USRN Webinar: The THE Impact Rankings

USRN Webinar: The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings

In 2019, Times Higher Education (THE) launched the inaugural University Impact Rankings, a pioneering initiative to provide a showcase for the work being delivered by universities in our communities. The rankings measure how universities worldwide are performing against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They allow THE to demonstrate the differences a university is making to the world in which we live. The University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) is impressed with the effort THE has made to incorporate social impact into rankings. It is hoped that with these new rankings that directly examine how higher education works in the society, positive behavior changes will be induced in higher education to make the world a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable place.

The University Social Responsibility Network sees the significant role of the Impact Rankings in recognizing universities’ social responsibility performance. In October 2020, USRN organised a Webinar on the THE Impact Rankings, hoping to promote the Rankings and its methodology to member institutions of the USRN and advocate university social responsibility in a broad range of higher education institutions. Mr Duncan Ross, Chief Data Officer of Times Higher Education and Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility of The University of Manchester spoke in the session and Prof. Valmor Tricoli, President of International Affairs Office and Provost for International Cooperation of University of São Paulo moderated.

At the Webinar, a consultative briefing was given by Mr Duncan Ross to explore the purpose, methodology and data of the Impact Rankings, followed by a presentation from Dr Julian Skyrme who shared the case account of the University of Manchester’s work and its participation in this THE initiative. The University of Manchester is one of the founding members of the USRN. The university was ranked the first in the 2021 Impact Rankings. 

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