University rankings a flawed tool

The manipulative game of comparison and quantification turns institutions into players, writes Sean Muller. How should we assess the quality and development of higher education ­institutions in South Africa? What is it that these institutions do that is socially valuable enough to justify receiving large sums of public money?
Is it the economic contribution of graduates, the societal importance of the research, other forms of contribution to society – providing a home for "public intellectuals" – or some particular combination of these?
With such considerations in mind, it is interesting to interrogate the increasing popularity of international university rankings as a means of either assessing university progress ("university x has done fantastically well in the past few years, climbing 20 places in the rankings") or setting a milestone for achievement ("our university mission is to be a top 50-ranked institution").
Although seductive in their ability to summarise institutional achievement in a single number, the many flaws of this approach suggest that it should, at best, be consigned a peripheral role in our determinations of institutional success.
To illustrate some of the problems, consider the Times Higher Education rankings, perhaps the most prominent of the growing number of published rankings. Read more...