University earns sought-after accolade

Jun 1 2012 by Johnathon Menzies, Stirling Observer Friday

THE University of Stirling was celebrating this week after it achieved top marks in a newspaper poll.

Stirling was listed as number one in Scotland and eighth in the UK as a whole in the Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table.

The project compared the world’s best 100 universities under 50 years of age.

Professor Gerry McCormac, principal and vice chancellor of Stirling, said: “I am delighted that Stirling’s achievements have been recognised in this new assessment of universities worldwide.

“We provide one of the best all-round student experiences, with innovative and high-quality teaching programmes that produce intellectually able graduates who are highly sought by employers.”

The University of Stirling was established in 1967, the first university to be established in Scotland for 400 years.

Since then a number of new universities have been founded throughout Scotland and the UK and there has been substantial growth in the development of new universities throughout the world.

Phil Baty, editor of The Times Higher Education, said: “This project is about an exciting newer generation of institutions. It highlights both the younger institutions that show great future potential and those who have already managed to join the world’s research elite in an exceptionally short space of time.

“Universities are judged against the same 13 balanced performance indicators – covering teaching, research, knowledge transfer and internationalisation – as the traditional world university rankings but with less emphasis on reputation and more emphasis on the hard, objective performance indicators.

“Stirling has been tested against Times Higher Education’s gold standard global performance indicators and compares very well with its younger contemporaries all over the world.”

Clackmannanshire and Dunblane MSP Keith Brown congratulated the university, which falls within his constituency.

The Scottish minister for housing and transport said: “This accolade reflects the quality of teaching provided and research conducted in many fields of study and represents the hard work of staff and students at the university.

“It shows that the University of Stirling is a world-class establishment and I wish the university continued success for the future.”