World All University Rankings 2014-2015 analysis

The publication of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has become one of the key annual events in the international higher education calendar and these global university league tables are recognised as the world's most authoritative source of broad comparative performance information on universities.
Below, Times Higher Education offers unparalleled analysis of the World University Rankings 2014-2015 results and contextualises those results in light of the rapidly globalising higher education sector.
Collaborate and listen
The World University Rankings are competitive, of course, but they also promote the partnerships vital to a vibrant global academy, says editor, Times Higher Education Rankings, Phil Baty
Tectonic shifts point to Asia taking on the mantle
The World University Rankings 2014-2015 continue the trends of US decline and Asian ascent, writes Phil Baty
Time will tell: bigger picture reveals underlying movement
A snapshot view of four years of change
BRICs, mortar boards and mixed fortunes
The large developing nations are making patchy progress in the rankings: will Putin’s ambitions be realised? Phil Baty reports
Averages, dispersion and global variation
How far have national systems gained or slipped since 2013-14? What are the vital statistics of the typical top 400 institution? Dominance of US institutions in the top 400 is evident, although numbers are falling, whereas other regions, particularly Asia-Pacific, are rising strongly
Berkeley’s forecast: sunshine after the storm
UC’s finest has emerged from the financial crisis stronger than ever, argues Nicholas B. Dirks, chancellor, University of California, Berkeley
Fusion reaction
Tsinghua revels in its structural role on the global stage: forging connections between East and West, writes its president Chen Jining
Hybrid vigour: the sum is greater than the parts
Competition and collaboration; home and abroad; public and private. Put them together and what have you got? The future, argues Alice Gast, president, Imperial College London
Broad range
At the heart of the Andes, one of Colombia’s top universities is striving for regional and global impact, explains Pablo Navas Sanz de Santamaría, rector, University of the Andes
Tapping new seams
As the state disinvests, Queensland is securing the future of its student experience and research by diversifying its income streams, writes its vice-chancellor Peter Høj
We’re taking a long, hard look at ourselves
Germany is on a mission to punch its weight in the rankings, says Hans Müller-Steinhagen, rector, Technische Universität Dresden
Drilling down into a rich landscape of data
Phil Baty explains how to use the league tables to extract information specific to your requirements
A very particular set of skills
Phil Baty discovers which institutions excel in which subject areas and finds that the US/UK domination continues
An assessment tool to be used with care
Rankings are widely used and critiqued, says Ellen Hazelkorn, but they create a profile institutions want