THURSDAY,AUG.30,2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
KU awaits ranking from 'U.S. News' on best colleges
But Cervany doubts the objectivity of report's placings
A popular question asked by prospective college students is "How does your university rank?"
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
Alan Cerveny, director of the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, is looking forward to the answer that will be given in the U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" issue, to be published Sept. 10.
Although the University of Kansas often places high in rankings, Cerveny cautioned students not to take college ranking reports too seriously.
"Anytime you have outside organizations trying to rank schools, it's almost an impossible task." Cerveny said.
He said he doubted the objectivity of such rankings, a topic that has been drawing national press coverage.
An article published in the September issue of Washington Monthly questioned the methodology of the U.S. News rankings, arguing that the quality of education students receive was not taken into account.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway said he had read a New York Times article last week on the controversy.
"I think everybody has a certain ambivalence about national rankings of the kind that U.S. News does," Hemenway said.
He advises students to read such rankings with caution.
"Reputations rise and fall," Hemenway said, adding that public opinion usually lagged years behind reality.
KU's Past Rankings
U. S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" rankings among the top 147 public institutions. KU's rankings through the years are (the lower the better):
2000:42
1999:38
1998:30
Reputations were an important consideration, he said, but they were nothing more than opinion.
The chancellor, with help from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, fills out surveys submitted by U.S. News.
A portion of those surveys asks for top administrators to rank the academic reputations of peer institutions.
Cerveny said students might have different criteria than a magazine's editorial board.
"What is ultimately important is how a prospective student and his family feel about the university," Cerveny said. "Each student will have their own criteria."
Last year, the University tied with Auburn (Ala.) University for 42nd place in the U.S. News rankings.
Hemenway said KU was expected to annually place in the ton tier of institutions.
"But we don't let the U.S. News ranking determine or substitute for our judgment on how we should create the best possible university we can be," Hemenway said.
Contact Smith at 864-4810
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