On September 9, the SumDU Congress Center hosted a press conference on the results of the updated World University Rankings from the established international agency in the field of higher education – Times Higher Education.
The speakers of the event – Rector of Sumy State University Vasyl KARPUSHA and the Head of the Academic Council of SumDU Anatoliy VASYLYEV – told journalists about the indicators that affect the position of the institution in the leading international rankings, the history of their representation in them, influence on the image and reputation of the university.
“This year’s result was more expected than last year, because then we made a significant breakthrough and now we maintain high positions. But the place in the ranking is determined not only by our success, but also by the dynamics of success of other universities in the world, so it is important not only to build capacity but to move faster than others”, – Vasyl KARPUSHA said.
SumDU’s positioning in the international rankings has a long history. The university first saw itself in the Webometrics ranking in 2005.
“Rankings assess the ability of the university to fulfill its high mission in terms of accumulated results, potential, quality, which can not be sudden”, – Anatoliy VASYLYEV said. He noted that the first concept of the university’s development was aimed at becoming a world-class higher education institution, which at the time was quite ambitious plans. The development of North American universities, most of which are research universities, was taken as a model. Priority is given to scientific activity in close connection with international activity and emphasis on innovative technologies. The defined formula of SumDU development was implemented through systematic motivational management and overtime affected all components of the university, including staff quality, innovative technologies in the educational process, social development, extracurricular activities of student youth.
Vasyl KARPUSHA emphasized that modern entrants pay attention to their position in the rankings when choosing a university. This is confirmed, in particular, by the interest of foreign entrants who get acquainted with SumDU at international educational exhibitions. In addition, the positions in the rankings are a determining factor for the recognition of university degrees in different countries.
But most importantly – the ranking indicators are based on the trends of modern educational and scientific space, the study of these trends and considering them in the strategic development plans of the university determines the path of SumDU as a modern institution of higher education.
The recording of the press conference can be viewed at the link.
