STAFF and students of the University of Hertfordshire celebrated this week after advancing its ranking in the University League table.

The University of Hertfordshire has improved its position once again this year, charting an impressive rise of four places in The Times newspaper's annual table. The institution is now ranked 59th out of 100.

Senior staff said the new position, published last month, is indicative of the steady progress the university has made over the past year.

Statistics puplished by the national broadsheet listed the Hertfordshire as being the top new university in business studies, economics and philosophy.

It was among the top 20 national providers of courses in philosophy, linguistics, nursing, mechanical engineering, hospitality, leisure, recreation, sport and tourism.

The university celebrated an almost three-fold improvement in its score for research, although a marked advance in the field of research was recorded throughout the education sector nationwide.

Director of external relations Ms Kathy Levine said: "We are delighted with the results. There are some interesting stories coming out of this table.

"The University of Hertfordshire has always had an excellent reputation in subjects like engineering, computer science and psychology. It's pleasing to see our reputation growing in areas such as philosophy and linguistics that are more usually associated with traditional rather than modern universities."

Vice-chancellor of the uni- versity Professor Neil Buxton said: "The University of Hertfordshire is a forward-looking institution.

"These results underline our confidence, but they also show us areas where still further improvement can be made.

"The university is a dynamic organisation.

"We do not rest on our laurels and it is good to see that our efforts are paying off.

"We now look forward to opening our new de Havilland campus in 2003, one of the largest developments within the higher education sector over the past 20 years."

June 17, 2002 12:30