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College rankings have skeptics, but few to be found at local schools
By Ron Brown
rbrown@newsadvance
August 18, 2006
A ranking of American colleges by the news magazine U.S. News & World Report, drew mixed reviews from Lynchburg area college administrators.
The 2007 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” hit the newsstands Friday.
Lynchburg College, Sweet Briar College, Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and Liberty University were all listed among the ranked schools in the magazine.
LU had the added distinction of being one of three schools nationwide profiled in the magazine.
Lynchburg College was the top-ranked school from the area, ranked 44th in the Southern region for schools including undergraduate and master degree programs.
The Southern region included most of the southeastern United States.
LU was 109th in the southern region.
Sweet Briar was ranked 74th in the nation among liberal arts colleges. Randolph-Macon Woman’s College was ranked 86th.
The rankings were drawn from data assessing a school’s average freshman retention rates, average graduation rates, class size and student-to-faculty ratios.
The rankings also looked at SAT/ACT scores and students’ rankings in the high school classes.
While she is pleased to be ranked, Sweet Briar President Betsy Muhlenfeld said in many ways the rankings miss the point.
“It says nothing about whether the college actually delivers or whether student learning is actually taking place,” she said.
Muhlenfeld said “a full 25 percent” of the ranking comes from the “perceptions” of the quality of an institution by fellow college presidents.
“We want to make sure that the public perception of the college does not fall,” she said. “We don’t pay a whole lot of attention to these rankings beyond that.”
Muhlenfeld said some perspective students use the ranking to validate their college choice.
“We know it says absolutely nothing about what happens once a student gets to college,” she said.
Regardless, Lynchburg College President Kenneth Garren said he was happy with the school’s ranking.
“Lynchburg College is pleased to be recognized in the top tier of America’s best Southern colleges and universities offering master’s degrees,” he said. “We are committed to providing all of our students the most comprehensive academic and real-world experiences possible. Our professors are dedicated to teaching, and our staff is always finding new ways to enrich the lives of our students.”
The rankings also drew praise from Barbara Harbison, the director of the office of college relations for Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.
“The U.S. News rankings reaffirm what our community already knows - that R-MWC offers a liberal arts education of the highest quality,” she said. “Our ranking of seventh on the list of highest percentage of international students (10 percent) reflects our emphasis on globalization that permeates the entire college.”
No one could have been happier than the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who said the U.S. New & World Report profile was the best thing to happen to recruiting since the school was founded 35 years ago.
“We have worked for years to build our numbers, to build our finances, to build our athletic programs and to erect our buildings,” Falwell said. “The hardest challenge in our first 35 years was to build academic excellence while maintaining our Judeo-Christian ethic.”
Falwell said the current rankings are the first time that LU has been ranked.
“This article is a recognition of Liberty among the best colleges in the nation,” he said. “We have a long way to go as most schools do. But we are now on the list and recognized.”
The University of Virginia, the College and William and Mary and Virginia Tech are ranked among the top national universities. William and Mary is ranked 31st, with Tech coming in at 77th.
UVa slipped one spot for the third year in row to No. 24 overall. It remained, however, the second-highest ranked public university, sharing the title with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
The top ranked public university again this year is the University of California at Berkeley, at No. 21.
“You’re glad to be included, and being the No. 1 or 2 public university for 10 years running is a good thing,” said Carol Wood, a UVa spokeswoman. “But I think you also have to look at those rankings and see if they’re a true reflection of the quality of the university and the quality of education our students are receiving.”
Nine Virginia schools are ranked among Southern universities, master’s degree category, led by No. 2 James Madison University. Eight state schools are listed in the liberal arts colleges, with Washington and Lee University in 17th place.
VMI tied for first place with New College of Florida for public liberal arts colleges.
Princeton took the overall No. 1 spot nationwide, breaking a three-year tie with Ivy League rival Harvard.
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