/ en /news/why-6-ranks-13th-among-best-cities-world-students <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Why The 6 ranks 13th among the best cities in the world for students </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-12-02T03:57:57-05:00" title="Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - 03:57" class="datetime">Wed, 12/02/2015 - 03:57</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Criteria used to rank cities include such factors as crime, pollution, tolerance and inclusion – as well as the QS academic ranking of universities in the city (photo of Toronto's Kensington Market by Nicolai Grut via Flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Arthur Kaptainis</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/more-news" hreflang="en">More News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto" hreflang="en">Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings-2015" hreflang="en">Rankings 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings" hreflang="en">Rankings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">QS places Toronto in a tie with Boston, Vancouver</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Toronto ranks 13th among the best cities in the world for students in a survey released this week by the same organization that produces the annual QS World University Rankings.&nbsp;</p> <p>The rating&nbsp;places Canada’s largest metropolis in a tie with two other major cities, Vancouver and Boston. All scored 355 points out of a theoretical maximum of 500. Paris tops the list with 404 points. Melbourne, Tokyo, Sydney and London follow.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Toronto's strong showing as a desirable destination for students certainly reflects well on ��˾��ֱ��,” the University of Toronto's <strong>Kaleem Hawa</strong> said. The double major in international relations and global health was born in Edmonton. He was recently named a Rhodes Scholar.</p> <p>“While affordability is an area where there is more that can be done, the metrics suggest that our graduates command respect among employers, that our education is rigorous, and that our student population possesses a depth and diversity that are fundamental to the university experience,” Hawa said.</p> <p>The highest-ranked North American city is Montreal, in seventh spot with 377 points. New York, in 20th position with 334 points, is the second-best American city for students.</p> <p>To be considered, a city must have a population of at least 250,000 – a requirement that excludes many small municipalities with well-known universities.&nbsp;</p> <p>QS methodology awards 100 points for each of five categories: student mix, desirability, employer activity, affordability and the QS academic ranking of the universities in the city.&nbsp;Each category comprises various criteria.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Student mix” includes student population as a proportion of the total population, the presence of international students and “tolerance and inclusion” as measured by the Washington-based Social Progress Imperative organization. Crime, pollution and corruption fall under “desirability.”&nbsp;</p> <p>The cities ranking is the latest in a series of international and domestic rankings in which ��˾��ֱ�� performs highly for <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/reuters-u-t-canadas-most-innovative-university">innovation</a>, <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/u-ts-grads-are-top-ten-world-employability-survey-says">employability of its grads</a>, <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/u-t-one-worlds-top-three-universities-ntu-ranking">research&nbsp;strength</a> and more.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/rankings">Read more rankings for the University of Toronto</a></h2> <p>QS – short for Quacquarelli Symonds, a company based in London – gathers information from many sources to create its Best Student Cites ranking. Trip Advisor’s list of best destinations for those interested in history and culture can add up to six points to a score.</p> <p>Seventy-five cities were ranked, including many in Asia and Australasia. On the QS website it is stated that “116 cities qualify for consideration.”</p> <p>The list of the top 75 includes 11 American cities, nine Australian cities, eight British cities and five Canadian cities. Buenos Aries (ranked 32nd), Santiago (49th) and São Paulo (63rd) are the South American cities on the list. Ottawa (49th, tied with Mexico City and Santiago) and Quebec City (55th, tied with Hsinchu in Taiwan) also make the cut.&nbsp;</p> <p>Hawa’s fellow 2016 Rhodes Scholar <strong>James Flynn</strong>, a native of Newfoundland majoring in political science and economics, regards Toronto as desirable to students because of “the endless academic, cultural and social opportunities” that it offers.</p> <p>“There is no shortage of exciting events to attend or interesting people to meet,” Flynn said.</p> <p>(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/14954127@N00/15891867359/">See the original of the photo above at Flickr</a>)</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-12-01-QS-raknings-Toronto-one-of-top-cities-to-live.jpg</div> </div> Wed, 02 Dec 2015 08:57:57 +0000 sgupta 7494 at /news/reuters-u-t-canadas-most-innovative-university <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Reuters: ��˾��ֱ�� is Canada’s most innovative university</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-12-01T03:19:34-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 1, 2015 - 03:19" class="datetime">Tue, 12/01/2015 - 03:19</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Stewart Aitchison (above) and colleagues James Dou and Rakesh Nayyar credit ��˾��ֱ��'s innovation policies and supports for helping them get their company ChipCare off the ground (photo by Roberta Baker)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/terry-lavender" hreflang="en">Terry Lavender</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Terry Lavender</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings-2015" hreflang="en">Rankings 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings" hreflang="en">Rankings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">High marks for research and entrepreneurship no surprise to innovation experts</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto is Canada’s most innovative university and among the top 50 innovative universities in the world, according to a recent<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/15/idUSL1N11K16Q20150915"> Reuters report</a>.</p> <p>The ranking reflects the results of the annual innovation <a href="http://sherwood-autm.informz.net/sherwood-autm/data/images/Licensing_Survey_FY2014/FY2014_Canadian_Highlights_Data_Appendix_FINAL.pdf">survey</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp; the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), in which ��˾��ֱ�� led all Canadian institutions for issued patents and for startups formed in 2014.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.reuters.com/most-innovative-universities/profile?uid=38#JpbiUTPH1VOPcRr5.97">Read more about the ranking</a></h2> <p>��˾��ֱ��’s good name doesn’t surprise <strong>Derek Newton</strong>, executive director of the university’s Innovations &amp; Partnerships Office. “��˾��ֱ�� has an impressive reputation for bringing cutting-edge discoveries to the world. And we’ve also done an impressive job turning ideas and intellectual property into new companies and accelerating them into the marketplace.”</p> <p>Nor does it surprise <a href="http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/profile/breznitz-shiri-m/">Assistant Professor&nbsp;<strong>Shiri Breznitz</strong></a>&nbsp;of ��˾��ֱ��'s <a href="http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/">Munk School of Global Affairs</a>.&nbsp;Breznitz, an expert on the role of universities in innovation, says the Reuters results “indicate something that we all know, that ��˾��ֱ�� is one of the top universities in scientific research.” And that research is often translated into practical benefits, she&nbsp;says. “��˾��ֱ�� patents extensively and our patents are used by industry.”</p> <p>And it doesn’t surprise <strong>Stewart Aitchison</strong>. The former vice-dean of research for the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering benefited from ��˾��ֱ��’s innovation policies and initiatives in 2009 when he and his colleagues <strong>James Dou </strong>and <strong>Rakesh Nayyar</strong>&nbsp;got their company ChipCare off the ground.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/chipcare">Read more about ChipCare</a></h2> <p>“��˾��ֱ�� kept the ChipCare project moving,” Aitchison says. “They made partnership connections, they supported us with funding for prototype development and they provided us with office space.”</p> <p>ChipCare is a great example of ��˾��ֱ�� innovation, Newton says. The founders included both faculty and students. They developed a product – a handheld blood laboratory device – that provides results in minutes without having to transport samples to a hospital or laboratory. (<em>Below: Aitchison holds the device/photo by Terry Lavender</em>)</p> <p><img alt="photo of hands holding ChipCare device" src="/sites/default/files/2015-12-02-aitchison-and-chipcare-1.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 469px; margin: 10px 25px;"></p> <p>“This is a company using technologies developed at ��˾��ֱ�� that will be helping people in the developing world,” Newton says.</p> <p>The objective is not only to foster great ideas and inventions but to benefit society. “So many ��˾��ֱ�� technologies can help make the world a cleaner, healthier, safer place,” he says. “Our goal is to see these ideas have an impact.”</p> <p>��˾��ֱ�� is successful because of its ecosystem of innovation support, Newton says. “We don’t believe in a single approach to innovation, particularly at a comprehensive university with excellent research programs in nearly every discipline. So we have the Innovation &amp; Partnerships Office, MaRS Innovation and the <a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/">Banting &amp; Best Centre for Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a>, which supports nine campus-linked accelerators and helps students and faculty create successful companies.”</p> <p>Breznitz agrees. “��˾��ֱ�� promotes innovation through its many incubation programs, its technology transfer office, innovation and partnership office, through its innovative teaching programs that combine social science with engineering, and its extensive and innovative work in community engagement, policy and advocacy.”</p> <h2><a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/">Interested in&nbsp;startups? Visit ��˾��ֱ��'s Banting &amp; Best Centre for Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a></h2> <p>��˾��ֱ�� placed 38th in the Reuters rankings, which are based on published academic papers and patent filings. Stanford was first, followed by MIT and Harvard. Besides ��˾��ֱ��, only one other Canadian university made the top 100: the University of British Columbia, in 68th place.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/rankings">Read more rankings stories about ��˾��ֱ��</a><br> &nbsp;</h2> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-12-01-innovation-chipcare-lead.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:19:34 +0000 sgupta 7488 at /news/macleans-2015-university-rankings-u-t-tops-reputation-research-output-and-impact-and-faculty-awards <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Macleans 2015 University Rankings: ��˾��ֱ�� tops in reputation, research output and impact and faculty awards</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-10-29T14:41:25-04:00" title="Thursday, October 29, 2015 - 14:41" class="datetime">Thu, 10/29/2015 - 14:41</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/brianna-goldberg" hreflang="en">Brianna Goldberg</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Brianna Goldberg</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/more-news" hreflang="en">More News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings-2015" hreflang="en">Rankings 2015</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rankings" hreflang="en">Rankings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/macleans" hreflang="en">Macleans</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/education" hreflang="en">Education</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Macleans</em> magazine released its 2015 university rankings on Oct. 28, placing&nbsp;��˾��ֱ�� first in such categories as Faculty Awards, Reputation, Medical/Science Research Grants, Citations and&nbsp;Total Research Dollars.&nbsp;</p> <p>The magazine groups universities into three categories: medical/doctoral (for&nbsp;institutions hosting a broad range of PhD programs, research and medical schools); primarily undergraduate and comprehensive. In the category of medical/doctoral, Macleans ranked&nbsp;the top three universities in Canada as&nbsp;McGill, ��˾��ֱ�� and UBC.&nbsp;</p> <p>Macleans ranked ��˾��ֱ�� #1 for reputation (followed by UBC and McGill) across all categories of universities,&nbsp;based on its&nbsp;survey of business people, high school guidance counsellors and university faculty and senior administrators across the country. Respondents were asked to assess&nbsp;universities' reputation for&nbsp;innovation, quality and&nbsp;“leaders of tomorrow”.</p> <p>“The specific results for ��˾��ֱ�� are in the same range as results from previous years,” said <strong>Marny Scully</strong>, assistant vice-president, government, institutional and community relations. “In the most prestigious international rankings from this year – Times Higher Education, National Taiwan University, Shanghai and US News &amp; World – the University of Toronto placed first in Canada in each ranking and between third and 25th in the world, again consistent with previous years.”</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/tags/rankings">Read more about ��˾��ֱ�� and international rankings&nbsp;</a></h2> <p>The <em>Macleans</em> methodology differs from the global rankings in that it highly weights input measures (such as financial investment) rather than output or impact measures (such as citations), Scully said. She added that it also differs in its focus on undergraduates rather than a more complete view that includes graduate metrics.</p> <p>Despite these methodological limits, Scully said <em>Macleans</em>’ latest ranking includes a new metric on research impact. &nbsp;</p> <p>“For the first time, a citations metric has been added that measures research output and impact. While this is a positive change, the new metric is still one measure out of 14 used by <em>Macleans</em>.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-10-29-rankings-macleans-sized.jpg</div> </div> Thu, 29 Oct 2015 18:41:25 +0000 sgupta 7393 at