Expert Advises Universities to Focus on Niche Market for Top Minds

TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ms. Mandy Mok, Managing Director of QS Asia Quacquarelli Symonds Pte Ltd, proposed some enhancement strategies and shared successful cases with university presidents when giving a talk at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), southern Taiwan, recently.

“Hot topic for educators today is how we get on to the world stage quickly and effectively and how we promote our strategy.”

For university heads who were struggling with higher education rankings, what is important for their schools to succeed in the next decade or so may be one of the crucial issues for running a school.

Mok urged the university leaders who are looking not only for local recognition but international exposure to focus on their strengths and the niche market.

Try to be seen and exposed to the world by hosting various events and conferences to attract publicity and more public speaking may be helpful for elevating visibility, according to Mok.

Elaborating on the concept of marketing higher education, she said, “Hot topic for educators today is how we get on to the world stage quickly and effectively and how we promote our strategy.”

“One strategy is the development and use of flagship programs. From a marketing perspective, marketing is offering what students need and want now and in the future. It is also about creating their wants before they even know it,” she pointed out.

Mok was invited by NCKU to offer her professional opinions to 73 presidents or delegates from Southeast Asia and South Asia at 2012 Presidents’ Forum of Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU Presidents’ Forum) Oct. 31.

Highly-esteemed university like NCKU facing competitions has to get the world out there and let the world know the beauty of NCKU, according to Mok.

Ranjan Kumar Malik from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay expressed his doubt about the international rankings. He said, “We have been following the QS rankings which goes up and down over the years and trying to tell our students where we are positioned among the universities in the world.”

“Choose the one that makes you look best and don’t just decipher the surface message of the ranking,” said Mok when asked how to respond to the ranking and the influence triggered by the news release of the ranking.