University of St Gallen - Switzerland

The university as a societal institution will be subjected to radical change in the years to come. The University of St.Gallen, too, will not be able to avoid this change - nor does it want to. However, this raises the fundamental question as to whether it wants to face this change defensively or offensively. The University of St.Gallen's reply: it will profit from its frequently proven capacity for change in order to help shape the impending changes in the university system rather then merely responding to them.No one can say with any certainty now what the university system will look like at the end of this process. For the HSG this means that it will pursue a robust strategy based on its very own strong points. In the coming years, we will pursue three objectives:1. The HSG's students develop closer ties with their alma mater than students at most other universities. However, we want to go a step further and be able to say: for its students, the HSG does not just mean an intensive stage in life, but a bond for a long time after their graduation.2. Practitioners already appreciate the HSG because of the relevance of its research, the scientific community because of its stringency. However, we want to go a step further and say: the HSG is appreciated by practitioners for the stringent quality of its research and by the scientific community for its relevance.3. The HSG will increase its internationalization in a continuous and systematic manner. As a cantonal university, however, we must not cut our roots in the region. For this reason, we want to be able to say: our region appreciates us, not despite the fact that we are an increasingly international university, but because of it.

2007 THES Ranking - Number 362