<p>This morning on NBC's "The Today Show" they were announcing US New & World Report's College Rankings. They put up a graphic claiming to show the top schools, but it was only the top National Universities, with no mention of the top National Liberal Arts Colleges. This is irresponsible journalism and only serves to perpetuate the myth that you can get a first rate education only at a University. If you believe that the best education can be gained at an LAC, join me and write an email expressing your disappointment with their presentation of misleading information to:
<a href="mailto:Today@NBC.com">Today@NBC.com</a></p>
<p>Perhaps they heard you. It was mentioned on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news/#38746366[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news/#38746366</a></p>
<p>Fail on the part of Brian Williams for forgetting the other #4 LAC, which happens quite too often.</p>
<p>He actually mentioned that they made a mistake by failing to mention Wellesley in last night’s broadcast. So Middlebury was mentioned on two consecutive nights…</p>
<p>I’m glad to see that they appear to have responded (if only slightly). I posted the same comment on the CC pages for each of USN&WR other top ten LACs. I’m sure there were some positive responses, but I was surprised by the level of apathy. It seemed as though many students (I’m guessing they were students) had just resigned themselves to accepting the status quo. I’m glad to know not everyone feels that way.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>That’s because they know, in the end, these magazine rankings don’t mean anything. Fortune has rankings too and its rankings are completely different.</p>
<p>I’m not arguing for or against the rankings. I’m arguing for presenting an accurate version of the facts. The rankings rank both the top National Universities and the top National LACs. To report only the top Universities is an inaccurate representation of the facts.</p>
<p>This is why the Forbes rankings are a more representative concept than USNWR: Williams is #1 followed by Princeton at #2, etc. Since all are baccalaureate programs with the same prospects for either entering the work force or graduate/professional school, it seems ridiculous to segregate LAC’s from university programs. There are universities in the USNWR top 10 that do not hold a candle to several of the LAC’s in the top 10. BTW, using listings in Who’s Who in America is not that crazy: you have to have distinguished yourself in a pretty major way to be included.</p>
<p>It’s interesting how outstanding LACs like Reed that have refused to participate in the surveys that lead to the various rankings has seen it’s appeal go up in the years they stopped participating. In other words, without participating their selectivity continues to go up. </p>
<p>I do agree with Dad2 that LACs should not be separated from universities, but that doesn’t make the Forbes list meaningful. Their rankings make no sense at all. Here’s a pretty good article about the relevancy of ranking:</p>
<p>[5</a> Reasons Why Every Single College Ranking Is a Pile of Crap - The Consumerist](<a href=“http://consumerist.com/2010/08/5-reasons-why-every-single-college-ranking-ever-published-is-a-pile-of-crap.html]5”>http://consumerist.com/2010/08/5-reasons-why-every-single-college-ranking-ever-published-is-a-pile-of-crap.html)</p>