The annual Maclean’s ranking
U of S climbs two spots to ninth overall among peers

November 14, 2008

By Mark Ferguson

When the Maclean’s  annual university rankings issue hits newsstands Nov. 14, it will show the University of Saskatchewan has moved up two spots this year, to ninth from 11th overall in the medical/doctoral category, an improvement welcomed by Peter MacKinnon, U of S president.

MacKinnon

The rankings showed the university had improved in the categories of overall medical/doctoral reputation, total research dollars and library expenditures. The U of S moved up one spot, to eighth, in overall medical/doctoral reputation rankings and moved up five spots, to 10th overall, in the national reputation ranking.

“The difference between being ninth or 10th, or eighth or ninth overall, is small,” said MacKinnon.  “We could be up a few, we could be down a few. There could be blips and dips—but this should not dominate our thinking.”

MacKinnon sees the Maclean’s rankings as analogous to putting together a list of the best 15 players in the NHL—“These are relative rankings.”  But, he says, the university pays attention to ranking because others pay attention to it.

“The Maclean’s survey, whether up or down, tells us some things we need to know. It’s not a complete picture of our performance, but it’s information we think has some significance to the reader.

“It’s important to note that we find ourselves in the select company of 15 medical/doctoral universities.  To be found in the top ten among these peer institutions is significant and an improvement.”

MacKinnon emphasized the importance the Maclean’s rankings have for international students looking for an outside perspective on Canadian universities, and the fact that the magazine is well read in Canada.

McGill University finished first overall in the medical/doctoral category for the second straight year, with Queen’s and the University of Toronto tied for second place. The U of S finished behind eighth place Dalhousie and ahead of 10th place University of Ottawa.

Although the U of S did well in measures like student to faculty ratio and operating budget categories, finishing third in both, “we are still on the low side on student and faculty awards, including grants,” said MacKinnon.

MacKinnon points out that in the 2000 rankings, the U of S finished 15th – in last spot – among medical/doctoral universities. “And this year, we’re ninth. We’ll see if we can make a similar improvement in the next several years.”

The full results of the 2008 university rankings can be viewed on the Maclean’s website.