while demonstrating daily proof of greater efficiency and public accountability.” He expressed special gratitude to project leader, Pro Vice-Chancellor Densil Williams and his technical team, and all members of the community who actively participated in the data gathering, focused on implementation schedules, and framed the dialogue associated with rankings as a tool of performance measurement. Describing the ranking process, Pro Vice-Chancellor Williams made the comparison that “The UWI has moved significantly up the trajectory”. He further noted that The UWI has seen substantial movement in all THE’s criteria of teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook. Importantly, the regional university, which is much smaller and less resourced than many of its competitors on the list, received very high scores for ‘citations’ and ‘international outlook’ , placing it among the top 75 th percentile of universities across the globe in those criteria. “I am very confident,” he stated, “that going forward The UWI will see better days. And given what we now know about our global University, and the quality of work that we have been doing, I expect us to continue to rise in the near future.”
Within the context of these developments, the 2019 results are even more impressive. The enhanced respect the University gained for its academic output and its Alignment of effort with the development objectives of the region were rewarded. Not only has The UWI retained its position as the number one ranked university in the region, it moved from the top 3% to the top 2% in the Latin America and Caribbean region as well. The scores for its global rankings show that it moved from the top 5% to the top 4% of ranked universities. “This upward trajectory into the top 4% of the world’s best universities reflects the extraordinary effort of the management team and The UWI family to honour the pledge within the strategic plan to be an excellent global university rooted in the Caribbean”, said Vice- Chancellor Beckles. “It is the intention of the University to be located in the top 3% of ranked universities by the end of the current strategic planning cycle in 2023. The University has experienced a considerable rise in self- confidence since participating in these global rankings.
The UWI’s debut THE ranking results in 2018 showcased the tremendous accumulated success of the University as a legacy institution. With over 200 registered universities in the Caribbean region, The UWI was ranked number one. Among more than 2,000 registered universities in Latin America and the Caribbean, it ranked in the top 3%; and in the top 5% among the 28,000 registered universities globally. With these excellent results, The UWI did not rest on its laurels or muse upon its legacy. Rather, it moved to strengthen its competitive position in key areas, particularly in enhancing the international recognition of its published research. This achievement is reflected in recognised global research citation indices. The evidence of The UWI’s enhanced global visibility is found in key areas such as its leadership and participation in international projects. Additionally, its concerted efforts to expand and deepen Industry-Academic partnerships was noted. Collectively, these outputs showed that the University had made significant strategic strides, with enhanced excellence, reflected in a surge in reputation recognition.
“The UWI has an excellent Executive Management Team, and is focused on sustaining its reputation revolution,
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