The University of Canberra (UC) has topped the world rankings for its work to reduce inequalities.
President and Vice-Chancellor of UC, Paddy Nixon said the achievement appeared in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021, the only system in the world that ranked universities according to how they measured up to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“This is an amazing achievement for UC,” Professor Nixon said.
“Education is the key to addressing inequality and as a civic university it is our role to ensure we have a warm, living community that supports all our students and staff and that the research we do impacts the real world,” he said.
Professor Nixon said UC’s number one ranking in the Reduced Inequalities category was a result of its research on social inequalities; policies on discrimination; and commitment to recruiting staff and students from under-represented groups.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at UC, Leigh Sullivan said 38 per cent of UC’s student population were First Generation students and 10 per cent identified as students with disabilities.
“Last year, we reached the milestone of having two per cent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment at the university, well on the way towards our goal of three per cent,” Professor Sullivan said.
He said UC also tied for fifth place in the Quality Education category, and was placed in the Top 20 for Gender Equality.
“These rankings results belong to each and every member of the UC community, whose efforts to support diversity and equity have made such a difference,” Professor Sullivan said.
“As we celebrate, we also acknowledge that there still remains much to address in these areas,” he said.
