*Colleges on the Rise*

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello fellow CCrs,</p>

<p>I had recently read a thread about colleges that seem to be moving up in the categories of academic rigor, professor ratings, and overall prestige (excluding ivies and the dukes/stanfords/mits/uchicagos/vandys/northwesterns of the college realm etc.) but all I came across were the typical alma-mater die hards that provided no facts at all. Now let me get this out there, the schools listed below are entirely based on my opinion through the word of mouth, little to no research and if you wish to add a school to the list that is fine.</p>

<p>University of Richmond
William and Mary
Tulane University
UVA
Bucknell University
Lehigh University
Wake Forest University
Washington University of St. Louis</p>

<p>I want to see what other people think and what schools they would add to the list. If anybody out there has some solid facts and research that back up their opinions of how a school is showing an upward trend in the categories listed above, I would love to hear what you have to say.</p>

2

<p>William & Mary and UVa to a smaller extent have suffered a series of large cuts in state funding requiring cuts in faculty and staff. At best they are staying even. Same for the rest to a lesser extent. Tulane cut entire colleges and majors. Hard to say that makes it better. They cut the majors that are expensive to offer.</p>

3

<p>I disagree with barrons. Sure, WM and UVA have suffered cuts, but they have also raised tuition. So in the end, their funding stays about even. I dont know where he got information about “cuts in faculty and staff”.</p>

4

<p>From the news</p>

<p>[W&M</a> Board Votes for Mid-Year Tuition Hike, Layoffs to Balance Budget](<a href=“http://www.wydaily.com/local-news/3457-wam-board-votes-for-mid-year-tuition-hike-layoffs-to-balance-budget.html]W&M”>http://www.wydaily.com/local-news/3457-wam-board-votes-for-mid-year-tuition-hike-layoffs-to-balance-budget.html)</p>

<p>"The Virginia Gazette - News - Profs say cuts affecting classroom</p>

<p>"Even before Friday’s announcement that cuts in state funding will force 12 layoffs among 31 jobs to be eliminated at the College of William & Mary, two professors told the Board of Visitors this week that the effect of dwindling budgets is already being felt in the classroom.</p>

<p>“We really are pushed right now to the limits because of these cuts,” Biology Department chair Lizabeth Allison told the board on Thursday.</p>

<p>Allison noted that the cancellation of tenure-eligible faculty searches has forced the college to bring in adjunct professors, or hire professors on one-year contracts to fill in. That, she explained, results in a loss of mentoring, loss of faculty committee work and an overarching concern about the quality of specific majors or academic programs.</p>

<p>History Department chairman Phil Daileader agreed.</p>

<p>“William and Mary is simply not the school it was two years ago.” </p>

<p>Biology-UVA<br>
Biology ranks number 42 in USNWR, on the same level as Purdue, Penn State and Ohio<br>
State, but well below UNC (number 26). The TT Faculty numbers 27, unbelievably the<br>
same since 1968. We are told that this is only 65% of the size of the median for top 20<br>
Biology Departments (as may be true for other several other CLAS science departments).<br>
There were no retirements or hires for 10 years until one senior and two junior faculty<br>
were recruited this past year. Rundown bio labs reflect the low ranking.<br>
Overcoming a History of Disappointment: Without knowing if the faculty comments are<br>
justified or not, The Washington Advisory Group needs to report a widespread sense of<br>
malaise and frustration in the science faculty within CLAS. It derives from the feeling<br>
that UVA’s low standing as a ranking research university is due to a long history of<br>
comparatively low priority for science in the allocation of internal funds.<br>
Various strategic planning efforts in the recent past (and underway now) have not helped<br>
the situation. Stated goals from previous planning efforts, including projected hiring and<br>
fund raising plans, failed to materialize as advertised, leaving departments frustrated and<br>
faculty unwilling to contribute more time to efforts perceived as being unable to achieve<br>
tangible results that benefit their department or their work.<br>
When departments and their faculty members perceive themselves to be unrecognized by<br>
the university’s leadership, strategic planning suffers because the main incentives become<br>
to protect current, limited assets rather than to seriously plan for the future. This is a<br>
serious matter at UVA. For example, too many research-active faculty members we<br>
interviewed expressed no knowledge of, or any particular interest in the ongoing<br>
activities of “the Commission” which is currently planning initiatives for the university’s<br>
ongoing major fund raising drive. These faculty members are dubious of top-down<br>
efforts to define research directions with token requests for faculty input. Such<br>
approaches are often too-little/too-late and can alienate dedicated faculty members.<br>
Indeed, the accumulated frustrations over unfulfilled growth plans, unsolicited strategic<br>
research directions promulgated by the university, and perceived minimal efforts for<br>
significant involvement of faculty in actual planning exercises, prompted some<br>
individuals we interviewed to propose separation of their departments from CLAS. We<br>
do not think that such a separation will enhance the research stature of UVA, or that it has<br>
significant support, but mention it here as evidence of the beginning of a breakdown in<br>
trust between university administrators and a number of science faculty members that<br>
deserves attention by all concerned. Regaining a sense of teamwork and trust among all<br>
the science departments in CLAS should be an important objective for the new dean and<br>
provost.</p>

5

<p>University of Southern California has made a dramatic rise in the last decade. It will be interesting to see what happens with Steven Sample’s retirement, and how much further they can go up the US News ladder.</p>

6

<p>USC would be one. Probably the biggest jumper of all. Maybe Chicago after them.</p>

7

<p>tl;dr barrons. They still made rises. Not sure how 1 round of layoffs at WM means both UVA and WM are on the decline.</p>

<p>Nice logic, buddy. Not.</p>

8

<p>I said they are staying even. There’s more stuff on both but I did not want to waste that much time or space posting every article. Nothing wrong with staying even these days.</p>

9

<p>I’d disagree with Tulane University, purely based on local reputation/word of mouth. Basically a third of my grade applied this year and EVERYONE got accepted-- a lot of them had low SATs, but didn’t need financial aid. I heard Tulane really wants to attract people to the school because everyone’s being touchy about hurricanes and the money issues.</p>

10

<p>“At best they are staying even.”</p>

<p>So you are implying that they are probably declining? I’d disagree. That’s all.</p>

<p>UVA and WM were like normal flagships 10-20 years ago (in VA perception). Nowadays, because of the economy and stuff, a lot more qualified applicants are applying to the in state schools especially UVA and WM. So now it’s a pretty big deal to be accepted.</p>

11

<p>I don’t believe barrons believes that the student quality of WM and UVA is declining. I believe he feels the academic quality is not improving.</p>

12

<p>It seems most private schools rise at USNWR and most publics stay the same or drop. There is no doubt in my mind that USNWR’s criteria favors privates. I just wish they would be honest already and admit that the variables they use are intended to do just that.</p>

13

<p>I say the academic quality reflects on the student body. Smart students go to good schools, generally.</p>

14

<p>Smart 17-18 year olds are not perfectly informed either. You think the following info is common knowledge? Obviously the student stats speak for themselves however:</p>

<p>“The reason for this dichotomy between education and research attainment seems to be the<br>
fact that most science and engineering departments at UVA have remained static or have<br>
actually decreased in faculty size since 1990. We are told that this may have been due to<br>
wrong judgments, to State funding crises and/or bias of some earlier administrators in<br>
favor of humanities rather than science and engineering.”</p>

<p>UVa internal document 2007 </p>

<p>The recent period of reduced and flat budgets and hiring freezes hurt the science<br>
departments at UVA, some more than others. In several cases, departments feel they are<br>
“playing catch-up” and request the resources and faculty lines to regain the sizes they<br>
previously had. We are persuaded that in all cases, there are good strategic arguments<br>
being made based on new scientific directions and current strengths to justify requests for<br>
additional positions. Likewise, departments that fared better during the period of extreme<br>
fiscal constraint also see faculty growth as being essential to retaining or improving their<br>
current national rankings. In both categories, growth in research-active faculty is being<br>
requested. Such growth, if adequate in number, funded and managed well, is probably<br>
the single most important step that can be taken to improve the standing of<br>
UVA’s CLAS science departments.</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>It is likely that these variables favor schools with strong undergraduate systems which tend to be private. This is necessarily not a bad thing. Its a no-brainer than large publics are not usually the best environment for undergraduate studies.</p>

16

<p>I think an undergrad atmosphere that requires some personal resourcefulness, gumption, and the ability to be proactive would be better training for real life than a soft coddled atmosphere.</p>

17

<p>I disagree on the premise that these schools were ever down. W&M, Wash U, UVirginia, Wake Forest have been considered great school for decades, even centuries. Only in the silly era of USNWR marketing have these schools ever been considered “down”.</p>

18

<p>While W&M has a very long history is was not without severe problems so maybe a century of great history would be more accurate. At least in the current form.</p>

<p>"Following restoration of the Union, Virginia was destitute from the War. The College’s 16th president, Benjamin Stoddert Ewell, finally reopened the school in 1869 using his personal funds but the College closed in 1882 due to lack of funds. In 1888, William & Mary resumed operations under a substitute charter when the Commonwealth of Virginia passed an act[19] appropriating $10,000 to support the College as a state teacher-training institution. Lyon Gardiner Tyler (son of US President and alumnus John Tyler) became the 17th president of the College following President Ewell’s retirement. Tyler, along with 18th president J.A.C. Chandler, expanded the College into a modern institution. In March 1906, the General Assembly passed an act taking over the grounds of the colonial institution, and it has remained publicly supported ever since</p>

19

<ol>
<li>The Ohio State University - Columbus </li>
</ol>

<p>“Up-and-Coming” University 3 years in a row on USNWR
Multi-Billion $ Fundraising Campaign set to kick-off in 2011 w/ Billionaire alum - Leslie Wexner as Chair of the Committe
Master Campus Framework by Sasaki Associates (underconstruction)
Leading by the most experienced College President in the nation (E. Gordon Gee)
Some of the best facilities in the country (Main Library, Union, RPAC…,etc.)
Freshman admission continues to be ever more selective</p>

<ol>
<li>University of Nebraska - Lincoln</li>
</ol>

<p>Part of CIC starting 2011 - The premier academic consortium in the country
$800 million Campus Innovation Research Park (underconstruction)
Billionaire alum - Warren Buffett (Oracle of Omaha) has its back $$$</p>

<ol>
<li>Michigan State University - E. Lansing (Sparta)</li>
</ol>

<p>$650 milllion FRIB NSCL (underconstruction) - The Mecca of Nuclear Physics
which will include additional $100 million per year funding both from DOE & NSF
$50+ million Zaha Hadid’s Broad Art Museum (underconstruction) w/ additional $100 million art works on loan from Billionaire alum - Eli Broad once completed
New Residential College (Arts & Humanity) established &
Medical School/Center Opened at Grand Rapid Campus</p>

20

<p>Sparkeye: What’s going on with MSU basketball and OSU football? You must be in shock!</p>