QS Insights Magazine
Issue 20 August 2024
When students speak up
Contents
What do students want from US & Canadian universities?
How American and Canadian universities can recruit more international students in 2024.
Hong Kong's housing crisis: Where's the space?
Demand for higher education in Hong Kong is booming, but how will the housing crisis impact incoming and local students?
Closing down
Investigating the alarming trend of university closures in the US, as well as the looming threat to UK institutions.
When students speak up
Students around the world are taking a stand on issues that matter to them. How should universities respond?
Recalculating
Recent tech layoffs in the last two years have seemingly fuelled business school enrollment.
Communicating science
How science communicators and universities can work together to make science a shared experience.
Playing the business game
How has sports risen in the business school curriculum?
A confluence of innovation and education
Discussions on employability, tech and sustainability at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Europe 2024.
AI-powered research
The long-standing integration of AI in research and potential challenges of its use within the higher ed sector, as discussed at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Europe 2024.
"Transglobal" conceptualised
Capturing innovation in global higher education.
Generative AI: A plagiarism machine or a creator of equal opportunity?
Is it fair that Generative AI benefits some students more than others?
Meet QS ImpACT's Regeneration Advocate of the Year winner
Find out more about an initiative which targeted substance abuse among adolescents in Nigeria's southwest region.
QS Executive MBA Rankings 2024
Explore the latest results of the the QS Executive MBA Rankings 2024.
Taking a stand
The university experience has vastly different meanings for different young people everywhere. But for many, it is a pivotal stage in life where they are "liberated" - in more ways than one.
It was the first week of university, sitting in a lecture hall, when I first learned - very much in awe - about the concept of social construct. The world that we live in, with its many ideas such as race, gender, even countries, has been created and accepted by man, by society, dictating how people should behave.
Just understanding this alone made me realise how vital it was to question society's status quo, scrutinise what I believed was "right", and not accept everything at face value. Unlearning, as I call it, was a journey I embraced throughout my four years in university. But I wasn't alone. Many of my peers in Political Science also went through their own journeys, where they untangled themselves from ideas that have been imposed on them since young, liberating themselves by creating their own opinions and standing up for what they felt was true to their purpose in life.
In our cover story, When students speak up, writer Nicole Chang speaks to Dr Suzanne Whitten who states that universities are places where difficult debates should be allowed to be aired and complex ideas explored. But she also highlights that the reality can often look messy and sometimes even offensive.
This month's cover story for QS Insights Magazine reflects how students, as the changemakers of tomorrow, are the catalysts for societal change. They have the ability to amplify the often unheard voices from the marginalised and oppressed communities, and subsequently challenge the status quo.
At the same time, it should be acknowledged that there is a delicate balance between freedom of expression and maintaining a peaceful campus environment. This is where universities come in, being able to provide a safe sanctuary for intellectual growth while also stepping in when there is a need to.
I hope you enjoy reading this edition and spend some time "unlearning" and "learning" through the stories we've put together.
Afifah Darke
Afifah is the Deputy Editor of QS Insights Magazine. She is also involved with the original content, curation and themes of QS Higher Ed Summits throughout the year.
A former journalist, Afifah was from Channel NewsAsia's digital team, as well as a news assistant at CNBC Asia.
Contributors
Editor in Chief Afifah Darke
Consulting Editor Anton John Crace
Content Manager Khushboo Singh
Contributing Writers Nicole Chang Julia Gilmore Nick Harland Julie Hoeflinger
Rohan Mehra Chloƫ Lane Louie Cornish Seb Murray Gordon Scott Kyuseok Kim
Technology Manager Loh Lu Han
Marketing and PR Serena Ricci Mak Leeson
Cover Adobe Firefly, with additional modifications
Magazine contact Publications @qs.com
Sales contact sales@qs.com
The QS Insights Magazine is a monthly, online and print publication that highlights trends within the international education sector.
The online edition is emailed to our network of academics and university leaders worldwide. A limited number of selected copies of the print edition are also sent to university leaders around the world and distributed at QS events.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of QS Quacquarelli Symonds.