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September 30, 2015
Times Higher Education Announces its World University Rankings 2015-2016
Photo: A house situated inside the California Institute of Technology Campus. Image Credit: Jim Fruchterman.
According to Times Higher Education, the world dominance of U.S. universities has further waned in its World University Rankings 2015-2016 announced today. This is despite the fact that the country boasts almost a fifth of institutions in the table.
A total of 147 US universities feature in the top 800 - the largest THE rankings to date - including the California Institute of Technology, which claims pole position for the fifth consecutive year.
Phil Baty, THE rankings editor, said that the US’ movement is to some degree owing to significant improvements to the rankings’ data sources this year, with “improved coverage of research not published in English and a better geographical spread of responses to our academic reputation survey”.
However, he added that it also demonstrates that the US’ leading status as the world’s top magnet for academic and student talent “cannot be taken for granted”, citing figures that show that 47 states in the US have implemented higher education funding cuts since the global recession in 2008.
Simon Marginson, professor of international higher education at the UCL Institute of Education, said that US research is “not declining in the absolute sense”, but rather “other countries are improving and crowding into the top 200 space”.
One of these competitor nations is the UK, which has improved its standing this year. A total of 78 UK institutions feature in the top 800, with 34 of these sitting in the first quarter, up from 29 last year.
Other countries in Europe have also performed well. Germany has 20 universities in the top 200, a rise of eight since last year, while the Netherlands has 12 in the first quarter, up from 11. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s ETH Zurich is the first non-Anglo-American institution to make the top 10 for a decade.
Overall, Europe has 345 universities in the world top 800, meaning its institutions comprise more than two-fifths of the table.
Institutions from 70 countries, 29 more than last year, feature in this year’s rankings, with several countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Kenya being represented for the first time.
The National University of Singapore is the number one institution in Asia - the first time the city-state has claimed the continent’s top spot in the rankings’ 12-year history.
NUS is in 26th position overall in the rankings, with the next highest Asian institutions - China’s Peking University and Japan’s University of Tokyo - taking 42nd and 43rd place respectively.
“Tough times for Japan and disappointment for South Korea mean that leading Asian nations’ grip on the higher ranks of the THE World University Rankings is loose,” said Phil Baty, THE rankings editor.
“Many institutions, particularly in East Asia, have been focusing heavily on attaining world-class status, backed with funding and powerful political will. But this ranking demonstrates how difficult a task this is, as universities right across the world continue to improve.”
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2015-2016: TOP 10
RANK — INSTITUTION — COUNTRY
- California Institute of Technology — United States
- University of Oxford — United Kingdom
- Stanford University — United Kingdom
- University of Cambridge — United Kingdom
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — United States
- Harvard University — United States
- Princeton University — United States
- Imperial College London — United Kingdom
- ETH Zurich — Switzerland
- University of Chicago — United States
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2015-2016: INSTITUTIONS FROM INDIA
RANK — INSTITUTION
- 251-300 — Indian Institute of Science
- 351-400 — Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
- 401-500 — Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- 401-500 — Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
- 401-500 — Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- 501-600 — Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
- 501-600 — Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
- 501-600 — Indian INstitute of Technology Roorkee
- 501-600 — Jadavpur University
- 501-600 — Panjab University Chandigarh
- 601-800 — Aligarh Muslim University
- 601-800 — Amrita University
- 601-800 — Andhra University
- 601-800 — Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
- 601-800 — University of Calcutta
- 601-800 — University of Delhi
- 601-800 — Savitribai Phule Pune University
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 5:51 PM | View the original post
September 27, 2015
2015 Global Citizen Festival In Central Park To End Extreme Poverty By 2030
Photo: Eddie Vedder and Beyonce perform onstage during 2015 Global Citizen Festival to end extreme poverty by 2030 in Central Park on September 26, 2015 in New York City. (Photo © 2015 Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen).
Photo: Actress Kajol Devgan speaks on stage at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival to end extreme poverty by 2030 in Central Park on September 26, 2015 in New York City. (Photo © 2015 Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:15 AM | View the original post
September 25, 2015
World Leaders Arrive in New York for the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015
Photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, on the sidelines of the UN Summit on Sustainable Development. 25 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. 25 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with Pope Francis upon the pontiff’s arrival at United Nations headquarters. 25 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard.
Photo: Leaders of the G-4 Countries - Brazil, Germany, India and Japan at the Summit on United Nations Security Council Reform in New York (September 26, 2015). Image provided by & Copyright © Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India / Brij Meena, Photo Division.
Photo: Press Conference by President of Bolivia. Evo Morales Ayma, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, briefs correspondents at a press conference in UN Headquarters. 26 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Press Briefing by Dean of International Anti-Corruption Academy. Martin Kreutner, Dean and Executive Secretary of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), addresses a press conference sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations. 26 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Facebook CEO Attends Interactive Dialogue on Sustainable Economic Growth. Mark Zuckerberg (centre), CEO of Facebook Inc., addresses the interactive dialogue of the Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, “Fostering sustainable economic growth, transformation and promoting sustainable consumption and protection”, held at UN Headquarters. 26 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: High-level Ministerial Meeting on World’s Heritage Proctection. Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, addresses the High-level ministerial meeting entitled “Moving Together for the World’s Heritage” co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Italy and Jordan to the United Nations in collaboration with INTERPOL, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 27 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: High-level ministerial meeting entitled “Moving Together for the World’s Heritage” co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Italy and Jordan to the United Nations in collaboration with INTERPOL, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 27 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: Barack Obama (podium), President of the United States of America, addresses the Leader’s Summit on Peacekeeping. Leaders of more than 50 countries gathered for the Summit to pledge new commitments and strengthen existing capabilities. 28 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: A view of the Manhattan skyline from inside the UN Headquarters in New York. 30 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Kim Haughton.
Photo: UN Secretary-General Meets Youth Delegates. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (front centre) meets with youth delegates attending the seventieth session of the General Assembly. On his right is Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. 07 October 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:41 PM | View the original post
September 19, 2015
International Fashion — September 2015 — Editor's Choice
Photo: A model poses wearing Alice + Olivia By Stacey Bendet Spring 2016 during New York Fashion Week on September 15, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Alice + Olivia. © 2016 Getty Images).
Photo: A model walks the runway wearing an Angel Schlesser design during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, Spain, on September 18, 2015. Image provided by & Copyright © Angel Schlesser/ Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid.
Photo: A model walks the runway wearing a David Catalan design during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, Spain, on September 22, 2015. Image provided by & Copyright © David Catalan/ Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid.
Photo: A model walks the runway during the Anteprima fashion show as part of Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 on September 24, 2015 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/Getty Images for Anteprima. © 2015 Venturelli).
Photo: A model walks the runway wearing a Juan Vidal design during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, Spain, on September 21, 2015. Image provided by & Copyright © Juan Vidal / Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid.
Photo: A model walks the runway wearing a Juan Carlos Pajares design during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, Spain, on September 22, 2015. Image provided by & Copyright © Juan Carlos Pajares/ Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:44 PM | View the original post
September 18, 2015
MEDALISTS UNVEILED AT THE 2015 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS
Photo: Actress Michelle Rodriguez prior to the 42nd Annual Student Academy Awards on Thursday, September 17, in Beverly Hills. Image Credit: Matt Petit / © Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Animated film winners Nicholas Manfredi (left) and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero prior to the 42nd Annual Student Academy Awards on Thursday, September 17, in Beverly Hills. Image Credit: Matt Petit / © Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Thursday, September 17, 2015 — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tonight honored 15 student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony, held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards were announced and presented by actors Michelle Rodriguez and Jason Mitchell, Oscar-winning director John Lasseter, and the Oscar-winning team behind the animated feature “Big Hero 6,” Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams.
The 2015 Student Academy Award winners are:
Alternative
- Gold: “Chiaroscuro,” Daniel Drummond, Chapman University, California
- Silver: “Zoe,” ChiHyun Lee, The School of Visual Arts, New York
Animation
- Gold: “Soar,” Alyce Tzue, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
- Silver: “An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, California Institute of the Arts
- Bronze: “Taking the Plunge,” Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, The School of Visual Arts
Documentary
- Gold: “Looking at the Stars,” Alexandre Peralta, University of Southern California
- Silver: “I Married My Family’s Killer,” Emily Kassie, Brown University
- Bronze: “Boxeadora,” Meg Smaker, Stanford University
Narrative
- Gold: “Day One,” Henry Hughes, American Film Institute, California
- Silver: “This Way Up,” Jeremy Cloe, American Film Institute
- Bronze: “Stealth,” Bennett Lasseter, American Film Institute
Foreign Film
- Gold: “Fidelity,” Ilker Catak, Hamburg Media School, Germany
- Silver: “The Last Will,” Dustin Loose, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
- Bronze: “Everything Will Be Okay” Patrick Vollrath, Filmakademie Wien, Austria
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:55 AM | View the original post
September 15, 2015
QS World University Rankings 2015/16 Announced
Photo: M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Campus, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Image Credit: Taaalia.
LONDON — The QS World University Rankings 2015/16 announced today confirm Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as the world’s top university followed by Harvard (2nd), Cambridge and Stanford (3rd=), while ETH Zurich (9th) breaks into the top 10.
Singapore’s leading universities gain substantially, each making the top 15 for the first time. National University of Singapore (12th) is the leading Asian institution and Nanyang Technological University (13th) is right behind them, taking a quantum leap.
Australian National University (19th) also returns to the top 20. China’s Tsinghua University (25th) is Asia’s third best university, leading a strong Chinese cohort.
76,798 academics and 44,226 employers contributed to the rankings through the QS global surveys, the largest of their kind and QS analyzed 11.1 million research papers - indexed by Elsevier’s Scopus database. 3,539 institutions were considered for inclusion and 891 ranked.
A modified approach to “citations per faculty”, a measure of research impact, has delivered fairer evaluations for universities with a strong profile in areas with lower research activity, such as arts, humanities and social sciences. LSE (35th) and other leading institutions traditionally overshadowed by research-intensive universities, see their excellence more equitably recognized.
Ben Sowter, QS head of research says: “These latest results reveal more diversity than ever in the distribution of world-class universities at the highest levels. We’re providing prospective students with the richest picture yet.”
QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2015/2016 — TOP TWENTY
RANK — INSTITUTION — COUNTRY
- 01 — MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT) — US
- 02 — HARVARD UNIVERSITY — US
- 03= — UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE — UK
- 03= — STANFORD UNIVERSITY — US
- 05 — CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (CALTECH) — US
- 06 — UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD — UK
- 07 — UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON — UK
- 08 — IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON — UK
- 09 — ETH ZURICH — CH
- 10 — UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO — US
- 11 — PRINCETON UNIVERSITY — US
- 12 — NATIONAL UNIVERSITY SINGAPORE — SG
- 13 — NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY — SG
- 14 — EPFL — CH
- 15 — YALE UNIVERSITY — US
- 16 — JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY — US
- 17 — CORNELL UNIVERSITY — US
- 18 — UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — US
- 19= — AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY — AU
- 19= — KING’S COLLEGE LONDON — UK
The rankings include universities from 82 countries. Thirty-four countries feature in the Top 200. The United States dominates with 49 institutions, ahead of the UK (30), Netherlands (12), Germany (11), Canada, Australia, and Japan (8), China (7), France, Sweden and Hong Kong (5).
Following institutions from India have found a place among the top 800:
RANK — OVERALL SCORE — INSTITUTION
- 147 — 62.0 — Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore
- 179 — 56.4 — Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD)
- 202 — 52.8 — Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB)
- 254 — 46.6 — Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM)
- 271 — 45.0 — Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK)
- 286 — 43.7 — Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
- 391 — 35.7 — Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR)
RANK — INSTITUTION
- 451-460 — Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG)
- 481-490 — University of Delhi
- 601-650 — University of Calcutta
- 701+ — Banaras Hindu University
- 701+ — Panjab University, Chandigarh
- 701+ — University of Mumbai
- 701+ — University of Pune
- NA — Jawaharlal Nehru University
Meanwhile, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, has congratulated the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore (IISc-B) and the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) for figuring in the list of top 200 institutions of the QS World University Rankings.
“A high rank not only boosts the morale of the academic community but also opens greater avenues of growth and placement for students,” the president said. View the Official Press Release.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“In the QS World University Rankings, Global Academic Reputation accounts for 40% of the Overall Score.
The just announced 2015 QS World University Rankings indicate that the higher education institutions from the emerging nations, such as India, have quite grasped this point.
They appear to have realized that they should not get elated by their loftiness among the fanatical silly local populace that has never peeped outside its town, but, instead, if they want a good standing here, they must earnestly work towards establishing a positive academic reputation that is visible worldwide.”
© GlobalGiants.Com
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:23 AM | View the original post
September 12, 2015
UN General Assembly Marks International Day against Nuclear Tests
Photo: A view of the United Nations General Assembly meeting to mark the observance of the International Day against Nuclear Tests (29 August). 10 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
10 September 2015 - Top United Nations officials today highlighted the existential threat posed by nuclear testing, and called for all States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the international treaty that seeks to achieve a ban on such testing.
Addressing a meeting to mark the International Day against Nuclear Tests, observed annually on 29 August, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the devastation caused by nuclear testing.
“I have witnessed the lasting societal, environmental and economic damage nuclear tests have caused,” he told the gathering. “Since the first test in New Mexico 70 years ago, the world has endured over 2,000 nuclear tests. Those tests devastated pristine environments and local populations around the world.
The Secretary-General said that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which was adopted in 1996, was an essential building block for achieving this goal as a legally-binding, verifiable means by which to constrain the quantitative and qualitative development of nuclear weapons.
Stressing that the Treaty must enter into force in order to be truly effective, Mr. Ban called on all remaining States to sign and ratify the instrument, including China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, and the United States.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“Well, also, was it written by Theologians: a King rules by divine right. He carries in him an authority from God, or man will never give it him.
Can I choose my own King?
I can choose my own King Popinjay, and play what farce or tragedy I may with him: but he who is to be my Ruler, whose will is to be higher than my will, was chosen for me in Heaven.”
— Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:14 AM | View the original post
September 9, 2015
U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2016 Best Colleges in the USA
Photo: Princeton University Campus. Image provided by & copyright © Princeton University Office of Communications.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2015 — U.S. News & World Report today released the 2016 edition of Best Colleges to help domestic and international students compare the academic quality of U.S.-based schools. The new edition includes data on nearly 1,800 colleges and features rankings of 1,376 schools.
• Princeton University remains No. 1 in the Best National Universities category, while Williams College once again tops the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges list. The University of California—Berkeley is the No. 1 Top Public School among National Universities.
The U.S. News rankings focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 16 measures of academic quality. The rankings emphasize outcomes, with graduation and retention rates carrying the most weight in the methodology at 30 percent. The top schools all have high six-year graduation rates and strong freshman retention rates:
“Taking into account how well a school supports its students from freshman year through graduation is important,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. “To find the best fit, students should consider a range of factors, from financial aid offerings and location to campus size and majors. The process can be overwhelming, but our rankings and advice content are a great place to start.”
The 2016 edition debuts a Most Innovative Schools list, featuring institutions making inventive improvements in terms of campus life, curriculum, facilities, faculty, students or technology.
“We are the only organization that has been ranking schools for over three decades,” said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. “Over that time we have improved our information and sharpened our methodology’s focus, with one of the biggest updates being a greater consideration of output measurements.”
The college ranking categories are based upon the 2010 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications. The Carnegie classification system has been used by U.S. News since the first Best Colleges rankings in 1983, because they are accepted as the basis for classifying schools by most higher education researchers.
U.S. News 2016 Best Colleges Rankings
Best National Universities — Top Ten
- Princeton University (NJ)
- Harvard University (MA)
- Yale University (CT)
- Columbia University (NY)
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of Chicago (IL)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Duke University (NC)
- University of Pennsylvania
- California Institute of Technology
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Best National Liberal Arts Colleges — Top Ten
- Williams College (MA)
- Amherst College (MA)
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- Bowdoin College (ME)
- Middlebury College (VT)
- Pomona College (CA)
- Wellesley College (MA)
- Carleton College (MN)
- Claremont McKenna College (CA)
- Davidson College (NC)
- United States Naval Academy (MD)
Top Public Schools
National Universities — Top Five
- University of California—Berkeley
- University of California—Los Angeles
- University of Virginia
- University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
- University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill
Liberal Arts Colleges —Â Top Five
- United States Naval Academy (MD)
- United States Military Academy (NY)
- United States Air Force Academy (CO)
- New College of Florida
- Virginia Military Institute
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:46 AM | View the original post
September 8, 2015
Olivia Palermo previews new Rolls-Royce 'Wraith - Inspired by Fashion' in NYC
Photo: Fashion connoisseur Olivia Palermo was among the first to view the new Rolls-Royce ‘Wraith - Inspired by Fashion’, during its world premiere in New York. Olivia, renowned for her impeccable sense of style, enjoyed a private preview of the motor car before the event opened to a high profile roster of guests that included fashion designers and commentators. (Image provided by and copyright © Rolls-Royce).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:43 PM | View the original post
September 3, 2015
Breitling Galactic 36 SleekT — The Ultimate Sports Model for Women
Breitling treats feminine wrists to a new model from its Galactic line featuring a slimmer case, tungsten carbide bezel and a chronometer-certified SuperQuartzTM movement. It is intended for women keen on having a watch capable of sharing every moment of a dynamic lifestyle and is particularly intended for women of character and action.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:37 PM | View the original post
September 1, 2015
World Conference of Speakers of Parliament Opens at UN Headquarters
Photo: A view of the General Assembly Hall as Saber Chowdhury of Bangladesh (shown on screens), current President of the the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), addresses the opening session of the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, taking place at UN headquarters from 31 August through 2 September. 31 August 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. 31 August 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
Photo: UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson (right), meets with Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy. 01 September 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:45 PM | View the original post
