The University of the West Indies consolidated its high ranking among the top universities internationally.
A report on July 14 from Times Higher Education (THE), the most prestigious university ranking system, indicated that UWI was the No. 1 ranked Caribbean university and maintained its excellent position within the top one per cent of Latin America’s finest.
UWI vice chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles hailed the achievement, which he said was achieved against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic’s challenges upon management operations and financial outlook.
“The people of the Caribbean are deserving of a first-class, respected university, and this is precisely what we are committed to achieving and sustaining,” Sir Hilary said in a media release.
“We are intellectually focussed, strategic in our choices and actions, and not distracted in any way. These excellent results are the outcomes of the sustained, smart work of our academics and administrators, students, and service providers.”
In THE’s assessment methodology there are five performance areas – teaching, research, international outlook, industry income, and research citations, in which UWI scored its most spectacular outcome in the area of its research publications.
UWI was ranked No. 3 out of the 197 best universities in this cimportant area, also identified as research influence, surpassing 18 others ahead of it in the final rankings.
“This extraordinary result is a tribute to UWI’s scholars,” Sir Hilary said. “…and reflects the very healthy state of intellectualism within the University, and the commitment to publishing globally respected and relevant research.”
Four years ago, UWI debuted in THE’s Latin America university rankings category; then, 177 universities were ranked having met eligibility criteria from a recognised field of near 2 000.
UWI’s inaugural ranked position was No. 37, and only four years later, UWI consolidated its elite position at No. 21 although the number of universities ranked by THE has since increased to 197.
The number of officially recognised higher education institutions in Latin America remains estimated at over 1 800.
This excellent performance by UWI is proof of the continued rise of its international recognition and reputation — a core objective pursued by management in the academy’s five-year Strategic Plan for 2017-2022.
(PR/AR)
