KSU ranks high on two international surveys for academics
Head: Top of the Tier
Kent State, Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and Case Western Reserve University are the only Ohio schools to have made the list.
Kent State ranked high on two well-known international surveys of academic institutions.
The university ranked in the 400 to 500 range globally in the 2011 Academic Ranking of World Universities and in the 301 to 350 range in the Times Higher Education of London survey.
“It’s exciting that we made these lists that recognize top universities worldwide,” said Emily Vincent, director of university media relations. “I think employees, students and alumni can feel great about being a part of a university that gets recognized on a global scale.”
Vincent said this is the second consecutive year Kent State has made both lists.
Top 10 on List of Top 500 for the ARWU
1-Harvard University
2-Stanford University
3-MIT
4-University of California. Berkeley
5-University of Cambridge
6-Caltech
7-Princeton University
8-Columbia University
9-University of Chicago
10-University of Oxford
The rankings after the first 100 schools on the ARWU are divided into sections of 100 and alphabetized within those divisions. Vincent said the Times Higher Education of London uses a similar method of ranking.
Tim Chandler, senior associate provost, said he could not have predicted Kent State would rank this high when the university signed up to be a part of the ARWU survey.
“We thought we deserved to be up there, and it is very nice to have that confirmed,” Chandler said. “We believe we’re doing great things here, but it’s nice to have it all confirmed by others particularly in comparison to peer institutions all over the world.”
Vincent said both surveys included their own criteria for grading and rating institutions on their academics.
The Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University performed the research for the 2011 ARWU. The survey posted the top 500 universities of more than 1,000 that chose to be ranked. Vincent said the ARWU looks at the number of alumni and staff awards, number of highly cited researchers, numbers of published articles, number of articles written and per capita performance according to the size of the institution.
“This survey was originally created to gauge the effectiveness of universities in China, but it attracted universities like Kent State worldwide,” Vincent said.
According to its website, the Times Higher Education of London looks at slightly different criteria, including teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook at universities across the globe.
Top 10 on the List of Top 400 for Times Higher Education of London
1-California Institute of Technology
2-Harvard University
3-Stanford University
4-University of Oxford
5-Princeton University
6-University of Cambridge
7-MIT
8-Imperial College of London
9-University of Chicago
10-University of California, Berkeley
Chandler said the university can increase its current globalization efforts even further because it was listed.
“This can only help us as we look to continue to globalize our curriculum, bring in more international students and encourage more to go abroad,” Chandler said. “The name of Kent State is more readily recognized as one of the top universities in the world.”
Vincent said the surveys also help the university by bringing more awareness to students considering college, and gives pride to students already attending the university.
Kate McCallum, a senior Russian translation major who graduates this December, said she was not surprised that Kent State made it on the ARWU list.
“Kent State is really well-known for a lot of its programs, so it’s not shocking,” McCallum said. “I have a lot more confidence graduating from a university that was listed as a top world university, and I am more likely to get a job because I attended a prestigious university.”
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