The University of Victoria has earned the top spot in the Maclean鈥檚 magazine ranking of comprehensive Canadian universities. It鈥檚 suitable recognition for the 50th anniversary of the university鈥檚 founding.
It isn鈥檛 a popularity contest 鈥� while Maclean鈥檚 does conduct surveys as part of its ranking, it bases its conclusions on a detailed study that covers a wide range of attributes, including the number of national academic awards garnered by students and faculty, the amount it spends on student support, the quality and depth of its library, and the university鈥檚 reputation in the community.
Nor is the first-place ranking a one-time event 鈥� UVic has consistently placed high on the Maclean鈥檚 list.
Greater Victoria provides a good home for the university, and the university is good for the region. During the first year of its existence, UVic added an estimated $6.3 million to the local economy. A 2012 study puts the university鈥檚 annual economic impact today at $3.2 billion.
But that鈥檚 only one dimension. The university enriches the community in countless ways. Education is an important factor in quality of life, and UVic contributes to a high level of education in the region. UVic鈥檚 influence goes beyond local boundaries with research that covers a wide range of disciplines, including aging, biomedical and addictions research, engineering technologies, social policy and global studies, climate change, nuclear physics, forest biology and aboriginal health.
Credit goes to, among others, a dedicated faculty, many of whom choose to stay here when they could be making more money elsewhere.
We don鈥檛 need a magazine鈥檚 analysis to tell us UVic is a good university, but it鈥檚 nice to have that opinion confirmed by an objective source.
