Australian universities punching up in Times young institutions list

Australia has 14 universities in the Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 List (under 50 years old), released last week, being beaten only by the UK, which has 20. Macquarie University and the University of Wollongong were ranked equal 33rd on the list, with the Queensland University of Technology coming in at 40, the University of Newcastle at 45, Charles Darwin University 48, the University of South Australia 65, Curtin University 75, Deakin University and Flinders University at 78, Griffith and La Trobe universities at 81, the University of Technology Sydney 88, RMIT University 93, and Edith Cowan University at 100. Professor Rob Castle, deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at the University of Wollongong, said the rank was a “nice affirmation” of the work of his university and its contemporaries. He said he believed the university’s performance in teaching and learning was what had gotten it across the line, and the consistency of its performance in a number of areas. The university was originally established as a college of the University of NSW and became Wollongong University College in 1962 and later a fully independent institution in 1975. “I think that as a younger university we’ve had processes that have been more flexible,” said Castle. “The mantra from the time [Ken] McKinnon became vice-chancellor was that ‘change becomes opportunity’. The only one who doesn’t want change is the person at number one, and I think that attitude has permeated the culture here over a long period.” He said the university had developed a reputation with government and industry partners for delivering on projects, such as the south-coast network of small campuses. How much affect the ranking will have on the university – in particular its recruitment of international students, was difficult to say, he said. “I think these things are nice. I think that the direct impact of them is probably easily to overstate. I think things like recommendations from peers, from past students and word of mouth are probably the most important, but I think it’s the sort of thing that reinforces that sort of choice,” he said. Phil Baty, the editor of the Times Higher Education Rankings, said the results of the list were “brilliant news” for Australia, whose older universities already did well in the main THE top universities list, suggesting it had continued to seek excellence in education through new institutions. “However, the 100 Under 50 is also a serious warning against complacency: the top 100 list is incredibly diverse, with 30 countries represented,” he said. “At the very top of this new ranking, ahead of Australia’s best, are institutions from South Korea, Hong Kong and elsewhere. And there are many really promising institutions on the list that have risen to great heights in a very short space of time, with focused investment and strong political support.” The number one university in the world under the age of 50 is Pohang University of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea, followed by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland; the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; the University of California, Irvine; and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. See the entire list here: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/