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2007 THES-QS World University Rankings The Top 5 World Universities are:
(1) Harvard University (USA)
(2) University of Cambridge (GBR)
(3) Yale University (USA)
(4) University of Oxford (GBR)
(5) Imperial College London (GBR)
Only two Asian universities are in the Top 20:
(17) University of Tokyo (JPN)
(18) University of Hong Kong (HKG)
In the Southeast Asian region, only two universities, both from Singapore, made it into the Top 100:
(33) National University of Singapore (SIN)
(69) Nanyang Technological University (SIN)
Sadly, only two universities from the Philippines made it into the Top 500:
(398) University of the Philippines, Diliman (PHI)
(451) Ateneo de Manila University (PHI)
(519) De La Salle University, Manila (PHI)
(535) University of Santo Tomas (PHI)Comments on Ateneo de Manila University’s Performance in the 2007 THES-QS World University RankingsLast year’s THES-QS World University Rankings caused quite a stir among university personnel in various parts of the world. In the Philippines, it became a big thing because of university rivalries. Ateneo de Manila University decided to come out with a statement because of the reactions of its alumni and other publics.
This year, the
University of the Philippines Diliman (Rank 398) and the
Ateneo de Manila University (Rank 451)
are the only two Philippine universities in the top 500 (Tables 1 and 2). The Ateneo de Manila is the only Philippine university that increased its rankings (Table 2). We are happy to be in such a position, but perhaps, this is also the best time to reiterate what we have been saying about rankings, in general.
First, the quality of the rankings depends on the soundness of the methodology, data acquisition process, and survey instrument. Perhaps, this is why QS, the group responsible for research, initiated some changes in their methodology (Sowter, 2007):
* 1. Peer reviewers were prevented from promoting their own university.
* 2. QS switched to Scopus from ESI (Thomson) for citation data. According to Sowter, this covers a larger number of papers and journals overall and, thus, greater representation from lesser known universities and institutions from academic systems with less emphasis on publication. It also has less pronounced bias towards the US, and covers more sources in languages other than English
* 3. There is consistent usage of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) data for all personnel related data.
* 4. They standardized scores using Z-score aggregation of indicators to generate overall scores.QS also exerted effort to get the correct data, directly from the universities. There was the temptation not to participate (by not submitting data), but we thought that this would be to our disadvantage because they will try to get the data from other sources, anyway.
Second, rankings are designed to have a special purpose or market; hence, the weights of the criteria should reflect this. This year, the same weights, as decided by the Times Higher Education Supplement, were used for the survey. Research Quality is measured through Peer Review (40%) and Citations per Faculty (20%); Graduate Employability through Recruiter Review (10%); International Outlook through International Faculty (5%) and International Students (5%); and Teaching Quality through Student-Faculty Ratio (20%). However, if the purpose of the World University Rankings is to give information to international students, it is not clear why graduate employability and international outlook only get 10% each.
Third, rankings are more subject to fluctuations as they move away from the top range, because of the error range and deviations. Thus, these rankings should be prudently used. While we want to keep our publics informed, we do not think it is something we should use for our official brochures.
Fourth, breakdown of scores according to the criteria is more instructive because they give better insight into the particular strengths and weaknesses of the institution. We are awaiting the release of the scores for the different indicators, so that we may use this to help us recognize our areas of strengths and weaknesses. For example, last year’s breakdown showed that we were very low in Peer Review, which constituted 40% of the score. This suggested that Ateneo had to work to be better known by colleagues abroad, and so we exerted more effort in internationalization, e.g., networking, linkages, and student mobility. On the other hand, we were the top-ranked Philippine university in the Recruiter Review, International Faculty, and International Students.
Finally, we maintain that rankings like these (their survey instrument, the weights they use) don’t reflect our vision/mission. Thus, we will not allow these to distract us from pursuing our goals. We will continue to work harder at being better known in the region to highlight the leadership and excellence of our faculty and students, and the institution’s contribution to national development. We will continue to do what Ateneo does best: the total formation of students and the preparation of students for leadership. This formation for leadership is what makes Ateneo the highly regarded university that it has been for almost 150 years.
As Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J. pointed out: “Rankings in the Times survey are important because they measure how the world perceives us. But just as persons have to take what people think of them in the context of their own values and priorities, we, too, have to reflect on these perceptions and measures within our own view of our vision and mission. Thus, while we will work on strengthening our research and publications in ISI journals… we need to do this in a way that does not move us away from our vision/mission and our traditional strengths: leadership formation and contribution to national development. These have to continue to be our priorities as a Jesuit university committed to the service of faith and the promotion of justice and as a university in a Philippines, whose greatest challenge is overcoming poverty and national development.â€
Dr. Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng
Vice President for the Loyola Schools
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Topic: Top Universities in the Philippines in 2007 Survey (Read 5094 times)