College Rankings Go Global
Strangely enough, just as universities in the United States are starting to question the validity of college rankings such as those published by U.S. News & World Report, colleges around the globe are starting to want to get in on the craze.
According to an April 18, 2007 article written by Martin Van Der Werf, titled “As College Rankings Catch On Worldwide, Report Calls for More Analysis and Cooperation,” that appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “College rankings like those published by U.S. News & World Report are spreading across the globe in response to customer demand, but they vary widely in what they try to measure and how they measure it, says a new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy.”
Call for Global Cooperation among College Ranking Researchers
Apparently, the reason that the ranks trend is catching on is because it is being touted as another form of accountability; however, at the same time the Institute for Higher Education Policy also is calling for research into how and if these ranks affect the quality of higher education.
In his article, Van Der Werf quoted Jamie P. Merisotis, the president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, as saying, “‘Magazine and newspaper ranking systems have clearly emerged as the third dimension of the higher-education accountability marketplace, complementing what takes place through private accreditation and government regulation. With more than 20 different nations now engaged in some form of rankings that are regularly published, it is clear they are popular and here to stay.’”
How Are the Rankings Compiled?
Over the years, U.S. News & World Report has updated and changed the way that it ranks colleges; however, there is still some concern that its method may be too simple. Van Der Werf reported, “The U.S. News rankings, first published in 1983, have acquired a long list of campus-based detractors who find them simplistic. They have been updated several times, and now use data in six general areas, and combine that information with results from a survey of the perceived quality of institutions to come up with an overall rank.”
The report, consisting of three different papers, is titled “College and University Ranking Systems: Global Perspectives and American Challenges.” In his article, Van Der Werf outlined the three papers as such:
“One is a history of the U.S. News rankings written by Alvin P. Sanoff, who was managing editor of the rankings from 1992 to 1998. He says the rankings began as a marketing device for the magazine, but captured the public’s attention in a way unforeseen by the editors, primarily because of the increasing cost of higher education and the desire by students and parents to differentiate between colleges.
“Another paper, by Alex Usher and Massimo Savino, both of the Educational Policy Institute, summarizes both the major rankings in other countries and the growing trend toward comparing universities across borders to arrive at international rankings.
“The final paper, by Marguerite Clarke, argues that rankings have increased the stratification of higher education because universities, attempting to better their places, use their limited financial aid to ‘buy’ higher quality students. Poorer, less prepared students will therefore be consigned to attend less selective institutions. Ms. Clarke is an international education consultant, and an adjunct lecturer in education at Flinders University, in Australia.”
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Student Loan Girl