United States: Purdue’s College of Agriculture Rises in National & International Rankings

QS World Rankings, which debuted in 2004, are one of the world's most popular and reputable sources of comparative statistics on universities. The QS 2023 rankings are based on an examination of over 15,700 individual academic programmes at 1,594 universities in 93 countries and territories.

There are five criteria used: academic reputation; employer reputation; research citations per academic paper; the H-index, which measures the cumulative productivity and impact of authors' scholarly work; and an international research network of long-term partnerships with other higher education institutions.

Karen Plaut, former dean of the College of Agriculture and current executive vice president of research at Purdue, lauded the college's achievements. "The rise in this year's rankings reflects the College of Agriculture's faculty, students, and staff's sustained excellence," Plaut said. "Our research community pushes scientific boundaries to address difficult challenges in food, life, and natural resources, benefiting our students, communities, and the world."

Purdue Agriculture's recent research accomplishment includes more than USD 85 million in extramural funds received during the previous fiscal year. Earlier in 2023, the college was awarded two of seven USDA Sustainable Agriculture Systems contracts totaling USD 20 million to do research in digital forestry and aquaponics.

"The college continues to set the appropriate example for Purdue by attracting world-class scholars and working to optimize their intellectual triumphs," said Patrick Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity.

Bernie Engel, senior associate dean of agricultural research and graduate education, discussed the direct influence of rankings like QS. "Our reputation is not just a source of pride for stakeholders; it is frequently important to their decision to attend our college, hire our graduates, work with county Extension educators, and collaborate with researchers," he said.

Ken Foster, interim dean and professor of agricultural economics, expressed appreciation for the accomplishment. "The hard effort and intellectual qualities of our faculty, staff, and students, as well as the leadership of our former dean Karen Plaut and her leadership team, earned Purdue's College of Agriculture this recognition," he added.