NOTHING BETTER illustrates the difficulties in understanding how higher education works in Paris than the term ‘Sorbonne’. Historically associated with the original University of Paris, the name is now carried by three successor institutions — Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle University and Pantheon-Sorbonne University — which share classrooms in the historic site of the Sorbonne in the city’s Latin Quarter.
But to further cloud matters, a number of universities in Paris are merging into clusters, and three of the five new groups are using the coveted name to give them clout abroad: Sorbonne Universites, Sorbonne Paris Cite and Hautes Etudes Sorbonne Arts et Metiers (HeSam). “It’s not excluded that it will create some confusion,” admits Denis Pelletier, head of HeSam. “But I’m sure students and lecturers will learn to tell the difference.”
“Our aim is to create a global university,” explains Barthelemy Jobert, head of Sorbonne Universites, which will include Paris-Sorbonne and Universite Pierre et Marie Curie.
Some of the universities involved in the groupings — known as comues — will be fully merged, while others will remain looser associations of extant institutions. Ironically, the restructurings and rebrandings, which will complicate things for those already struggling to grasp the idiosyncrasies of Paris university life, grew out of an effort to improve the visibility of the capital’s institutions abroad and to give students more choice and flexibility.
Parisian universities suffer from poor ratings in international academic rankings: Pierre et Marie Curie is the first French university to appear in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, at 96th position. Many experts think this is because French universities are simply too small and underpowered to win top rankings and should merge.
(Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education)