Out of 1,406 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the world, Tarlac State University is one of the 15 HEIs and eight SUCs (state universities and colleges) in the Philippines to rank in this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings as per the results released by the organization last April 27, 2022 via their website.
In the application process, TSU has identified four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its strengths with the mandatory SDG 17 or Partnerships for the Goals.
From the five SDGs, the university ranked highest in SDG 11 with 38.9-53.3 points. This allowed TSU to be part of the 401-600 rank out of the 783 institutions in the category.
According to the THE Impact Rankings Methodology 2022, SDG 11 is measured through the positive interaction between universities and their communities, urban and rural, that can last for generations. This also includes acting as a custodian for heritage and the environment in their communities as a sustainable community must have access to its history and culture in order to thrive.
TSU has supplied evidence in support of the arts and heritage through the establishment of the Museo-Archivo Tarlaqueño, public access to its library resources, promotion of local arts by the TSU Performing Arts Chorale and Dance Troupe, and preservation of cultural heritage such as the celebration of Buwan ng Wika and Indigenous Peoples (IP) Month.
The university also reported its sustainable practices and the development of the Climate Change Resilient and Ecological System Conservation Park or TSU Lagoon as an outdoor recreational green space for the TSU community and even tourists.
Aside from SDG 11, TSU also submitted evidence in all SDGs and has secured ranks in Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16), and Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17).
Meanwhile, in Central Luzon, three other SUCs also qualified in the said rankings, namely Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, and Tarlac Agricultural University.
THE Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nation’s SDGs through calibrated indicators to provide a comprehensive and balanced comparison across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.
On its website, it is described as “inherently dynamic,” with more universities seeking to demonstrate their commitment to delivering the SDGs through their database.
Moreover, the organization also released THE World University Rankings 2022 which includes more than 1,600 universities across the globe, making it the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.
