In 2017, UTP hit 233 on the list, and in 2016, they were 288. This year's leap has assured UTP's academics and management that they are on the right track in the discipline they want to shine in.
The Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings for this year analysed over 22 million papers, producing nearly 200 million citations. A total of 1,130 institutions were ranked across 48 subjects in five subject areas, creating 14,000 published entries.
"It also means we have to keep going," says UTP's acting vice chancellor Professor Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib. "It's a good place to be for now. A university has a noble purpose and rankings are here to help us."
UTP first started with rankings in 2009 following a transformation exercise which had put in place its second masterplan — among its goals was to raise the bar for research.
That year, UTP was rated Tier 5 (Excellent) in the 2009 Rating System for Institutions of Higher Learning (SETARA), executed by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).
Feeling encouraged, the research targets embedded in the masterplan got on track and by 2011, UTP got a five-star rating on the Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA), the MOHE instrument which assesses research capability and performance of local institutions of higher learning.
"These were complimentary, of course, but as a team, we asked what we needed to do to strengthen ourselves," says Ibrahim. "We also needed to measure ourselves globally because going international was in the masterplan too."
UTP signed in on the 2013 QS World University Rankings and was pleasantly surprised with a three-star rating, and later a five-star. "These instruments helped us focus on what we needed to upgrade or change," says Ibrahim.
"We are not obsessively concerned with rankings because they are only measurements. We built on our mission and that has shaped our ratings."
Since then, UTP has climbed the rankings ladder every year. "We can now see our own evolution by looking at our rankings," says Ibrahim.
Today, UTP takes part in four ranking systems: QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking, Rating System for Institutions of Higher Learning (SETARA) and the Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA).
"By doing these four, we can get a well-rounded understanding of where we are and not be influenced by the nature of any one survey," says Associate Professor Dr Shahrina Md Nordin, UTP acting chief strategy officer Corporate Strategic Planning. "It gives us a holistic view and we can measure our performance from different angles."
Ibrahim attributes the 88-point jump to several factors.
First, he says, is the solid foundation laid by previous VCs Datuk Dr Rosti Saruwono and Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Kasim, and the dynamic leadership from immediate past VC Datuk Abdul Rahim Hashim who drove the research and excellence agenda of the last few years.
"That led to all UTP staffers to taking big steps like sending their publications to high impact journals, changing the culture from scepticism to high performance, and realising the goals of the masterplan," says Ibrahim.
There is also continuous supportive and generous leadership from PETRONAS, UTP's parent company. "Over the last 20 years, PETRONAS, has connected UTP to a global network, and given us the corporate culture of an international company," says Ibrahim.
"Other people recognise PETRONAS, standards which gives our graduates recognition as well. This is especially important for the seven-month internship we arrange for 1,500 undergraduates every year."
And then, there's continuous effort by the university to attain operational excellence at all levels.
One of them is the overseas experience for students. UTP wants every student to have an overseas stint – attachments, conferences, student exchanges, cultural immersion, or even community work. "This is essential exposure in view of rapid globalisaton," says Shahrina.
Do students really care about university rankings? Post-graduate students certainly do because research is tied in with their studies, and they want a high value return on that academic investment. An undergrad scrutinising rankings will likely look at ratings for employability.
"Our surveys show that more and more students consciously seek a healthy and inspiring life at university, so lifestyle does matter," says Shahrina.
"So does comfort, safety, social integration and a healthy learning environment. We want a vibrant campus. And all of this contributes to performance."
Other parties interested in university rankings are scholarship providers who need assurance that their money is invested well and use it as a tool in their decision-making. Employers sometimes look at the rankings of universities their job candidates attended. But, says Ibrahim, at job selection time, UTP's graduates create an impression stronger than any ranking.
What about the future of rankings? Will the elements change?
"In the end, our real customer is the student," says Ibrahim. "Student experience is at the centre of education. The joy of being at university. Learning should be a happy time. We are constantly strengthening alumni networks and student involvement in campus projects and community service. I do see the student experience being given greater importance in future rankings."
Another development, says Shahrina, is disruptive technology.
"The advent of Industrial Revolution 4.0 will change the nature of higher learning education. We need to consider the concept of Education 4.0 that would be more suitable for the future generation of students. Such change is imperative to also meet the needs of the future, especially skills."
Already, students have changed. Digital natives walking on the road of disruptive technologies are likely to find learning online and with robots and artificial intelligence highly appealing.
Says Shahrina: "They might feel that this is an excellent student experience. Expect reverse trends."
