Newcastle University

The latest annual survey produced by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-12 places Newcastle in 48th position because of its commitment to establishing effective international links.

This year, Newcastle University’s international student numbers rose to their highest ever level to over 6,000 and it scored consistently well in the International Student Barometer – the annual survey of the levels of satisfaction among international students.

The news comes as this week the University celebrates the graduation of 67 marine engineering students at its Ngee Ann campus in Singapore and the opening of its NUMed medical campus in Malaysia.

Now Newcastle University is turning its focus to Brazil and is playing an important role in the organisation of next year’s high-profile Earth Summit, Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro. Newcastle University coordinates the Global Scientific Committee of the Planet Earth Institute - organisers of some of the formal round tables in preparation for the Rio+20 summit.

Newcastle University’s Professor Paul Younger chairs the committee and is keen for local students to benefit from the links. He explains: “The Rio+20 Earth Summit will see the world’s political leaders, scientists, policy-makers and influential figures in sustainable development gathering in Brazil to discuss the world’s approach to addressing global challenges.

“As chair of a committee that is helping to influence some of the content of the Summit, we want to make sure that Rio+20 hears from our students and other young people in our region, to give them a chance to get involved in the preparations for the prestigious summit.

“To do this we are holding a series of Newcastle Rio+20 events where we can debate some of the key issues that will feature at the Earth Summit next June. We will be asking young people to give their views on a range of thought-provoking issues including: whether financial aid is beneficial to developing countries and whether environmental advances and green technologies can only really be progressed by wealthy countries at present.

“The culmination of the Symposium in Newcastle will see one of our students given the opportunity to attend the actual summit next year in Rio.”

Newcastle University has also established links in other parts of the globe with relationships with the University of Groningen, Netherlands; Monash University, Australia and Xiamen University in China. It also has research and student exchange programmes with China’s Hainan Province as well as collaborations with Indian Institutes of Technology at Delhi and Ropar.

Professor Ella Ritchie, deputy vice-chancellor, added: “It is extremely encouraging to see our world rankings continue to improve and is further evidence of our international strengths in research, teaching and collaboration on global issues such as sustainability.”