Program

Saturday, 13 June

9:30-14:00

Special Workshop: Introduction to Academic Rankings for the Rectors of Universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Location: Conference-room 406, IQAA.KZ, 12/1 Tauelsyzdyk Street (with a simultaneous interpretation in Russian)

Chair: Sholpan M. Kalanova, President, Independent Kazakhstan Quality Assurance Agency in Education (IQAA.KZ)

Speakers:

Jamil Salmi, The World Bank
International Tendencies in Accountability in Higher Education
Alex Usher, Vice-President, Educational Policy Institute, Canada
A World of Difference: Construction, Use and Evolution of University Rankings
Gero Federkeil, Manager in Charge of Rankings, CHE-Centre for Educational Development, Germany
Multi-dimensional Rankings and Its Advantages [proposed title]
Liu Nian Cai, Director, Center for World-Class Universities and Dean of Graduate School of Education, Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China
Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU): Purpose and Methodology [proposed title]
Mihailo Zgurovsky, Rector, National Technical University of Ukraine Kyiv Polytechnic Institute", Ukraine
Rankings and Quality Performance in Ukraine: Reactions from the Rectors and the Universities [proposed title]

11:00-11:30

Coffee-break

14:00-15:30

Lunch for Rectors and Speakers

Location: 12/1 Tauelsyzdyk Street, 1 Stock

Whole day

Arrival of Members of the Executive Committee of IREG/International Observatory and Invited Speakers

19:00-21:00

Dinner for Members of the Executive Committee of IREG/International Observatory and Invited

Speakers location: Restaurant "Khan Erke", 1 Nursaya Str.

Sunday, 14 June

Whole day

Arrival and registration of participants in Hotel "Diplomat" or Hotel "Duman"
(All international participants are staying in these two hotels)

9:30-13:30

1st meeting of the Executive Committee of IREG/International Observatory [closed session]

Location: Conference Room 407 of IQAA.KZ

14:00-15:30

Lunch for Members of the Executive Committee of IREG/International Observatory Location:
Hotel "Diplomat"

19:00-21:00

Welcome Reception for all participants

Location: Hotel "Diplomat"

Monday, 15 June

8:00-9:00

Registration of participants (late arrivals)

Conference venne: Diplomat Hotel, 29/1, Tauelsyzdyk St.

9:00- 9:30

Opening Session: Welcoming remarks and Overview of meeting objectives

Chair: Sholpan M. Kalanova, President, Independent Kazakhstan Quality Assurance Agency in Education (IQAA.KZ)

Speakers:

Zhanseit Tuimebayev, Minister of Education and Science, Republic of Kazakhstan (tbc)
Jan Sadlak, Director, UNESCO-CEPES; Chairperson of IREG/International Observatory

9:30 - 11:15

First Session: Policy Context and International Developments in Academic Ranking

(each presentation will be given some 15 minutes followed by general discussion)

Chair: Liu Nian Cai, Director, Center for World-Class Universities and Dean of Graduate School of Education, Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China

Speakers:

Alex Usher, Vice-President, Educational Policy Institute, Canada
A World of Difference: Construction, Use and Evolution of University Rankings
Claude Sauvageot, Division of Evaluation and Foresight, French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, France
and Gero Federkeil, Manager in Charge of Rankings, CHE-Centre for Educational Development, Germany
Mapping, Ranking and Typology of Higher Education Institutions: the European Approach
Ying Cheng, Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China
International and National Academic Rankings: Commonalities and Differences in Ranking Indicators

Discussant:

David Jobbins, Head of Education Unit, Candlestar Ltd., United Kingdom

11:15-11:30

Coffee-break

11:30-14:00

Second Session: New National Initiatives in Academic Rankings and Their Policy Background

Chair: Alex Usher, Vice-President, Educational Policy Institute, Canada

Speakers:

Nguyen Phuong Nga, Director, Centre for Education Quality Assurance and Research Development (CEQARD), Vietnam [to be invited]
Pakistan [to be invited]
Thailand [to be invited]
Arab States [to be invited]
Yung-chi Hou, Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Higher Education, Tamkang University,
New Personalized Ranking of the Taiwanese Universities [to be invited]

Discussant:

Robert J. Morse, Director of Data Research, U.S. News & World Report, USA

14:00-15:00

Lunch

Location: Hotel "Diplomat"

15:00:-18:30

Third Session: New National Initiatives in Academic Rankings and Their Policy Background (continuation)

Chair: Tom Parker, Senior Associate, Institute for Higher Education Policy, USA

Speakers:

Waldemar Siwinski, President, Perspektywy Education Foundation, Poland „Perspektywy Ranking 2008" - Updated Approach
Nova Jayne Heath, Constable & Robinson Publishers, United Kingdom
Complete University Guide (tbc)
Natalya Kryvulina, Project Manager, System Capital Management, Ukraine
"Your University Compass" Project - Ranking of Ukrainian Higher Education Institutions
Richard Vedder, Center for College Affordability and Productivity, Ohio University, USA
Forbes Ranking (to be invited)
Jamil Salmi, The World Bank Tertiary Education Coordinator
Emergence of Rankings of Higher Education Systems

Discussant:

Ferdinand Devinsky, President, Slovak Academic Ranking and Rating Agency (ARRA), Slovak Republic

19:30-21:30

Dinner hosted by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Tuesday, 16 June

9:00-11:15

Fourth Session: Approaches and Means for Measurement of Academic Productivity in the Context of Developing Comparable Transnational Data for Ranking

Chair: Marko Marhl, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, University of Maribor, Slovenia

Speakers:

Koenraad Debackere, Faculty of Economics and Applied Economics, Catholic University Leuven, Belgium
Bibliometric and the ‘Multi-dimensionality' of Research Activity: Implications for University Rankings (suggested title)
Michaela Saisana and Béatrice d'Hombres, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, Italy
Robustness Issues and Critical Assessment: How Much Confidence Can We Have in Higher Education Rankings?
Robert Reisz, Institute for Research on Higher Education, Martin-Luther University, Germany
Soft and Hard Data and Definitions for University Rankings
Nobuko Miyairi, Senior Information Analyst, Thomson Reuters Company, Japan (tbc)
Chun-Mei Zhao, Senior Scholar, the Carnegie Foundation, USA
"World Classification" of Higher Education Institutions and Rankings (tbc)

Discussant:

Paul Serban Agachi, President of the Academic Council, Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, Romania

11:15-11:30

Coffee-break

11:30:-13:30

Final Session: Agenda for the Future

Chair: Jan Sadlak, Director, UNESCO-CEPES, Romania

Speakers:

Robert J. Morse, Director of Data Research, U.S. News & World Report, USA
Why Academic Rankers Should Stop Publishing New Rankings Until the Financial and Economic Crisis Ends? (tbc)
Discussants views from previous sessions reflecting on major developments, policy implications, and recommendations for IREG and its Members

14:00-15:00

Lunch
Location: Hotel "Diplomat"

Afternoon

Optional sightseeing program: Bus tour of Astana and visit to two universities

16:00:-18:30

2nd meeting of the Executive Committee of IREG/International Observatory (closed session)

19:30-22:00

Gala Dinner hosted by Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhanseit Tuimebayev

Location: Restaurant «Satti» on Water-Green Boulevard
Guest Speaker: Dewayne Matthews, Vice President for Policy and Strategy, Lumina foundation, USA

Wednesday, 17 June

Departure of participants or optional tourist programme