Queen’s University ranked first in Canada and third worldwide out of more than 1,700 participating institutions in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
The global ranking system grades post-secondary schools on how well they are advancing he United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2023 installment analyzed the highest number of institutions since the program began five years ago, with 1,705 universities including 26 based in Canada.
The SDGs were established by UN member nations in 2015 to guide global action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure shared peace and prosperity for all people by 2030. Queen’s is the only Canadian university to achieve three, top-ten placements since the rankings began in 2019.
“These goals are reflective of the university’s mission and our desire to be recognized as a global institution,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “The Impact Rankings have played an instrumental role in bringing together our community by creating a focus on the numerous ways Queen’s is engaged in solving the world’s most pressing challenges.”
The Impact Rankings evaluate universities’ activities across four important areas—research, teaching, outreach, and stewardship—using a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data points.
In this year’s evaluation, THE Impact Rankings also assessed Queen’s as first in the world for SDG 2: Zero Hunger. The university has implemented several initiatives to help address food insecurity on campus and provide short-term immediate support. For example, the Queen’s PEACH Market collects untouched food from foodservice operations on campus and distributes it through a “pay what you can” model to people experiencing food insecurity on campus and in the broader community.
Other Canadian universities showcase impact
A few other Canada-based universities scored top marks. The University of Alberta ranked second in Canada and seventh in the world alongside two other institutions. The University of Victoria and Western University both ranked ninth in the world, earning a near-perfect score of 95.8 out of 100. The Université Laval placed 14th on the global list.
Looking at the individual SDGs, three universities in B.C. ranked in the top five worldwide for climate action, which measures universities’ research on climate change, their use of energy and their preparations for dealing with the consequences of climate change. They include University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia.
