The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings announced its global rankings of universities that are advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Queen’s University in Kingston found itself in the top 10 for the second year in a row, placing 7th globally among 1,500 different institutions.
The rankings began in 2019 with an aim to measure a university’s performance against the UN SDGs, a set of 17 wide-ranging goals deemed central to sustainable development.
Since it began, participation has increased from 450 different universities to over 1,500.
Queen’s was the second highest ranked Canadian university this year, with Western grabbing the country’s top spot and third overall internationally.
The Kingston university ranked in the top 100 for 12 of 17 SDGs, and in a news release Queen’s pointed out three particular SDGs for which the university particularly excelled through its programming and different initiatives.
Queen’s placed 2nd overall for SDG 1: ‘No Poverty’, acknowledging programs like Commitment Scholars and Swipe It Forward.
The university ranked 3rd worldwide for SDG 11: ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ for its commitment to green space and the arts community, and received another 2nd place ranking for SDG 16: ‘Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’.
In Queen’s news release, University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane said he’s proud of the school’s ranking and inspired for its continued commitment to sustainable goals.
“I am incredibly proud of the Queen’s community for this repeat stellar performance,” said Deane in the release.
“The ranking recognizes the sustained impact we are having in our local and global communities, but also serves to inspire future action fueled by our collective intellectual curiosity, passion to achieve, and commitment to collaboration – key to our mission and values.”
This year, Western Sydney University in Australia saw top ranking, and in total Canada had ten universities in the top 50 ranking.
Queen’s finished 5th overall in 2021, earning the top spot in Canada.
More info on the school’s progress and contributions to the United Nations’ SDGs can be found in this report.