UVic ranks near top in new surveys

TV has its ratings period and now universities have their rankings season. In addition to the recent Strategic Council/UThink student survey in the Globe and Mail, where UVic received top marks among universities in Western Canada, Maclean’s magazine and Re$earch Infosource have in recent weeks released rankings of Canadian universities.

In the annual Maclean’s rankings, UVic placed fourth in the comprehensive category for the fifth year in a row. The national newsmagazine ranked the University of Guelph number one this year, followed by Waterloo and Simon Fraser. UVic topped the list in medical/science grants for faculty. The same four universities have formed a tight cluster at the top of the category every year since it was created in 1992. UVic has finished first overall twice.

UVic also finished fourth among comprehensive universities in the 2002 version of Re$earch Infosource’s “Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities” report. Guelph, Waterloo and Carleton led the comprehensive pack. The report, which measures research income and intensity, was carried in the National Post (see Around the Ring).

UVic also placed seventh out of 42 Canadian universities in the annual financial accountability disclosures rankings issued this fall by three professors in the Wilfrid Laurier School of Business and Economics. UVic was 10th last year.