"The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities"

This figure illustrates the central point in Jamil Salmi's paper on the challenges faced by communities that seek to establish a world class university. While there are differences among the lists of the best universities in the world, it seems to be generally agreed that there are fewer than 100 institutions in the absolutely top rank that combine a strong research program, a strong program training PhDs and the normal functions of the tens of thousands of institutions of higher education.