The University Ranking Committee of the Federal University of Education, Zaria, has presented its Baseline Survey Report on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR) to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Yahaya Isa Bunkure.
A statement signed by Sani Lawal Maqarphy, Media aide to the VC said the report was presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Prof David Onu, alongside other members of the Committee.
Presenting the report, Prof Onu explained that the Committee conducted a baseline survey among teaching staff to assess institutional data relevant to the five major pillars of THE WUR: Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, International Outlook and Industry.
He said the survey covered areas including research funding, research visibility, scholarly identifiers, open-access publishing, research patronage, institutional repositories and knowledge dissemination.
Prof Onu stated that the Committee called for stronger support for academic staff to attract external research grants, improve research visibility and document the application and impact of research by government, industries and communities.
The Committee also identified the establishment of institutional mechanisms for the collection, validation and monitoring of ranking-related data, as well as the designation of ranking and data officers across Faculties, Departments and relevant administrative units.
It further recommended annual monitoring of the University’s performance against THE WUR indicators, training of academic staff in research funding and visibility, stronger international and industry collaboration, and incentives for publication in high-impact indexed journals.
The Committee called for periodic ranking-readiness audits and special recognition for the University’s 20 highest-ranked researchers.
Prof Onu noted that the survey constituted the first phase of the University’s ranking baseline assessment and should not be regarded as an assessment of its current THE ranking score.
He said several indicators would require institutional records and verified data, including research productivity, citation impact, international collaboration, staff and student ratios, industry income and patents.
Receiving the report, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Yahaya Isa Bunkure, commended the Committee for its work and said the recommendations would be given due consideration by Management.
Prof Bunkure said the University was making deliberate efforts to strengthen institutional visibility, research and competitiveness in the global academic community.
He added that the report would provide a basis for developing a more systematic and data-driven approach to institutional performance and ranking readiness.
The Vice-Chancellor was joined by the Ag. Registrar, Shehu Iya Sa’idu, to receive the report.
