Presidents of 19 Top-Ranked Liberal-Arts Colleges Warn of ‘Inevitable Biases’ in Rankings

Critics of college rankings tend to use harsh words when describing U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of top colleges, and some have even called it evil (The Chronicle, June 29).

But the latest rhetorical entry in the rankings debate was relatively mild. On Friday, the presidents of 19 highly ranked liberal-arts colleges released a joint statement saying they were concerned about the “inevitable biases” in rankings formulas, and that rankings contribute to the “admissions frenzy.”

Because of those worries, the presidents said they had agreed to publish institutional data -- about class sizes, graduation rates, among other things -- on their colleges’ Web sites, instead of submitting such information exclusively to U.S. News and other publications that compile college guides. The presidents also said they would not mention the U.S. News or other rankings in “new” promotional materials because rankings “mislead the public into thinking that the complexities of American higher education can be reduced to one number.”

The statement did not mention when or if the college’s Web sites would reflect that change.

Signers of the letter included the presidents of Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellesley, Carleton, and Middlebury Colleges -- the six most highly rated institutions, respectively, in the latest U.S. News list of top liberal-arts institutions.

The names of those presidents were notably absent from a recent letter that was circulated by Lloyd Thacker, executive director of the Education Conservancy, in Portland, Ore., and signed by more than 60 college presidents. Mr. Thacker’s letter, too, had urged presidents to stop touting their college’s U.S. News ranking (The Chronicle, June 20). It also asked that signers stop completing the magazine’s reputational survey, and that they help develop alternatives to commercial rankings.

In last week’s statement, the 19 presidents described rankings as permanent fixtures, writing that “no degree of protest may make them soon disappear.” And while supporters of Mr. Thacker’s letter agreed to distance themselves from U.S. News, those who signed the new statement seemed to express an interest in working with the magazine to help “shape” its annual list.

Mr. Thacker had mixed opinions of the statement.

“While I applaud college presidents’ effort to cooperate in what they see as serving their public-interest charge,” Mr. Thacker said, “I’m disappointed if this is the best they can do, especially in times of high public cynicism about higher education.”

However, Robert J. Morse, director of data research at U.S. News, was encouraged by Friday’s statement.

“We are glad that these colleges want to work with us to make the rankings better,” said Mr. Morse. “We meet with colleges regularly to talk about improving the rankings, and we will continue to do so.”

Background articles from The Chronicle:

• The ‘U.S. News’ Rankings Roll On (9/7/2007)
• College Rankings From ‘U.S. News’ Change Little, but Response Rate to Reputational Survey Drops (8/17/2007)
• Annapolis Group Challenges ‘U.S. News’ Rankings (6/29/2007)
• Playing the Rankings Game (Special Report) (5/25/2007)
• 12 Presidents Sign Anti-Rankings Letter (5/18/2007)