University of Auckland tops world rankings

The University of Auckland has been ranked Number 1 in the world in the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings (announced at THE’s Innovation and Impact Summit in South Korea)

The new global ranking measures how well institutions are delivering on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 goals – which include providing inclusive and equitable quality education, achieving gender equality and fostering innovation – were adopted by the UN in 2016 and provide a framework for developing the world in a sustainable way.

Phil Baty, THE’s editorial director of global rankings, says the new ranking is the first global attempt to measure the broader impact of universities and provides a showcase for the work being delivered by universities within communities, demonstrating the differences they can make to the world.

Some of the metrics for the Impact Rankings include the number of graduates in health professions, the proportion of women in senior academic positions and policies and practices regarding employment security. All universities in the world were invited to submit data, and five hundred were ranked.

University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon says he is delighted the University’s work in this area has been acknowledged internationally.

“I’m proud that policies that are entrenched within the way this university operates have been recognised, particularly across areas of equity, of staff and student wellness, and in our academic programmes including in health-related fields.

“We are fortunate we operate in a legislative environment established by successive New Zealand governments that supports these workplace practices. On top of this sits our own solid and innovative work that aligns with the UN goals and which is carried out across the University. Some of this is initiated in areas such as our Equity Office and across Pro Vice-Chancellor portfolios, and there is shared implementation with faculties and divisions such as Campus Life. Our policies are adhered to – we walk the talk.”

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were developed and agreed to by 194 nation states, providing an internationally recognised framework for achieving sustainable development.

“Universities have an important role to play in generating the knowledge and capacity necessary to achieve these objectives,“ Professor McCutcheon says. “Correspondingly, they are valuable to universities because they enable us to frame our research, teaching, operations, capacity building, networks and partnerships in a way that enables the contributions we make to be universally recognised and understood.”

The Vice-Chancellor says the introduction of the Impact Rankings helps demonstrate how relevant universities are.

“This is an outstanding result for the University of Auckland because it recognises our commitment to sustainability and making a positive social impact.”

Examples of the University of Auckland’s performance against its top rankings in the THE Impact Report

Partnership (Ranked #1=) Examples of collaboration with other institutions/governments.
• The University of Auckland is an institutional member of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), bringing universities, NGOs, research institutes, international organisations and governments together to develop and promote solutions, policies and public education for sustainable development.
• As part of SDSN, the University of Auckland has contributed to a guide on 'Getting Started with the SDGs in Universities'. This included developing, piloting, implementing and sharing information on measuring research and teaching contributions to the SDGs.
• Active member of UN-HABITAT Network, NZ Green Building Council
• Sustainability Goals are incorporated within standard reporting and are published in open format – especially Statement of Service Performance in our 2017 Annual Report, the Annual Report to Government and Annual Report from the Equity Office.
• Vice-Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon initiated and led a successful proposal for all of NZ's universities to collaborate on a collective voice on the SDGs at a national level. The working group established as a result of this is chaired by the University's Sustainability Manager and is working with NZ's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have input into NZ's first Voluntary National Review of SDGs.

Good Health and Well-being (Ranked #1) Examples of local outreach work to promote good health and wellbeing
• Very high proportion of graduates in health professions.
• FMHS is large internationally and the health disciplines are closely connected to their local, regional, national and international collaborators.
• Local communities benefit from shared knowledge (e.g. through our outreach programmes) and facilities (e.g. gym membership options to community members and some free sports fields for local schools)
• The facilities available to our students and staff cover a broad range of health and wellbeing activities. These include free mental health support for student and staff, and Counselling services.

Gender Equality (Ranked #6 =) Examples of policy and practice to promote Equity
• More than 50% of our students are women.
• Women are a high proportion of our graduates across a wide range of disciplines including Medicine and STEM.
• A third of Senior Academic staff are women.
• Equity Policy can be traced back to 1990 when the Council first approved the Equal Employment Opportunities Policy and the current wider ranging Equity Policy supports gender equity for staff and students.
• Women in Leadership programme that provides opportunities for women to develop personal leadership skills and opportunities for recruitment to senior positions.
• Well-established maternity and paternity policies - early Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave entitlements can be found in the 1986 University of Auckland Staff Handbook. Others including Addressing Bullying Policy, Harassment and Discrimination Policy, Flexible Work Policy, Merit Relative to Opportunity Policy.

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (Ranked # 7)
• High proportion of graduates from law and enforcement related courses
• The University’s governance (staff and student representation on Council), recognition of its community (Pro-Vice Chancellors of Māori, Pasifika, and Equity), students’ union and open management practices.
• The University’s involvement in national policy making (such as chairing of the Government’s inquiry into mental health and addiction)
• Stakeholder involvement in our Strategic Planning and policy settings.
• The protections to Academic Freedom provided by the NZ Education Act

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