OREANDA-NEWS. November 25, 2009. The first discussion on the necessity to create Eurasian University Ranking has taken place in Moscow. Organizers of the event are international company QS and Lomonosov Moscow State University(MSU). Ukrainian higher education institutions, representatives of academic community and real sector of economy actively participated in the discussion. Please, note that the initiator of the cooperation between Ukrainian higher education institutions and QS was SCM with the support of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

Natalya Krivulina, Project Manager of Compass university ranking at System Capital Management, spoke at the conference representing SCM.

Natalya presented the speech within the round table "Eurasian Ranking: Key University Assessment Criteria". Being a representative of the real sector she emphasized that the Eurasian ranking must be objective and the results must provide the university entrants with good information to compare the universities.

"Such ranking can serve as a local answer to the global challenges the regional universities face. Our universities find it difficult to compete equally with the world education elite. However, it is really important to have a possibility to compare oneself with the leading universities of other countries in the region", noted Natalya Krivulina. - Both, representatives of higher education institutions and QS realize that methodology of the Eurasian ranking shall take into account the region's specifics and it cannot be a blueprint of the World's TOP-500 Universities".  We agree with the position, but we want to emphasize that the ranking must take into account the opinion of employers and the real sector".

Natalya Krivulina presented Compass university ranking as an example of the ranking reflecting the quality of education as seen by employers and graduates. She also talked about the project implementation, its methodology and ranking specifics in Ukraine in general.

Representative of the Ministry of Education and Science and Rector of MSU Viktor Sadovnichiy and CEO of QS Nunzio Quacquarellimade welcoming speeches at the Eurasian conference on university ranking.  The speakers at the Conference were representatives of Russian and international expert and scientific organizations including Head of QS Research Intelligent Unit Ben Sowter, QS Marketing Director of CEE and CIS Zoya Zaytseva, Rector of Skolkovo Moscow School of ManagementWilfried Vanhonacker, Director of the Moscow State University Institute of Integrated Research in Education Viktor Kruzhalin, Vice-Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Murat Orunkhanov, Ernst&Young HR Director Olga Lyeskina, Vice-Rector of State University - Higher School of Economics Tatyana Chetvernina, CEO of ReiTOR Independent Rating Agency Irina Artyshina and others.