JOSEF C. BRADA Professor of Economics at Arizona State University, USA. GORDON STANLEY Honorary Professor of Higher Education at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney, Australia. WOJCIECH BIENKOWSKI Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management at Lazarski University, Poland.

• Introduction PART I: GLOBALIZATION, THE CHANGING NATURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS OF UNIVERSITIES Challenges in the Quest to Create Global Qualifications and Standards are Driving Change in Education Systems Diversification, Rankings and their Conditions: General Problems and the Polish Example PART II: THE HIGH RANKINGS OF UNIVERSITIES FROM THE UNITED STATES: ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES OR POLICIES? An Economic Perspective on Higher Education in the United States Making the Case for a Strong Research University: The University of Kentucky Top-20 Business Plan Promoting High Quality Teaching Practices in Higher Education: Lessons Learned from the United States Factors Limiting the International Competitiveness of European Universities Why are American Universities at the top of International Rankings? PART III: HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE NEW MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: LISBON, BOLOGNA AND BEYOND Analysis of Systemic Reasons for Lower Competitiveness of European Universities: the Case of Poland Institutional Determinants of the Development of Private Higher Education in Europe Looking for a Model of the Contemporary University Overcoming Barriers to University-Industry Cooperation with a Focus on the Information and Communications Technology Sector: The Czech Experience Conclusion