Regional
Headquarters, Jamaica, Friday, July 3, 2020—The
University of the West Indies (The UWI) is now among a list of the
world’s top 100 Universities in new rankings released by Times
Higher Education (THE).

On June 24, THE
revealed its ‘Golden
Age University Rankings’
of established higher education institutions across the world that
have been around for 50 to 80 years. Based on years of existence,
this category compares institutions established between 1945 and
1967, using the same criteria
and methodology as the World Rankings. According to THE,
“the ranking takes its name from what was a ‘Golden
Age’ in global higher
education, characterised by rapid university expansion and increasing
investment in research.”

These results
reinforce that in spite of being a relatively young institution, and
having limited access to financial and development resources, in just
over 70 years The UWI has successfully built a solid reputation as
the higher education leader. Recently during the annual report
presentation to its University Council, Vice-Chancellor, Professor
Sir Hilary Beckles noted that the academy is among the best in the
world and its reputation has never been higher. This latest top 100
‘Golden Age’
ranking performance affirms The UWI’s prestige and leadership as it
is now a familiar and consistent name in the Times
Higher Education’s rankings,
yet remains the sole Caribbean university on all the lists.

Reacting to the
news, Vice-Chancellor Beckles said, “Our astounding performance in
yet another ranking table beseeches the question, again—how does
The UWI maintain its elite ranking located as it is, in an economy
that has not seen sustained economic growth in 30 years? The answer
is—our deep stakeholder commitment, focused leadership, and the
power of dedicated, unwavering colleagues. It is no secret that for
the greater part of its existence, The UWI has had to function with a
significant measure of deficit financing as we deliver this public
good, which is time and time again rated as world-class by
international ranking standards. As we continue skilfully managing,
we look forward to the roll out of a new financial model that will
see the University soaring to even higher heights.”

Vice-Chancellor
Beckles set out on a strategic path, five years ago, to globally
transform The UWI’s reputation before going to markets to raise
revenue. “We are now at this juncture,” he said, “and we are
pleased with the outcomes to date.”

Back in April, The
UWI also appeared on THE’s
Impact
Rankings 2020 which maps
how universities are responding to the world’s biggest concerns,
outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). This is the only global performance table that assesses
universities on their research, outreach and stewardship of the SDGs.
Of the 768 universities from 85 countries on the table, The UWI
ranked among the top 200 for its work on SDG3: Good Health and
Wellbeing; SDG5: Gender Equality and SDG13: Climate Action.

The UWI’s Office
of Global Partnerships and Sustainable Futures works to strengthen
the regional university’s positioning and engagement with the 2030
global development agenda. Commenting on the Impact Rankings, the
Office’s Director, Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy asserted, “This
international recognition of The UWI’s contribution to advancing
the 2030 agenda for sustainable development is a tribute to the hard
work of our staff and students from various Faculties and Research
Centres and Institutes across our five Campuses.  Since the 2015
commitment of UN member states to the SDGs, The UWI has championed
the central role of universities to national and regional engagement
in the global development agenda through teaching, research, advocacy
and partnerships, while at the same time serving as ‘living labs’
for sustainable institutional practices.  During this
UN-declared Decade of Action, The UWI will continue to intensify its
efforts at leveraging its inter-disciplinary research and scientific
expertise on the unique issues faced by Small Island Developing
States (SIDS), to address the multi-dimensional development
challenges facing the Caribbean.”   

This Impact
Rankings recognition further endorses The UWI’s advocacy on the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In January 2019, the
International Association of Universities (IAU) selected The UWI as a
global leader in the mobilisation of higher education and research
institutions for sustainable development. The IAU designated The UWI
as the lead institution for a Global University Consortium on SDG 13
in recognition of its research contributions on climate change and
sustainable development. The UWI’s work on SDG5 earned the
spotlight in 2018, when the University launched a Gender Policy to
formalise its commitment to gender justice and establish a framework
for its implementation. The Policy serves as a blueprint to
incorporate the issues of gender and development and to express the
fundamental principles that are deemed vital to sustainable growth
and development throughout the Caribbean. The UWI also scored highly
on SDG3 which measures universities’ research on key diseases and
conditions, their support for healthcare professions, and the health
of students and staff. Its strength in this area was demonstrated and
reinforced over the past few months in its leadership through science
and medicine in the Caribbean region’s fight against the COVID-19
pandemic, described by Vice-Chancellor Beckles as “The UWI’s
finest hour.”

-End-

Notes
to the Editor

About
the Times Higher Education’s Rankings Tables:

• World
  University Rankings: provide
  the definitive list of the top universities globally.
  
• Latin
  America Rankings: list
  the best universities in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
  
• Impact
  Rankings:
  Assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable
  Development Goals (SDGs).
  
• Golden
  Age University Rankings:
  Rank the best universities established for more than 50 years, but
  less than 80 years.
  

More
on Times
Higher Education’s Golden Age University Rankings:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-golden-age-universities

About
The UWI

For
over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has
provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider
world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in
Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally
respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five
campuses: Mona
in Jamaica, St.
Augustine
in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave
Hill
in Barbados, Five
Islands
in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open
Campus.
As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established
partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America,
Asia, Africa and Europe including the State
University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and
Sustainable Development;
the Canada-Caribbean Institute with Brock University; the Strategic
Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes
(UNIANDES); The UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the
University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and
Diaspora Studies; the Institute for Global African Affairs with the
University of Johannesburg (UJ); The UWI-University of Havana Centre
for Sustainable Development; The UWI-Coventry Institute for
Industry-Academic Partnership with the University of Coventry and the
Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research with the University
of Glasgow.

The
UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and
postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering,
Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science &
Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As
the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost
objective is driving the growth and
development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable
ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the
top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best
universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019.
The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the
prestigious lists.  For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

(Please
note that the proper name of the university is The University of the
West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)