Sjoukje Heimovaara (r) at the Wageningen protest against the budget cuts in April this year. Photo Resource According to the latest edition of the Times Higher World University Rankings, the quality of research at Dutch universities is declining and their publications are less likely to be cited.
WUR moved up one place, mainly due to higher appreciation for the university’s teaching quality as this Resource analysis points out. However, eight of the twelve Dutch universities dropped in the rankings, the same number as last year. The year before that, seven fell down the rankings.
President of the Executive Board Sjoukje Heimovaara concludes the figures show ‘the first effects of the cuts in education. Nearly all Dutch universities have gone down the rankings. This is really harming the international position of the Netherlands as a centre of knowledge. The cuts need to stop.’
Against the trend
WUR is still the third Dutch university in the ranking, notes Heimovaara. ‘And the fact that we have even risen one position, against the trend, is a huge compliment to our staff, in particular the teachers and their support staff. While the result for research had fallen slightly, that score is still very high. Given the impending cuts, we will need to work hard together over the next few years to keep up the high standards.’
