11 June 2013

Asian universities set to dominate global rankings within two decades


London, 11 June 2013: Asian universities have gained significant ground on their Western counterparts and could overtake them within two decades, say the compilers of QS University Rankings: Asia, released today on www.topuniversities.com 
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) tops the ranking, ahead of National University of Singapore (NUS) and Hong Kong University (HKU), which tie for second place. Korean institutions Seoul National University (4) and KAIST (7) and POSTECH (7=) all feature prominently, while China’s Peking University moves up one place to fifth, its highest ever position.


                                2013 QS University Rankings Asia: Top 10

2013
2012
Institution
Country
Territory
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
Hong Kong
2=
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
2=
University of Hong Kong (HKU)
Hong Kong
Seoul National University (SNU)
Korea
Peking University
China
KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Korea
7=
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
Korea
7=
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Hong Kong
The University of Tokyo
Japan
10=
10 
Kyoto University
Japan
10=
17 
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Singapore
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2013 www.topuniversities.com


 “Asian higher education is undergoing a rapid transformation, and Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Korea are at the forefront of the assault on the global academic elite,” says Ben Sowter, head of QS Intelligence Unit, which also compiles the QS World University Rankings.

“There are already 17% more Asian universities in the global top 200 since the recession, and the next two decades could see leading US and European universities objectively overtaken.”  
Asian universities featured in the global top 10 in 15 of the 30 disciplines covered in 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subject, published in May 2013. Nine of the top 20 institutions in civil engineering are Asian, compared to just five for the US and UK combined.
Now in their fifth edition, QS University Rankings: Asia also shows a five-year surge in international students studying at ranked institutions in the region, from 175,286 in 2009 to 255,212 this year. Total international faculty has grown from 21,223 to 35,677.
“As Western governments struggle to maintain funding levels, Asian institutions have rapidly increased their ability to attract the world’s best faculty and students,” says Sowter. “As the cost of studying rises in North America and the UK, Asia is reversing the brain drain by investing in scholarships to attract top students from the West.” 
The rankings provide less encouraging news for Japan, which sees its top institution, University of Tokyo slip to ninth, its lowest ever position. Of the leading ten Japanese Universities, just one ranks higher than last year, while six rank lower.
 The rapid speed of change in the region is on display in a complementary ranking, QS Top 50 under 50, which ranks universities established since 1963. Asia boasts five of the world’s top six young institutions, a forecast of a future realignment of the global balance of power from West to East.
                         2013 QS Top 50 UNDER 50 (Top 10)
Rank

2012 *WUR
2013 *WUR
Institution
Country
Territory
1
33 
40 
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
Hong Kong
2
47 
58 
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Singapore
3
58 
50 
The University of Warwick
UK
4
63 
90 
KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Korea
5
95=
110 
City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
6
97 
98 
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
Korea
7
107 
109 
Maastricht University
Netherlands
8
155 
148 
University of California, Irvine (UCI)
USA
9
159 
177 
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong
10
163 
153 
Lancaster University
UK
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2013 www.topuniversities.com

*QS World University Rankings
The rigor and authority of this year’s QS University Rankings: Asia has been underlined by the official approval of its methodology and data collection processes from the IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence (IREG) along with the QS WorldUniversity Rankings and QS UniversityRankings: Latin America.
The decision to award the IREG Approved” label has come at the end of a comprehensive independent audit, verifying that the rankings are compiled professionally and with a transparent methodology, observe good practices, and respond to a need for relevant information from a range of stakeholders, in particular students, higher education institutions, employers and policy makers.
The approval will last until 31 December 2016.

QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Since 1990, QS has become established as the world’s leading network for top careers and education. Producers of the QS World University Rankings®, QS’s innovative research, events, publications and university solutions provide new ways of bringing universities into contact with the best and brightest students worldwide.
QS World University Rankings ®
The QS World University Rankings is an annual league table of the top 700 universities in the world and is arguably the best-known and respected ranking of its kind. Compiled by the QS Intelligence Unit in close consultation with an international advisory board of leading academics, the QS World University Rankings ® is widely referenced by prospective and current students, university professionals and governments worldwide. The purpose of the rankings has been to recognize universities as the multi-faceted organizations they are and to provide a global comparison of their success against the notional mission of remaining or becoming world-class. The rankings are based on four key pillars, research, teaching, employability and internationalization.


For more information, please contact:
Simona Bizzozero simona@qs.com

Join the debate #QSWUR

30 May 2013

Get a head start in the business world with an accountancy degree


Accountants now run six out of 10 companies in the FTSE 100 according to a recent survey by specialist financial recruitment firm Marks Sattin.
The once dull subject of accountancy is fast becoming the way to get on in the world of business and there is no better place to start than doing a Warwick BSc Accounting & Finance degree, which allows you to do a year-long work placement. 
When taking a BSc Accounting & Finance degree at Warwick Business School, part of the University of Warwick, students have the opportunity to add a placement year to work at an accountancy firm of their choice. Securing the placement themselves provides students with invaluable job search experience and Rebekah Ingham managed to gain a place at Ernst & Young – one of the world’s ‘big four’ accountancy firms.
“I wasn’t just thrown in at the deep end, I was thrown into the ocean!” says Ms Ingham, but she didn’t sink, she swam and has gained in confidence as a result.
Working with an accountancy firm not only gives students a head start in the graduate job market when a company looks at their CV, but helps them grow up and be ready for the work place.
Ms Ingham says a year working and living in London has made her realise just what being ‘professional’ is all about.
“I have sat and discussed accountancy with the CEO of a very big company,” says the 22 year-old, of Preston. “You mature on your placement and you see the difference when you come back to university. In the work place you have to be professional, it is not a conscious thing, it just happens over time. You learn how to talk to different people, how to talk to clients.
“I had to stand on my own two feet living in London with somebody I had never met before who was also on a placement. It was a big step but I loved it.
“I was unsure about a module in my final year. I was at work and I just called up the lecturer to ask for advice - I would never have done that before my placement!”
Amrit Mahbubani also had a placement at Ernst & Young. He has not only now secured a job with them, but he says the experience will help in his final year exams.
“The vast amount I have learnt will definitely come in useful in my final year at university,” says Mr Mahbubani. “Also, securing a graduate job will make my final year a lot less stressful!”
The 22 year-old, of Manchester, says that once he has finished his degree at Warwick Business School he will go on to gain the ACA – a worldwide leading qualification - while working at Ernst & Young to become a qualified chartered accountant.
“I have already got a great start towards a fantastic qualification,” says Mr Mahbubani. “The ACA has great potential to open a wide range of opportunities in all industries - once I’ve qualified!”


Warwick Business School, located in central England, is the largest department of the University of Warwick and the UK's fastest rising business school according the Financial Times. WBS is triple accredited by the leading global business education associations and was the first in the UK to attain this accreditation. Offering the full portfolio of business education courses, from undergraduate through to MBAs, and with a strong Doctoral Programme, WBS is the complete business school.  Students at WBS currently number around 6,500, and come from 125 countries.  Just under half of faculty are non-UK, or have worked abroad.  WBS Dean, Professor Mark P Taylor, is among the most highly-cited scholars in the world and was previously Managing Director at BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager.

For more information contact:
Ashley Potter
Press & PR Officer
Warwick Business School
The University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL
Twitter: @WarwickBSchool


12 April 2013

New Children's Book Introduces Series Designed to Educate Children on Different Cultures Worldwide

April 8, 2013 (MMD Newswire) -- "If You Were Me and Lived in... Mexico: A
Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World (ISBN 148020927) is the
exciting new book by award-winning childrens's book author Carole P. Roman
that takes children on an adventure though the cultures and customs of
Mexico.

Part of an educational new series that reads like the Travel Channel for
children, "If You Were Me and Lived in... Mexico" is the first in an
informative series designed specifically to take children on a worldwide
tour of different countries and cultures. With each book teaching about a
different country, children will be able to have fun while learning what
life would be like if they lived there.

Realizing there were very few resouces available to teach young children
about different customs, Roman was inspired to create a series that is both
educational and fun. Easy to read and filled with beautifully illustrated
pictures, the book's goal is to leave children and parents alike with new
ideas that lead to hours of discussions or projects such as pen pals, or
cooking ethnic foods.

"I wanted to create a book that was not a traditional ediucational book, but
instead, educated children on the things in life they can relate to-what we
eat, what we call our parents, even the currency we use" said Roman, a
former educator.

Carole P. Roman was named to Kirkus Reviews" Best of 2012 for her debut
children's book, "Captain No Beard-An Imaginery Tale of a Pirate's Life",
which was also given the Kirkus Star of Remarkable Merit.

The second book of that series, "Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience-A
Captain No Beard Story" earned five stars with the coveted ForeWord
Review-Clarion Review.

"If You were Me and Lived in Mexico...:A Child's Introduction to Cultures
Around the World" is availiable for sale online at Amazon.com and other
channels.

About the Author:

Award-winninf author Carole P. Roman is proud to introduce her new series
"If You Were Me and Lived in..." Combining her passion for writing with an
enjoyment of different and exciting cultures, Roman has created the perfect
introduction for children into learning about world cultures and customs. A
former social studies teacher turned businesswoman, Roman currently lives on
Long Island near her children, and with her husband of nearly four decades.

Media Contact:
Carole P. Roman
cnbbook@gmail.com
516 375 9550

Website: www.caroleproman.com

02 April 2013

Neu: Das Bauchhirn der Sprache von Gerhard Doss


Ein humanistisches Praxisbuch 
Band 1: Gesellschaft braucht Begeisterung 
Band 2: Horst Coblenzer und seine Übungen (mit DVD) 

Sprache steht für Kommunikation und besteht nicht nur aus Wörtern. 
Dieses Buch beschreibt das Intuitive, Spontane, Beziehungsstiftende und das physio-psychisch Gesunde der Sprache. Dabei stützt sich der Autor auf die wissenschaftliche Dokumentation der Atemrhythmisch Angepassten Phonation nach Coblenzer/Muhar (AAP®). Er erhebt mit seinem Doppel-Buch keinen ausschließlich wissenschaftlichen Anspruch. Bewusst verbindet er belegbare Fakten mit seiner ganz persönlichen Sichtweise: Lebendigkeit entfaltet sich nur in Autonomie, in Selbstbestimmtheit, im Bewusstsein der eigenen Identität, in FREIHEIT – und nicht in der Pragmatik standardisierter Formalkriterien. 
So will dieses Doppel-Buch in erster Linie Mut machen, zu sich und den eigenen Bedürfnissen und Kreativitätspotentialen zu stehen und dies entsprechend zu kommunizieren. Das braucht eine adäquate Sprache. 

In Band 1 wird aus der subjektiven Sicht des Autors der gesellschaftliche Kontext thematisiert, um exemplarisch Mechanismen aufzuzeigen, die das Bauchhirn der Sprache irritieren können. Tradiertes Wissen wird in Verbindung gebracht mit aktuellen Studien. Es werden gleichermaßen persönliche Geschichten des Autors erzählt sowie Probleme überkorrekter Formulierung und Gefahren instinktgeleiteten Sprechens (zum Beispiel anhand der Sprache des Nationalsozialismus) angesprochen. Das Bekenntnis zu einem humanistischen Weltbild ist in diesem Zusammenhang sehr essentiell. 

Band 2 fokussiert neben Franz Muhar und anderen Wissenschaftern vor allem den Schauspiel-Pädagogen Horst Coblenzer und seine Lebensgeschichte in Bezug auf die künstlerischen und humanistischen Ansprüche der AAP. Die beigefügte DVD dokumentiert ihn in diesem Sinne als besonderes Vorbild und soll zur praktischen Umsetzung anregen, wofür das Buch mehr als 137 Übungen anbietet. 
Der Umgang mit der Sprache lässt sich nicht auf bloß Funktionelles und Formales beschränken, sondern erfordert komplexe Spürsamkeit für das individuelle Mensch-Sein.

Für Kontakt und Bestellung: