September 6, 2006

Source: :
http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=1079

UNB Withdraws from Maclean's Survey

September 6, 2006
UNB Fredericton News Release: D695
Natalie Montgomery, Public Relations Officer (506) 451-6842

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is among a growing number of universities to opt out of the Maclean’s university ranking survey.

"We have decided not to participate in the Maclean’s ranking survey," said John McLaughlin, UNB president and vice-chancellor. "Although UNB has performed well in the rankings, the decision by so many universities to opt out puts into question the credibility of the ranking. We support accountability and assessment of our university and its programs and services, and will continue to practice in that manner and be forthcoming with our results."

UNB measures its performance in a number of areas, including academic programs, student success, curriculum, teaching, student satisfaction, and research.

The university regularly participates in a number of independent surveys including the National Survey of Student Engagement, which compares student participation in programs and services of over 500 universities and colleges in Canada and the United States; the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium, which assesses student experiences and universities’ contributions to specific skill development; and the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPEHC) surveys which report information regarding Maritime university graduates’ outcomes and perceptions of their post-secondary education.

This term, UNB will have a link on its homepage, www.unb.ca, which will give access to an array of accountability data of interest to students, parents, and the public. The university will also be working with the MPEHC’s Quality Assurance Monitoring Committee to provide data on the quality and accountability of its programs.

Close to 50 per cent of the universities that have taken part in the annual Maclean’s survey have chosen to withdraw. They include University of Toronto, McMaster University, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, University of Manitoba, l’Université de Montréal, Dalhousie University, Brandon University, Brock University, Laurentian University, l’Université de Moncton, Trent University, Carleton University, Concordia University, Queen’s University, University of Windsor, York University, University of Western Ontario, and University of New Brunswick.

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