“What are the implications of Ateneo’s consistent drop in the QS rankings of Asia’s universities?”

“We’d have to strategize because I think part of [the reason behind the] rankings [is] we’re not known. [The University of the Philippines] has name recall because of course, they’re a state university.  The other thing: Is it because of our country? We are not known to the world. We used to be. There’s also some percentage attributed to research, but the bulk comes from academic reputation. Academic reputation is when academics is asked, who are the top three universities in the field? And people do not talk about Filipinos. I feel we need to make those linkages.”

Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, University President

“For me, I don’t think there’s much of an effect—or at least not an obvious one—because [Ateneo] is such a small campus. If the standards of those rankings include papers published, we’re already at a disadvantage. Ultimately, I feel like those numbers will only cater to standards set by developed countries—look at the top schools. I believe Ateneo is its own wonder. It’s still great.”

Abba Marie Moreno (V BS CH MSE)

“It implies that there is a need to review how the Ateneo manages the education of its students and the development of its faculty. This should challenge the whole Ateneo community to help improve the general perception of our university.”

JC Rosales (IV BS MIS-MS CS)

“A possible and likely explanation could be the lax [focus] on education. Because Ateneo is known for its holistic education, I think it’s spending more time worrying about how balanced or well-rounded a student will be rather than the student’s educational upbringing.”

Janica Mendoza (II BS LM)

“One of my professors told me that professors nowadays have two purposes: They are required to teach and [to do] research as well. Having conflicting roles and whatnot perhaps resulted to either poor teaching or poor research. Some professors have to give less priority to one of the two, and more often than not, the former is given less priority. Some teachers also fail to connect with the students, and they fail to ignite their student’s interest on the subject matter.”

Ryan Hebrio (III BS ECE)

“I think that this could be a response to the problem of a more competitive job market that is now spreading throughout the continent and the rest of the world. Additionally, the Ateneo is going to have to take extra measures, such as a better evaluation of curriculums and [establishing] higher standards for faculty members and students, in order to ensure its reputation among other universities.”

Kristiana Jay Feliciano (II BS MGT-H)

“One can infer from the consistent drop of Ateneo in the QS rankings of Asia’s universities that either the other Asian universities are stepping up and performing even better than Ateneo—even if we did show improvements [or] did our best, or we are, as a university, stagnating or degrading in terms of the major factors used for the QS rankings. I  don’t believe in the latter statement—though I am not that well-informed of the specific details about our ranking—but I guess this is a signal for us to focus more or improve even more on our researches, publications, academic standards, etc. We shouldn’t be complacent with whatever we achieve year by year. Continuous progress should be felt.”

Gelo Dionora (III AB LIT ENG)

“I think it shows that Ateneo still has a lot of work to do if it really intends to become a ‘globally competitive’ university. But anyway, the people in charge have already identified some of the areas for improvement. The academic calendar shift and calls for more research from faculty show that something is being done right now.”

Edward Joseph Ofilada (II BS MGT-H)

“It may be a sign that the Ateneo must not rest on its laurels; momentum is everything.”

Dwight Alonzo (II AB POS)

“I think the reason why this is happening is simple: Ateneo is being left behind by the other universities in Asia. This isn’t to say that the quality of education in Ateneo is degrading; it’s the opposite actually. Ateneo still remains as one of the top universities in the Philippines. It just so happens that the quality of education in other universities is increasing faster compared to the quality of education in Ateneo.”

Ramon Gutierrez (II AB ECO)