Does government support of a few leading universities have a broader impact on the higher education system? Evaluation of the Russian University Excellence Initiative.

Many governments attempt to improve the national higher education through competitive support of universities. This approach raises questions about the impact of targeted support for a small number of universities on the entire system − both in educational and research aspects. Using data from Russian University Excellence Initiative (RUEI) that gives as an example, we estimate spillover effects of such focused support and demonstrate that broader impact may indeed exist. In particular, we examine the performance of higher education institutions that were not part of the RUEI in the last five years and were not directly supported by it. We compare the universities’ performance in regions both with and without universities from the RUEI. In doing so, we estimate the indirect impact of the RUEI on the higher education sector at the regional level. We show a positive effect on the level of publication activity that has recently become apparent. However, there has been no effect on the share of young faculty, international collaboration in publications, quality of enrollment.

The Changing of the Guard in Academia and Academic Research Leadership—Employing Natural Language Processing

This pioneering study examines the meaning of academic leadership in terms of the changing of the guard in academia. Research findings on seniority and experience and their association with leadership show that these have a considerable impact on management skills and on the ability of those with experience and seniority to influence the young leadership. This is particularly essential in academia where research is the most meaningful and effective value that serves as a measure of faculty members. Management skills are not perceived as a coherent part of faculty members’ work. Structural Equation Modeling confirmed the developed model. Findings show that indeed, from the perspective of faculty at the academic institution, senior experienced faculty members undoubtedly contribute to the academic institution first of all in research, but also otherwise. Senior and experienced faculty members contribute by encouraging, directing, and guiding young faculty members on how to contribute to the institution, particularly through the activity which is expected of them as academic faculty – i.e., research. This urging and direction is one of the most well-known qualities in the context of academic leadership – the ability to help people develop, advance, and to outline a high-quality academic research tradition. The meaning of the findings is that senior faculty has a contribution beyond their direct output in the form of scientific publications, as a research engine and spotlight for the young faculty. Notably, no difference was found in faculty’s perception of this contribution of senior faculty members by gender or age.

Reflections on the Value of Participation in Simulation as Young Faculty

As simulation becomes more widely adopted among otolaryngology graduate medical education, faculty have much to contribute and gain from participation in courses. Young faculty in particular are well poised to develop new didactic strategies, as they can bridge recent medical education with real-life specialty experiences. Additionally, participation as faculty leadership in course development is a particularly rich opportunity for professional development.