NSU hosts national seminar on strategies for global university rankings
North South University (NSU) recently hosted a two-day national seminar titled "Pathways to Global Recognition: Strategies for Universities to Achieve Higher Rankings" at its campus.
The seminar was organised by NSU's Office of External Affairs (OEA) in collaboration with the Institutional Ranking Cell (IRC) and the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), in partnership with OIC-Comstech. The event brought together vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, ranking coordinators, IQAC officials, international office representatives, policymakers, and senior academics from public and private universities across the country.
The programme was held under the leadership of Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of North South University. Distinguished international keynote speakers from Pakistan's higher education system included Dr Nasir Shah, director general of quality assurance at the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Islamabad, and Muhammad Raza Chohan, advisor for human resource development at HEC, Islamabad.
Over the two days, participants engaged in structured sessions covering internal quality assurance systems, programme evaluation, global ranking models such as Times Higher Education (THE) and QS World University Rankings, action planning, KPI setting, and institutional readiness for effective ranking participation.
The programme also featured group assignments and thematic presentations, encouraging universities to develop actionable roadmaps tailored to their institutional contexts. In an era of increasing global competition, the seminar highlighted that university rankings go beyond reputation, serving as strategic tools for attracting international students and faculty, securing research funding, strengthening academic credibility, and expanding global visibility.
Through this landmark event, North South University reaffirmed its leadership in advancing higher education in the region. The initiative aligns strongly with the university's strategic vision of achieving greater national and global recognition.
