2008 Woodie Awards
Many American colleges opt not to rank
Sheeraz Hyder
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Local News
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75 is the national ranking that Stevens Institute of Technology attained in The U.S. News and World Report 2007 Annual Edition on the top colleges of the United States. The magazine comes out with rankings every year based on factors such as graduation, retention, average freshman retention rate, predicted and actual graduation rate, percentage of faculty who are full time, student-to-faculty ratio, and what is referred to as "peer assessment score." Combined, they have been the starting point of the controversy that has erupted in the past six months. At the center of the action are 12 U.S. college presidents known collectively as The Annapolis Group, after Annapolis, Maryland where the group is headquartered. On June 20 of this year, they sent a letter to The U.S. News and World Report informing the magazine that they would no longer be participating in the annual rankings.
The colleges contend that the rankings are inaccurate and place too much emphasis on certain factors and less on others. The most common complaint comes from the 25% that is afforded the "peer assessment score." The peer assessment survey is sent to university officials across the nation, asking them to objectively grade their peers' performance in the education system. The schools are also ranked based on their class sizes, encouraging small classes while discouraging large ones. U.S. News and World Report also relies heavily on the college SAT and ACT scores submitted by the applicants which some contend are inaccurate representations of the potential of their accepted class.
Katharine Will, President at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and incoming President of the Annapolis Group said that "We should be defining the conversation, not a magazine that uses us for its business plan." The Annapolis Group also has plans to develop their own system for comparing institutions of higher education. While the group has expanded to include 80 presidents, not all of the presidents are ready to withdraw their support.
The colleges contend that the rankings are inaccurate and place too much emphasis on certain factors and less on others. The most common complaint comes from the 25% that is afforded the "peer assessment score." The peer assessment survey is sent to university officials across the nation, asking them to objectively grade their peers' performance in the education system. The schools are also ranked based on their class sizes, encouraging small classes while discouraging large ones. U.S. News and World Report also relies heavily on the college SAT and ACT scores submitted by the applicants which some contend are inaccurate representations of the potential of their accepted class.
Katharine Will, President at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and incoming President of the Annapolis Group said that "We should be defining the conversation, not a magazine that uses us for its business plan." The Annapolis Group also has plans to develop their own system for comparing institutions of higher education. While the group has expanded to include 80 presidents, not all of the presidents are ready to withdraw their support.