MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Most of the time, a WVU alumni might groan if they hear they’ve been marked outside the top 25 of a prestigious ranking.
But when that ranking includes nearly 28,000 other degree-giving institutions across the world, being in the Top 500 isn’t so bad either.
“We do not get the national or international exposure that universities would get on the east coast or west coast or even in the greater Chicago area,” Dr. William Brustein, VP of Global Strategies and International Affairs at WVU, said Tuesday in a phone call with WAJR.
“The fact that we did so well speaks to what’s been going on for many, many years — the hard work of our faculty, the time and the effort that people put into making sure that the experience that students have here is one that’s going to prepare them to truly make a mark on the world and improve society.”
Officially ranked 410th among 27,770 institutions around the world in the Center for World University Rankings, Dr. Brustein said being in the top 1.5 percent will make West Virginia University one of the top schools in the United States in attracting international talent.
“I think it’s a great boost because the last ten years or so the news hasn’t always been so positive about the economy of West Virginia or some of the issues with respect to health-related concerns,” he said.
Brustein said international students and their families examine these rankings, in conjunction with three other major surveys, very thoroughly when choosing to study at an American institution. WVU ranked 134th among all colleges in the United States.
“They look at these very closely,” he said. “I think this is, again, going to be a great, great shot in the arm for us — being able to say, ‘Hey, we are in the top 1.5 percent worldwide’ when it comes to the quality of the education here at WVU.”
The survey focuses on a number of major data points in determining it’s rankings:
- Alumni employment
- Quality of faculty
- Publications (number of research papers appearing in reputable journals)
- Influence
- Citations
- Broad impact
- Patents
Brustein said the CWUR heavily weighs overall post-education outcomes, which helps WVU.
“It focuses close to 50 percent on the outcomes of the educational experience,” he said.
“The fact that this survey focuses such a large part on this outcome on how well your graduates do, I think distinguishes it from some of these others, which place more on peer-review as well as faculty publications.”
This is the second very recent high ranking for WVU, which also ranked among the top 500 universities in the Shanghai World Ranking.
“This is just, I think, a good shot in the arm to tell us and remind us here in the state of West Virginia how well respected we are worldwide; that the University is truly an engine to help the state move forward,” Brustein said.