Franklin in the top 50 WURI rankings of 2021

2021 marks the second year of the World Universities with Real Impact (WURI) ranking,  and enthusiasm was in the air at Franklin University Switzerland on  Thursday, June 10, when our community joined in on the 2021 WURI Online  Conference to witness the new award rankings.

This year Franklin placed 41st in the top 100 most innovative universities,  moving up 15 positions since 2020. Our university also received 3  additional recognitions in other specialty top-50 rankings.  Respectively, these are #4 in the Crisis Management category, a new entry for this year evaluating responsiveness to the Covid-19 global pandemic and technology breakthroughs, #5 in Ethical Value, and #22 in Industrial Applications.

In his congratulatory remarks during the online conference, President Greg Warden stated: “Today’s event is a great example of what collaboration can  achieve on a global scale, and we are especially appreciative because we  are a small yet global institution. Our university connects the  traditions of the Liberal Arts with the values of Switzerland.  Universities must be about values. We generate research and knowledge,  and also produce a generation of educated individuals, but both of these  products need to have impact. This impact must be ethical, sustainable,  and responsible, and the WURI ranking knows exactly how to capture that  impact.” He continued: “The Taylor Institute’s official statement is  quite explicit: We embrace the values of Switzerland, civil discourse and sustainable solutions for future peace and prosperity. We create leaders who are responsible, compassionate and collaborative. These are the values we aspire at Franklin, and today’s event is a  great example of those same values and what can be achieve through  global collaboration.”

What is special about the WURI ranking for innovative universities is  that it is designed to highlight universities’ efforts in preparing for  the future, but how they serve society and the industry today. It  acknowledges the challenges of creating new roles and responsibilities  in leading and catalyzing change and impact, towards economic prosperity  and social harmony. Lastly, it also wants to promote cross-learning and  innovation among all universities.

The WURI committee is made up of a task force that on a yearly basis,  starting from 2018, evaluates universities worldwide on metrics of  innovation, performance, and contribution to society and environment.  This year’s online conference was organized by the Institute for Policy  and Strategy on National Competitiveness (IPSNC) and sponsored by 4  global institutions:

• Hanseatic League of Universities (HLU);

• The Institute for Industrial Policy Studies (IPS);

• Taylor Institute (TI) of Franklin University Switzerland (FUS);

• United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), partners of Franklin in the offer of the graduate program MSIM in Climate Action.