(177th) Best University Ever!

Vainglory

I'm sure you'll all join me in celebrating the fact that our own little university, UCD, has broken into the elite top 200 univiersities in the prestigious Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) for the first time, climbing to 177th place.

I can only hope we continue to reap the many and very evident rewards of our higher ranking position.

Source: Today's Irish Times..

All together now...

"Congratulaaaaaaaaaaations....and salutaaaaaaations...congra....?"

Anyone?

Vorsprung

Hurrah for Brady!!! I never doubted you!

Runs away

Breezer

Anyone up for a party in the new shiny Arts area? With paper hats and party blowers and a banner saying 'Well Done Hughie'?

sitstill

I think it's easy to be cynical, and we all know that the Brady regime has brought a huge deal of flux to the university, but this is great news nonetheless.

dajaffa

Would this be a bad time to say a *high up* academic was only yesterday saing they thought the lists were stupid. Like you get loads of points for having a Nobel Prize winner on staff, even if they were bought in just for that + wherever they did the work that got them said prize get f*** all.

Pride Fighter

University rankings

The Irish university sector has received a considerable boost with the publication of the latest world rankings by the prestigious Times Higher Education Supplement (THES). Trinity College has moved up to 53rd place while University College Dublin (UCD) breaks into the elite top 200 for the first time, climbing to 177th.

There is more good news. University College Cork (UCC) and Dublin City University (DCU) rise more than 100 places - into the top 300. This is no small achievement, especially for a relative newcomer like DCU.

By definition, these rankings can be flawed, giving undue weighting to one factor over another. But the THES list is an authoritative guide, regarded very seriously internationally by students and by senior academics considering a career change. As UCD president Dr Hugh Brady noted: these rankings are "seen as a measure of how we are performing to students, funders and other stakeholders . . . whether we like it or not".

Universities here are reaping the benefit of increased investment through the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) and new funding from Science Foundation Ireland. This additional research activity is opening the way, in turn, for Irish academics to receive more citations in international journals. The reality, however, is that the strong showing of Irish institutions, particularly Trinity and UCD, is remarkable given the patchy level of support from the State. Both colleges survive on a budget which is less than half of that available to comparable institutions in the EU and the United States.

The Government deserves credit for the dramatic increase in research funding. But, on closer examination, the third-level sector is often creaking at the edges. Day-to-day spending on essential maintenance and refurbishment works compares poorly with what is available in Britain and elsewhere. With some notable exceptions, sports, leisure and even study facilities for students pale in comparison to leading world universities.

The latest rankings are very good news. But it would be regrettable if they were to give rise to complacency among policymakers. The university sector needs to build on its current showing if it is to deliver on the ambitious targets set by the Government for the development of a knowledge-based economy.

The Government has been unambiguous in stating that return of tuition fees is off the agenda for the foreseeable future. Similar clarity about its plans for a properly funded university sector - in the absence of fees - would be welcome also.
© 2007 The Irish Times

Here is the article. Its a miracle our institutions are so high with the lack of state funding available. It is even worse than what the article states.

seraphimvc

business eh?it's just about business....:cool:

Sinfonia

Anybody know where one would find a full list?

Riamfada

Isnt it always about business and cash. Sure thats why there is a bunch of con artists running the country.

Speaking of which isnt Trinity 53 or something close ?

is_that_so

THES.

Ernie Ball

sitstill wrote: »

I think it's easy to be cynical, and we all know that the Brady regime has brought a huge deal of flux to the university, but this is great news nonetheless.

It is great news . . . if you're a moron (Hugh Brady take a bow) and place any stock in such ridiculous rankings. That the rise is entirely due to changes in the ranking methodology would give anyone with the slightest hint of honesty pause before trumpeting these results. Brady, however, stung by a student and staff survey that told it like it is, isn't burdened with much of a conscience.

They mean about as much as the results of a "person of the year" contest would, i.e., zero. But of course Brady has always talked as if it were crucially important that UCD rise in these meaningless rankings at the cost of alienating virtually all of the staff, de-emphasising teaching (so students get screwed) and measuring--in purely quantitative terms--research "outputs" (as if quantity is what counts).

And lo and behold: at the same time that UCD has become a much worse place in which to learn, teach or research, it rises in the specious rankings. Just goes to show you can sell the ignorant any kind of bull$hit you please. You don't even have to disguise the fact that it's bull$hit.

Brimmy

Isn't UCD ranked above Trinity in domestic ratings though?

For a campus without competent IT staff and the fiasco that is yearly registration that isn't bad.. the youtube adds must have won them over.

Pride Fighter

is_that_so wrote: »

THES.

You have to sign up to see it. I am already in too many things online, is there a chance of someone posting it up.

Rosita

Brimmy wrote: »

Isn't UCD ranked above Trinity in domestic ratings though?

I have no idea if this is true or not but it does raise the question of what precisely are the criteria employed in this measurement.

Presumably it is a lot of superficial impression and iinformation gleaned from surveys and university websites. I can't imagine these people actually visit all the universities and examine them in any serious way.

If they consider Nobel Prize winners, publications etc. then I imagine reputation and veneer far outweighs the day to day student experience in their consideration.

imp

From TCD's news article on the survey:

For the purpose of compiling the rankings, 5,100 academics from around the world were surveyed concerning the research quality of the university and their views accounted for 40% of the score. In addition, 1,480 international employers in a recruiter review were surveyed concerning their views on graduate employability which accounted for 10%. The other half of the marks was made up of teaching quality which was measured by staff: student ratio (20%), a further 20% was allocated to research quality which was gauged by the university’s citations of major papers. The international outlook was also measured by international faculty staff (5%) and international students (5%).

Doesn't seem like the best of surveys imho, a huge amount of the marks seem to go on reputation and staff-student ratio is no way to measure teaching quality.

delta_bravo

Brimmy wrote: »

Isn't UCD ranked above Trinity in domestic ratings though?

For a campus without competent IT staff and the fiasco that is yearly registration that isn't bad.. the youtube adds must have won them over.

No we're not but UCC beat UCD domestically this year and UCD hammered them in the international thing. They all mean very little tho

randomchild

Degrees all round!

rainbow kirby

Degrees for some, miniature American flags for all!

JM434

At the end of the day, Trinners for Winners.

Pride Fighter

The numbers after are for some sort of ranking. UCD gets 33 for the 4th thing and Trinity gets 42 for its 4th thing. What is the 4th thing? If our 4th thing was up to scratch we would be top 60 no problem and Trinners would be top 30.

jaffa20

That's nothing compared to University of the Year 2008