ABSTRACT
The ranking of world universities published by the Times Higher Education Supplement in September 2005 created a major controversy in Malaysia when it showed the country’s top two universities falling by almost 100 places from the previous year. Notwithstanding the fact that the big drop was mostly the result of a change in the ranking methodology-which was a little known fact and of limited comfort-the news was so traumatic that widespread calls followed for the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the matter. A few weeks later, the vice chancellor of the University of Malaya stepped down. This strong reaction was not out of character for a nation whose current Ninth Development Plan aims at shaping the transformation of the country into a knowledge-based economy, with emphasis on the important contribution of the university sector. And though apparently extreme, this reaction is not uncommon in developing countries around the world.
