Author: Michelle L. Stack

Michelle Stack is associate professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her research centers on the role of media and market logics in the transformation of education; media education; and media-academic communication aimed at expanding public debate about what a good education is. Prior to becoming an academic Michelle was a communications director and policy consultant. Michelle can also be found on twitter at @MichelleLStack

University Rankings Distract From Higher-Education Reform
Higher Education Reform
September 13, 2019

University Rankings Distract From Higher-Education Reform

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Worry About Adults and How We Come to Believe in Lies
Communication
February 23, 2017

Worry About Adults and How We Come to Believe in Lies

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What’s ‘World Class’ About University Rankings?
Higher Education Reform
October 13, 2016

What’s ‘World Class’ About University Rankings?

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Back to School – ABCs
Communication
September 8, 2016

Back to School – ABCs

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Which University Rankings Should You Trust?

Which University Rankings Should You Trust?

There are at least 12 university rankings that claim to be global, and in this video Michelle Stack focuses on the big three — the Times Higher Education, QS, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities. She asks what does being a “top-ranked” university mean to students? And who decides this ranking anyway?

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University Amenities and University Food Banks

University Amenities and University Food Banks

Is it possible, asks our Michelle Stack, to have an excellent university that is inequitable?

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Remembering the Montreal Massacre, Patricia Allen and the Many Victims of Male Violence

Remembering the Montreal Massacre, Patricia Allen and the Many Victims of Male Violence

On the 26th anniversary of what has become known as the Montreal Massacre, our Michelle Stack once again commits to confront the ubiquity of interconnected structural violence in its many forms.

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Between the Public Good and Private Pursuits

Between the Public Good and Private Pursuits

We need more research that analyzes the relationship between university rankings, citation indexes, and academic publishers, argues Michelle L. Stack.

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What Connects English Language Testing, Tours and Education Markets?

What Connects English Language Testing, Tours and Education Markets?

Universities around the world are impacted by narrow definitions of world-class education, but a just-concluded trip o India reminded our Michelle Stack that institutions individually and through international collaborations can and do make choices that mitigate or increase inequity.

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The Politics of Knowledge Mobilization

The Politics of Knowledge Mobilization

When universities make note of how they ‘mobilize knowledge,’ they tend to focus on a select group of activities for an equally select audience. That’s a disservice.

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I Never Thought I’d Quote the Pope: Self-Interested Pragmatism and University Rankings

I Never Thought I’d Quote the Pope: Self-Interested Pragmatism and University Rankings

In his recent encyclical that made waves for addressing climate change, notes our blogger Michelle Stack, Pope Francis also spoke about the current emphasis on education as a consumer product that focuses on “self-interested pragmatism.”

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University Rankings Driven by Corporate Interests

University Rankings Driven by Corporate Interests

Social Science Space’s newest core blogger takes a look at how industry has an outsize stake in the business of ranking universities. Has academe gotten in deeper than it bargained for?

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