he University of Memphis is ranked among the world’s top universities for the first time in the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and is one of only three to make the list from the State of Tennessee. Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee were the other Tennessee universities ranked among the 181 U.S. institutions ranked globally.

“With its recent ranking in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the University of Memphis is being recognized for the continued efforts it has made to improve quality,” said Dr. Colton Cockrum, UofM assistant vice provost. “Consequently, these rankings provide proof that the University of Memphis is recognized on both a national and worldwide stage.”

In its 17th year, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings continues to be the leading initiative underpinning higher education excellence. The list is built based on 13 indicators used to measure an institution’s performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

This year, it published a ranking consisting of 1,527 institutions from 93 countries, drawing on data points from nearly 2,000 of the world’s leading research universities and more than 22,000 academic reputation survey responses. The exercise also analyzes 13.6 million research publications and more than 86 million citations over five years, based on bibliometric data from Elsevier.

“Trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, this year’s (ranking) provides great insight into the shifting balance of power in global higher education,” states the Times Higher Education official website.

The ranking pointed to the vast number of disciplines available to students and advanced research in a variety of subjects among the UofM’s appealing qualities. Times Higher Education also mentioned the University’s proximity to entertainment and opportunity, a significantly improved campus landscape in recent years and a long and continually developing list of rich traditions among the UofM’s appeal.

The world ranking recognition comes during a time in which enrollment and graduation numbers have been on the rise at the UofM.

Enrollment to begin the fall 2020 semester was 22,385, a 2.5% increase year-over-year from 22,152 the previous fall, which marked the first time the University had exceeded 22,000 since 2012. The UofM is currently the second-largest university in Tennessee and had the largest enrollment percentage increase (2.4%) from fall 2019 to fall 2020 among locally governed institutions in the state.

The recent enrollment growth is particularly remarkable considering the historic challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past several months. These increases have also come amidst a three-year stretch of record graduation numbers, highlighting the effectiveness of UofM initiatives in student retention and degree completion.

he University of Memphis continues moving up among top public universities in the latest U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) rankings and is ranked in the top tier for national universities for the second consecutive year.

In the 2021 USNWR rankings for top public universities, the UofM climbed nine spots to No. 126 and is the No. 2-ranked public university in the State of Tennessee.

“Being ranked in the top tier for public universities each of the past two years demonstrates where the University of Memphis is heading,” said UofM President M. David Rudd. “It is a testament to the impressive and impactful work of so many talented people on our campus and in our community.

“The USNWR rankings are highly visible and arguably the single most frequently used resource by students and parents when making a decision on where to attend college. The upward trajectory of our University the past few years has been impressive, and the future is exciting. Given the talent of our faculty, the remarkable impact of their research and our important role in the Memphis community, we’re confident in our ability to increasingly gain national recognition and move up in a number of rankings.”

The UofM ranked 98th among Top Performers in Social Mobility. The ranking measures the ability of schools to graduate students who received federal Pell Grants. The UofM’s inclusion in the top 100 for this metric shows the University excels in graduating students who have financial need in a timely manner.

Six years ago, the UofM was unranked among national universities by the USNWR. The University formed a working group at that time to gain recognition from the publication and increase its visibility across the country.

The working group has produced consistent and remarkable results since its formation. In the 2018 USNWR rankings, the UofM reached Tier 2 among national universities for the first time, climbed higher up that list in 2019 and reached Tier 1 for the first time in 2020.

A second consecutive year in the top tier shows both the UofM’s expanding national footprint and its staying power within the ranks of the best universities across the country.

In individual program USNWR rankings, the UofM has seven degree programs in the top 100 and 21 degree programs or schools in the top 200 of their respective national categories. The University ranks especially high in the Audiology (No. 20), Rehabilitation Counseling (No. 20), Speech- Language Pathology (No. 31) and Health Care Management (No. 33) categories.

s a regional winner, the UofM was a national finalist for the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award along with Ohio State University, the University of Utah and the University of Vermont.

In announcing the UofM as a regional winner, the APLU specifically recognized the University’s Institute of Interdisciplinary Memphis Partnerships to Advance Community Transformation (iIMPACT). Bolstered by the UofM’s research capacity and the support of community leaders, iIMPACT has developed a set of programs and services that address a wide range of health and socioeconomic issues facing local families.

“Creating initiatives that help improve the local community is one of our most important missions at the University of Memphis,” said UofM President M. David Rudd. “To have those efforts acknowledged by the APLU as a regional award winner and national finalist is a credit to the many amazing people on our campus and throughout our community who have made iIMPACT, and many similar programs, a tremendous success. This is an honor we will celebrate and continue to build upon.”

Since 2007, the APLU and Engagement Scholarship Consortium, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, have partnered to honor the engagement scholarship and partnerships of four-year public universities. The award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery and engagement missions to deepen their partnerships to achieve broader impacts in their communities.

"Amid the pandemic, the nation’s public universities have risen to the challenge to meet community needs in a major way,” said APLU President Peter McPherson. “That community engagement is at the heart of their mission, and we’re thrilled to elevate institutions that have a longstanding commitment to being at the forefront of community engagement efforts. We congratulate this year’s Magrath Award finalists and exemplary designees for a job extremely well done and for their ongoing work in support of their communities."

The UofM was also named one of six finalists for the 2020 APLU Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) University Awards. Other finalists included California State University, Northridge; Iowa State University; Mississippi State University; University of Pittsburgh; and Purdue University.

The University of Memphis and Iowa State University were finalists for the IEP Innovation award, recognizing exemplary initiatives spurring innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-based economic development.

California State University, Northridge and Purdue University were finalists for the IEP Talent award, recognizing exemplary initiatives in education and workforce development.

Mississippi State University and the University of Pittsburgh were finalists for the IEP Place award for exemplary initiatives resulting in social, cultural or community development.

All six universities were finalists for the IEP Economic Engagement Connections Award — the top-prize in the awards competition recognizing overall excellence and leveraging across all three award categories.

“This national recognition demonstrates President Rudd’s commitment to balancing two critical imperatives: advancing basic research for the betterment of our society and supporting regional economic prosperity through innovative applied initiatives,” said Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, UofM executive vice president for Research and Innovation. “Kudos to all members of our innovation teams based at the FedEx Institute of Technology, led by Cody Behles and Mary Ann Dawson, for their great work leading up to this recognition.”

The UofM has worked to promote innovation in the Memphis region with a multi-faceted approach to economic development that encourages novel engagements with faculty, students and community. Through the establishment of corporations, the launching of a research park that emphasizes helping young companies based in Memphis and programs to build science entrepreneurship in the city, the UofM is promoting economic development that embraces innovation, talent and place.

The University’s motto of “Driven by Doing” is present throughout the projects that were awarded finalist status in the innovation category. UofM partnerships have helped to fill gaps in the local landscape, positively impact the lives of hundreds of students and produced millions in investments to the campus and city.

To be eligible for an IEP award, an institution must first earn the IEP designation from APLU, which recognizes institutional commitment to regional economic development. To earn this designation, universities conduct a rigorous self-study of their economic engagement activities that includes input from external stakeholders. As part of the self-study, each institution identifies areas for growth and improvement within its economic engagement enterprise and develops an improvement plan.

Sixty-six institutions have been named IEP Universities designees since the program was launched in 2012.