This information was provided by Phil Baty, Global Director of External Affairs at Times Higher Education (THE), in early October. He explained that a high ranking can help universities attract partnerships, investment, and especially talented faculty and students. A good ranking also helps universities increase their international presence and prestige, so success in rankings has become part of the strategic goals of many institutions.
However, the director expressed concern that some universities are overly focused on ranking positions, even altering their mission to shift ranking indicators from a means to an end goal. "In rarer cases, this can even lead to fraud and data manipulation to gain an unfair advantage," Baty shared.