Exposing Academic Fraud

Etsuko Taketani, Professor, University of Tsukuba
Yukari Yoshihara, Associate Professor, University of Tsukuba

11:00-12:00 Thursday, April 15, 2021
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English. 

The Times Higher Education university rankings are a key marker of global academic excellence. The University of Tsukuba, founded in 1973 and home to three Nobel laureates, has consistently ranked among Japan's top academic institutions. But some faculty say the university's president, Kyosuke Nagata, has been manipulating its scores for years.  

In an attempt to claim the top spot for the ratio of international students at a Japanese university in the Times’ list, Nagata submitted false data, several professors told a press conference at the Ministry of Education last month, "thereby deceiving students who rely on rankings to make decisions." They want him fired. 

That will not be easy. Last year, the university's selection committee scrapped limitations on Nagata's term of office, indicating firm support. Relations between the president and the university faculty seem increasingly toxic. Our speakers say the university's decision effectively allows Nagata to remain in power for life, destroying what little democracy was left in the management of the university. 

How to attend
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