The University of Saskatchewan maintained its top-10 spot in the annual Maclean's magazine university rankings. However, you shouldn't expect campus brass to break out the champagne and party like it is 1999, again! In the medical-doctoral category, which ranks 15 institutions with extensive PhD programs and research, the University of Saskatchewan shares the ninth spot with the University of Ottawa and the University of Western Ontario.
University of Saskatchewan administrators welcome the ranking, but don't hold the annual contest in high esteem.
"We know that other people read these rankings and are influenced by the numbers (but) we don't pay a whole lot of attention to any ranking," said provost and academic vice-president Brett Fairbairn.
Here are some more specifics:
One measurement, for reputation and impressions of university, improved this year for the University of Saskatchewan. It ranked eighth in the reputation category.
"The U of S is a solid, high-quality institution and it's a credible medical-doctoral university," said Fairbairn. "We're an up and coming university."
For the fifth year running, McGill University has nabbed the top spot in the annual survey. The Montreal school took the #1 spot in the medical-doctoral category. The University of Toronto was ranked second, its same rank as last year. Queen's University, however, fell from second place in 2008, when it tied with Toronto, to third place.
Institutions in the medical-doctoral category have medical schools and a variety of PhD programs, and generally receive higher research grants than other schools.
Universities have long had a troubled relationship with the annual rankings, calling the survey flawed while questioning the measurement process. In 2006, almost two dozen universities boycotted the ranking by withholding information requested by the national magazine.
The University of Saskatchewan provided information this year but it does have concerns about the survey's methodology, such as the weighting of measurements in individual categories, said Fairbairn.
"The public has a legitimate interest and we want to be transparent and accountable," he said, adding there are small issues with definitions and calculations. "If you take 15 institutions and rank them, it doesn't tell you if the universities are a little different or vastly different. (The survey) might infer more difference between the universities than there actually is."
Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, was ranked first in the comprehensive category for the second year in a row. The University of Victoria was ranked second. The University of Regina shared ninth spot with York University. Schools placed in the comprehensive category offer professional degrees and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs and conduct a significant amount of research.
In the primarily undergraduate category, East Coast schools dominated the rankings, with Mount Allison University in New Brunswick placing first and Acadia placing second. The University of Northern British Columbia placed third. Undergraduate schools are focused mostly on education and don't have many graduate programs.
The University of Saskatchewan maintained its top-10 spot in the annual Maclean's magazine university rankings. However, you shouldn't expect campus brass to break out the champagne and party like it is 1999, again! In the medical-doctoral category, which ranks 15 institutions with extensive PhD programs and research, the University of Saskatchewan shares the ninth spot with the University of Ottawa and the University of Western Ontario.
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