be “critical friends” to the rankings and we will try to recruit a broad range of people from diverse backgrounds and geographies.
The board will meet four times a year, including at least once in person, and THE will support members with information and administrative support.
If you are interested in being a member of the Arab University Rankings advisory board, view the terms of reference and email us at rankings@timeshighereducation.com, providing a brief insight into your experience and interests. Applications will close on 28 February 2023.
David Watkins is managing director of data science at Times Higher Education.
