RANKING FIRST among Philippine universities and 254th all over the world will not distract the Ateneo from continuing to holistically form students and preparing them for leadership.
This is what Loyola Schools Vice President Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Ph.D. said regarding the 2008 Times Higher Education-Quacquarelli Symonds (THE-QS) results.
Quoting University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, Cuyegkeng said that rankings are important because they measure the world’s perceptions. However, these perceptions have to be reflected within the university’s vision-mission, Cuyegkeng added.
Conducted annually, THE-QS is a multi-faceted view of the strengths and weaknesses of universities all over the world. It yields results through six indicators involving peer review surveys, employer responses, student faculty ratio, research performance and body ratio, and the proportion of international faculty and students.
Leading
In the Philippines, Ateneo topped the Arts and Humanities and Natural Sciences categories of the academic peer review, said Cuyegkeng. The University of the Philippines (UP) led in Social Sciences.
Locally, Ateneo also led in the faculty student ratio and in the international faculty and international students indicators. The employer review also ranked Ateneo 76th worldwide.
UP scored well in terms of citations per faculty while no local institution figured in technology, said Cuyegkeng.
Worldwide, UP ranked 276th while De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas were included in the 401-500 set.
Staying focused
Rankings like the THE-QS do not reflect the Ateneo’s vision-mission, Cuyegkeng said. “We will continue to work harder at being better known in [highlighting] leadership and excellence of out faculty and students, and the institution’s contribution to national development.”
Cuyegkeng said that there is pressure, however, to maintain this standing. “Stakeholders [like alumni, students, parents] react strongly when we do not rank well even [when] we try to explain the limitations of these rankings.”
For her, the breakdown of scores is more instructive and provides better insight into the particular strengths and weaknesses of the institution.
However, Ruby Charmaine Gan (II BS LM) was happy when she found out about the new rank. She said the rank comes with obligations to produce individuals who will contribute both locally and globally.
For Jayvee Jhon Chun (IV AB MEco), the rank was conferred not merely because of students. The faculty and staff, including their research and contributions to the academic world, were also taken into consideration.
“It shows that we are all on the right path in terms of what we are doing with our lives and what we will have in the future. Ateneo is a great investment,” he said.
Areas for improvement
Filipino Department Chair Jerry Respeto, Ph.D. said that the THE-QS ranking is important because it shows that the Ateneo is at par with foreign universities. “Ang ranking ang natatakda kung paano tayo titingnan ng mga kapwa unibersidad sa loob at labas ng bansa (The ranking indicates how other universities inside and outside the country perceive us).”
He added that Ateneans should be aware of the rankings.
Despite the rank, Cuyegkeng said that Ateneo still needs to have better communication with the bigger world. “We have to learn how to make ourselves known [worldwide].”
Gan said, “Ateneo could improve by studying the curriculum of other universities and adapting aspects that further challenge students.”
