by PRINCE RONSON SABADO
THE UNIVERSITY maintained its 601-800 ranking in the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, posting the highest scores in three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In an email interview with The Flame, THE said UST performed best in SDGs on good health and well-being, gender equality and affordable and clean energy.
The España-based university ranked 301-400 among 876 institutions in SDG 1 (no poverty); 401-600 among 647 institutions in SDG 2 (zero hunger); 301-400 among 1,218 institutions in SDG 3 (good health and well-being); 401-600 among 1,304 institutions in SDG 4 (quality education); 201-300 among 1,081 institutions in SDG 5 (gender equality); 401-600 among 702 institutions in SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation; 401-600 among 812 institutions in SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy); 601-800 among 960 institutions in SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth); 401-600 among 873 institutions in SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure); and 401-600 among 901 institutions in SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).
UST also ranked 401-600 among 860 institutions in SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities); 401-600 among 674 institutions in SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production); 601+ among 735 institutions in SDG 13 (climate action); 301-400 among 504 institutions in SDG 14 (life below water); 301-400 among 586 institutions in SDG 15 (life on land); 601-800 among 910 institutions in SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and 601-800 among 1,625 institutions in SDG 17 (partnership for the goals).
THE explained that any university that provides data on SDG 17 and at least three other goals is included in the overall ranking. A university’s total score is calculated by combining its score in SDG 17 with its top three scores out of the remaining SDGs. The score for the overall ranking is the average of total scores during the last two years, THE said.
The University’s scores in each goal are 52.8 for no poverty; 31.3 for zero hunger; 67.8 for goof health and well-being; 51.1 for quality education; 57.8 for gender equality; 37.8 for clean water and sanitation; 49.8 for affordable and clean energy; 46 9 for decent work and economic growth; 43.6 for industry, innovation and infrastructure; 42.1 for reduced inequalities; 39.4 for sustainable cities and communities; 35.8 for responsible consumption and production; 24.7 in climate action; 28.5 in life below water; 41.2 in life on land; 38. 6 for peace, justice and strong institutions; and 58.4 in partnership for the goals.
Last year, UST ranked in nine SDG indicators, namely, gender equality (201-300); clean water and sanitation (301-400); affordable and clean energy (401-600); quality education (401-600); decent work and economic growth (401-600); good health and well-being (401-600); no poverty (401-600); zero hunger (401+); and industry, innovation, and infrastructure (601+). It received ranks for affordable and clean energy (201-300); quality education (301-400); good health and well-being (401-600); and partnership for the goals (401-600) in 2021.
Of the 1,705 universities from 115 countries and regions assessed this year, 29 Philippine universities made it to this year’s rankings, higher than the 16 that were ranked in 2022.
“It is inspiring to see even more universities participate and see countries that don’t normally rank so highly do so well,” THE chief global affairs officer Phil Baty told The Flame through a representative.
THE’s Impact Rankings is different from its flagship World University Rankings system although both gauge universities using a set of indicators .The World University Rankings is a university assessment ranking that focuses on three core areas, namely, research, impact, and teaching. Impact Rankings, meanwhile, covers the areas of research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.
“This (Impact Rankings) is an extremely valuable tool for universities, governments, funders and policymakers to understand how universities are supporting the drive to meet the UN’s SDGs and what must be done to improve their performance even further in this massively important area,” Baty said.
“The rankings are also vital for millions of prospective students who are increasingly demanding to see evidence that the universities they consider for their education are committed to sustainability and to helping them to become sustainably minded citizens,” he added.
The THE Impact Rankings is the first and only global assessment that attempts to measure the progress of universities using the United Nations SDGs, a set of objectives that seek to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The rankings provide an opportunity to highlight universities that are pursuing initiatives that are in line with the global commitment toward sustainability.
THE released its latest World University Rankings last October. UST was conferred a “Reporter” status in the 2023 World University Rankings, a label given to universities that provided data to evaluators but did not satisfy the eligibility requirements to be granted a rank. According to THE, the University had failed to meet the research publication threshold, the only reason why it did not get a ranking.
Last month, The Flame reported that UST has achieved the minimum publication threshold set by the THE World University Rankings. THE’s minimum threshold is 150 publications per year and 1,000 publications in five years indexed in Elsevier’s scholarly database Scopus.
As of March this year, the University was able to log 175 articles, higher than the 147 papers recorded in February 2018, data from Scopus showed. UST’s published articles tally from February to March 2023 also improved in the succeeding years: From 197 to 225 articles in 2019, 253 to 273 in 2020, 298 to 333 in 2021, and 298 to 350 in 2022.
In a recent interview, THE said it was still collecting data from universities so it was still unclear which universities would be ranked. F
