Engr. Nestor R. Ong, ASEAN Engr., Deputy Director of the Office of QS/THE Rankings and a faculty member of the Department of Industrial Engineering, was one of the panel members in a webinar organized by the Commission on Higher Education. The webinar, held on November 11, 2020, discussed the Impact Rankings of Times Higher Education, which UST topped among Philippine universities earlier this year.
In his sharing, Ong talked about the Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings, which assess universities and their efforts against the Sustainable Development Goals laid down by the United Nations. Ong highlighted the areas where UST ranked best, such as Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), and Life Below Water (SDG 14). These areas were recognized by THE for having made UST instrumental projects that benefitted both the institution and communities. These projects, Ong stressed, were done in partnership with local governments, nongovernment institutions, and community leaders, and have been in place for years.
The THE Impact Rankings is a departure from the usual university rankings indicators that HEIs subscribe to. Instead of measuring areas such as student-faculty ratio, international students, and research productivity, the Impact Rankings look into how universities help make a difference in their local communities and the larger community using the SDGs as framework.
Ong has been involved in UST’s rankings efforts for years now, beginning when he was still with the Quality Management Office as its Assistant Director. In 2018, the Office of QS/THE Rankings was established by then-Rector fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., PhD, to centralize UST’s rankings-related initiatives.
