Improving University Quality through Reflecting Third Mission Activities in Ranking Methodology: A Case Study from Pakistan

Higher Education Institutions have been facing the challenge of broadening their mission spectrum to incorporate the social and civic engagement in the contemporary era. The purpose of this study is to address the importance and reflection of multifarious third mission activities in ranking methodology at the national level. Methodology- For the purpose of this study, content analysis is performed on the national ranking methodology of Pakistan to analyze the current ranking methodology for the manifestation of enterprising, innovative and social third mission activities. Findings - The findings revealed that weighted percentage of enterprise third mission in the ranking methodology of HEC is 1.16%, of the innovative third mission there is no explicit criterion present in ranking methodology and of social and civic engagement the weighted percentage is found to be 0.23%. Practical Implication - The current study has implication for policymakers in order to broaden the scope of HEIs’ performance indicators by incorporating the traditional commercial activities, innovation strengthening and social engagement of higher educational institutions at both local and global perspective