The Observer, September 7, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 2
Case falls to 41 in U.S. News rankings
U.S. News and World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges" issue came out several weeks ago, and many students and their parents have had a chance to consult it once or twice as a definitive and sane voice in the midst of the college-selecting pageantry.
The list may not initially influence a student's decision to apply, but many have at least indulged in referring to it for a neat, numerical affirmation of their choice. And there is, it seems, some affirmation to be found in Case Western Reserve's placement at number 41 among national universities in 2007.
Each year, U.S. News and World Report systematically ranks hundreds of schools, in categories from liberal arts colleges to national universities, along criteria set by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. These weighted criteria include statistics such as average class size, acceptance rate, and average alumni giving rate, as well as a subjective portion completed by university officials in assessment of their peers.
A preface to the rankings in August's issue begins, "There is no way to summarize everything a college has to offer with a single number." The preface goes on to indirectly address a growing sense of disillusionment within the academic community with the practice of producing a definitive hierarchy of schools and respective quality of education based largely on quantitative data. The controversy continues this year, even as the magazine has revised and added new criteria with the intention of delivering a more holistic representation.
A few schools, among them Reed College and, more recently, Columbia College in Chicago, have refused to participate in the U.S. News and World Report surveys, due to a lack of confidence in the system's real merit. Elizabeth Coleman, president of Vermont liberal arts college Bennington, listed complaints of like-minded institutions in a recent article for a Rutland, Vt. newspaper, including claims that rankings "obscure important differences in educational mission in aligning institutions on a single scale" and "encourage wasteful spending and gamesmanship in institutions' pursuing improved rankings."
Specific instances of the latter accusation are hard to pinpoint definitively, however, and although U.S. News and World Report rankings have become an important concern for many universities, it is difficult to find evidence that schools are universally "selling out" to match better with the magazine's points of judgment.
According to Lynn Singer, Deputy Provost and Vice President for Academic Programs, "The faculty and administration at Case don't specifically use U.S News and World Report [ranking criteria] to construct programs here. The motivating factor is, instead, creating the best educational experience possible for the students who are going here. "
Despite the recent general criticism of the ranking system, Singer remarked that although she didn't believe that an education could be completely quantitatively assessed, "these criteria do make a difference. And there's a positive value of comparison."
"We don't ignore it; it's there. Like SAT scores: they won't reflect everything, but they're not something you dismiss," said Singer.
Does Case Western Reserve suffer any disadvantages in the ranking system? "There's a certain aspect of marketing to the process, and Case hasn't spent a lot of time marketing itself," said Singer.
Aspects of marketing and reputation are an important component of a school's score, with the controversial "peer review survey" – a subjective numerical scale upon which university officials are asked to assess entire peer institutions, and a scale which, some schools claim, works to maintain an ancient status quo and proliferate outdated perceptions of schools – acting as one of the most heavily weighted items.
"Peer assessment scores rarely change. Many have been the same almost from the beginning of the survey. It is interesting how little perceptions [of top universities] have changed," said Jean Gubbins, of the Office of Institutional Research at Case. In some ways, it seems, placement on the list reinforces peer perception just as much as peer perception influences placement.
Ostensibly, rankings have the largest effect on incoming freshmen, for whose benefit these rankings are published. "Rankings were an important part of my choice- maybe more important to my parents," said freshman Janie Liang. Other students, such as Elaine Zheng, cited factors such as cost and specific programs offered as significantly more pressing.
Are rankings and the prestige afforded by them a key part of Case's reputation? "At home, people know that it's a good school, but they probably couldn't assign a number to it," said first-year Shannon Olemacher.
The rankings of their respective institutions have an effect on professors, as well as students. Professor Adriann Balok, who teaches sociology and anthropology both at Case and at Cuyahoga Community College, is in a unique position to compare and contrast schools of distinct reputations.
She said that she believes professors like herself are "very aware of rankings." While its placement and its status as a national university lend Case the elusive advantage of prestige over a school such as Cuyahoga Community College the quality of an education at any school truly can differ widely according to individual students' specific classes and experiences.
