Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has ranked among the top universities worldwide for its impact on two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN).
In the latest Impact Rankings published by the Times Higher Education magazine, ARU has ranked ARU 5th in the UK and 66th in the world for its impact on Sustainable Development Goal three – Good Health and Wellbeing.
ARU’s submission included addressing the urgent need to train more healthcare professionals for our region, and ARU’s collaborations with five NHS hospitals, a large mental health trust and over 60 GP surgeries.
It also highlighted work being done to promote wellbeing across the university through access to counselling, signposting students to locally available, free sexual health services, and providing students with access to a Sexual Violence Liaison Service and a Harassment Support Service.
Data released last week by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), following the Graduate Outcomes survey, ranked ARU second in the country and first in the East of England for the number of full-time graduates working in human health and social work roles.
For SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, ARU was ranked 24th in the UK and 86th in the world. This category measures universities’ contribution to the overall SDGs through partnership with other institutions and organisations.
The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of the organisation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all member states in 2015. They represent an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership to recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth.
The Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings identify and celebrate universities that are doing the most to contribute towards sustainability through the SDGs. More than 1,500 universities worldwide were ranked in the latest publication, of which ARU was ranked in the top 400 overall.
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “I am delighted that the impact of our work on good health and wellbeing, and our commitment to working in partnership have been recognised in these prestigious rankings.
“These rankings highlight important work by colleagues across the university that has a profound impact on people across the world. I am proud of the work we do to secure progress against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and we will continue to work to maximise the impact of our education and research.”
Image: Gam1983, Getty Images via Canva
