Jamil Salmi, Coordinador de Educación Terciaria de la Red de Desarrollo Humano del Banco Mundial, acaba de publicar el libro The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities.
Se trata de un texto esencial dentro de la emergente literatura sobre la globalización de la educación superior, los rankings que miden la calidad/prestigio de las universidades a nivel mundial y los desafíos que trae consigo la nueva geopolítica glonacal de la educación terciaria (esto es, global-nacional-local).
Según señala el Resumen Ejecutivo del libro:
“… the report starts by constructing an operational definition of a world-class university. It then outlines and analyzes possible strategies and pathways for establishing such universities and identifies the multiple challenges, costs, and risks associated with these approaches. It concludes by examining the implications of this drive for world-class institutions on the tertiary education efforts of the World Bank, offering options and alternative perspectives on how nations can develop the most effective and relevant tertiary education system to meet their specific needs“.
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Presentación del libro en el sitio del Banco Mundial
Governments are becoming increasingly aware of the important contribution that high performance, world-class universities make to global competitiveness and economic growth. There is growing recognition, in both industrial and developing countries, of the need to establish one or more world-class universities that can compete effectively with the best of the best around the world. Contextualizing the drive for world-class higher education institutions and the power of international and domestic university rankings, this book outlines possible strategies and pathways for establishing globally competitive universities and explores the challenges, costs, and risks involved. Its findings will be of particular interest to policy makers, university leaders, researchers, and development practitioners.
Índice
Summary | Full Report
Chapter 1. What Does It Mean to Be a World-Class University?
Chapter 2. Paths to Transformation
Chapter 3. Implications for the World Bank
Conclusion
Appendix A. Comparison of the Methodologies for the Main International Rankings
Appendix B. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) 2008 ARWU Country Ranking
Appendix C. The Times Higher Education Supplemet (THES) 2008 Country Ranking
Appendix D. Key Characteristics of World-Class Universities
Appendix E. Tertiary Education Reform in Denmark: The University Act of 2003
Appendix F. Recent Research Excellence Initiatives
Appendix G. The Best by Any Measure, 2007–08
Bibliography
Recursos asociados
Academic Ranking of World Universities
Entrevista a Jamil Salmi sobre su libro en el Center for International Higher Education del Bosto College. Escuchar aquí.

Dr. Jamil Salmi is coordinator of the World Bank’s network of tertiary education professionals, and is the principal author of the Bank’s Tertiary Education Strategy entitled “Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education.” A Moroccan education economist, Dr. Salmi has provided policy and technical advice on tertiary education reform to a wide variety of governments. He has also guided the strategic planning efforts of several public and private universities in Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, and Peru. Most recently, Dr. Salmi has completed work on a new book, The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities, to be published by the World Bank in February 2009.