Asia Pacific Report newsdesk
The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been ranked 11th for “crisis management” by the World Universities with Real Impact (WURI) 2021 global ranking.
The university’s world standing was announced in a virtual conference by professor emeritus of Seoul National University and founding director of the WURI ranking, Moon Hwy Chang.
WURI is the latest university ranking system established in 2020. It was developed by the Organising Committee of the Second Conference of the Hanseatic League of Universities.
WURI was created to evaluate the innovative programmes of universities and to measure the performance of universities in creating real value to society and providing opportunities for the future in the following fields:
- Industrial applications rather than the traditional ways of counting research papers and lecture-type teaching;
- Value-creating startups and entrepreneurship as opposed to the common practice of measuring the number of jobs filled;
- Social responsibility, ethics, and integrity compared to those that only consider the knowledge and skills required for material success;
- Student mobility and openness for exchange and collaboration between schools and across national borders, which are more encompassing than an independent yet closed system; and
- Crisis managementof dealing with external shocks such as the covid-19 pandemic and technological breakthroughs (e.g. artificial intelligence) to thrive rather than just to survive.
The USP entered in the category of “crisis management” and provided the details of how it had responded to covid-19 in 2020. Its submission, titled Continuity of Education amidst COVID-19 Pandemic was submitted in December 2020.
WURI assessed USP on how it dealt with external shocks such as the covid-19 pandemic and technological breakthroughs (e.g. artificial intelligence) “to thrive rather than just to survive”.
USP’s acting vice-chancellor and president, Dr Giulio Masasso Tu’ikolongahau Pāunga, said USP was extremely pleased and proud to be included among the best universities in the world in ensuring the continuity of learning and teaching in the current covid-19 pandemic.
“This worldwide recognition is a great and timely gift, received during one of the most challenging periods in the university’s history. This is not just the university’s achievement but a proud moment for the entire region,” he said.
