YOUR question: "The best university in the world?" (THES, November 8) is an intriguing one. Unfortunately, it will be impossible to find a satisfying or even commonly agreeable answer.
But would it not rather make sense to ask: which university does add most value to its members, both students and faculty, and to its community by successfully pursuing its research and teaching mission? In this case, the obvious answer is: Many.
Should you, however, look for the overall most successful university my choice is Harvard University. No other university has done as well what Harvard does: to continuously and unabashedly pursue excellence at all levels.
Daniel J. Guhr
Center for studies in higher education, University of California, Berkeley