Western stands firmly among the world’s top universities measured by its commitment to social and economic impact, according to the Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings, released April 22.
In this second year of the Impact Rankings, Western debuted at number five in Canada and ranked 26th in the world among 766 universities from 85 countries measured against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“These rankings are a reflection of the commitments we have made as a campus community to creating a stronger society,” said Andrew Hrymak, Provost and Vice-President (Academic). “From academics and research, to operations and budgeting, Western has always been guided by the principles measured here.
“Rankings like these benchmark the past, but I believe they also signal a strong future.”
Times Higher Education developed its Impact Rankings to shine a light on institutions tackling global issues. The rankings mapped how universities around the world are committing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Sustainable Development Goals – also known as the Global Goals – were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015 as a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
Western ranked among the top 50 globally in 11 of the 17 categories, including Zero Hunger (7); No Poverty (10); Partnership on the Goals (12); and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (18).
“The sustainable development goals reflect issues on a global scale,” Hrymak continued. “But these rankings show how each of us – students, faculty and staff alike – play a part in creating an institution like Western that is up to the challenge of addressing each one by committing to excellence.”
New Zealand’s University of Auckland once again led the rankings, despite an additional 299 institutions joining the table this year, while University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, La Trobe University and Arizona State University rounded out the top five.
Other Canadian universities in the top 50 included University of British Columbia (7), University of Waterloo (16), McMaster University (17), Simon Fraser University (19), University of Toronto (28), University of Calgary (29), York University (33), and Laval University (41).
