Schools on the rise

College Search & Selection
321

<p>

</p>

<p>You said it youself, USC has jumped something like 20 spots in the US News ranking… But, if you look carefully at my #1 Academic Up-and-Coming —> TOSU, there is no USNWR label. I don’t want to offend SC people here, all I would say is this: UCB is not world renown academically based merely on USNWR or its undergrad division, rather, it’s the school as a whole (undergrad, graduate, professional, research as well as faculties). In short, USC simply does not have the program depth nor resources when compared to Ohio State. In all fairness however, I thereby proclaim USC as the #1 Up-and-Coming “Private” University in the country! ;)</p>

<p>In truth, Michigan has $7.8 billion versus USC’s roughly $3.5 billion current endowment, yet USC ranks higher on USNWR. So, how much does endowment weigh in terms of overall academic? Why Michigan only spends 4.5% of its endowment annually? Do you really believe that USC is a better school than Michigan academically based on USNWR? In short, look into the NRC ratings, you may find some of the answers. Also, compare the academic strategic plan of both USC and tOSU, you will realize the major differences between the two.</p>

322

<p>food-for-thought:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>What is the status of USC’s $6-billion fundraising campaign?</p></li>
<li><p>Could USC eventually replace UCB as Stanford’s main academic rival?</p></li>
<li><p>Academically, has UCLA caught up with UCB?</p></li>
<li><p>Last but not least, has USC surpassed UCLA academically these days?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I would like to hear what you think. After all, it’s been awhile since I left Cali…</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for the reply! :)</p>

323

<p>My thoughts:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>They’re rivals in sense of only privates in Pac-12 and NorCal/SoCal. SC has a looooong way to go before matching Berkeley and Stanford in terms of faculty achievement and academic breadth and depth.</p></li>
<li><p>Nope. </p></li>
<li><p>Nope.</p></li>
</ol>

324

<p>Also related to 2. Rivalries are regional. SC wont be neighbors of the Bay Area for tens of millions of years…L.A. is sliding north.</p>

325

<p>Agreed with UCBChemEGrad, except I’d go further with #2 and say “nope” there as well. Anything’s possible, but that’s very very unlikely.</p>

<p>Re: #1, I think they’ve raised around $1.7 billion or so, but they went public with the campaign somewhat prematurely, so the $ they’re racking up now are probably what would have been in the quiet phase of the campaign; they won’t keep up that pace throughout the campaign. </p>

<p>Their endowment would be $8-10 billion by the end of the campaign, while the competitors they’re trying to overcome will be upwards of $20 billion. For each step that these universities take, their competitors will also take a step. That’s why I don’t think YPS will ever overtake H, and why elite higher education will probably look roughly the same even decades from now. For the little players to rise, big players have to fall, and I just don’t see that happening.</p>

326

<p>Thanks both UCBChemEGrad & phantasmagoric for the responses!! I just need some confirmation. After all, this recent USC hype has gotten me thinking twice these days. In fact, I have just read through 6 pages of “USC in 10 Years” by using CC search function, and gotten most of my questions answered. Cool! :)</p>

<p>Here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1234538-usc-10-years.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1234538-usc-10-years.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

327

<p>^ heh, well they’ve gotta have dreams right?</p>

<p>Here’s something interesting to compare - a [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v45/n31/budget98-99.html]document[/url”&gt;http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v45/n31/budget98-99.html]document[/url</a>] listing the largest endowments at the end of FY1998, with those of [url=&lt;a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment]today[/url”&gt;List of colleges and universities in the United States by endowment - Wikipedia]today[/url</a>]. There are a few cases where some universities bump past a couple others, a few cases where some bump past 1-2 (marginally), and only one case (Emory) that had a huge difference. If you look at them as % of each other’s endowments, there are some larger differences - Stanford’s used to be 1/3 of Harvard’s, but now is over half, Northwestern used to have less than Cornell, but now has 40% more, MIT used to be 2/3 of Princeton’s, but now is less than half, etc. But the top 20 is mostly constant. </p>

<p>So I still say that once you hit the top 25 or so, diminishing returns set in pretty hard and it’s nearly impossible to continue a legitimate rise, as competitors grow simultaneously.</p>

328

<p>“There are a few cases where some universities bump past a couple others, a few cases where some bump past 1-2 (marginally), and only one case (Emory) that had a huge difference.”</p>

<p>Michigan has also had a “huge difference” going from 2.3 billion to 7.8 billion in that same time span.</p>

329

<p>2011 Person of the Year by Ray Paprocki</p>

<p>Columbus’s most powerful man isn’t ready to wax poetic about his legacy. Instead, Les Wexner remains as focused as ever on the nuts and bolts of improving his hometown—a quest, as his record-setting $100 million donation to Ohio State highlights, that revolves around the transformation of his alma mater into a world-class institution.</p>

<p>Excerpt:</p>

<p>OSU’s future</p>

<p>As board chair, Wexner is Gee’s boss. But their relationship runs much deeper. They have been close friends since 1990, when Gee began his first tenure as OSU president (he left for Brown in 1997). And Wexner played a big role in 2007 in recruiting Gee back to lead Ohio State once more. In Gee’s office is a framed handwritten note from Wexner that reads: “Dear Gordon ‘But for’—Gordon Gee—The Ohio State University would not have received its first $100 million gift.”</p>

<p>Wexner served on the board during all of Gee’s first tenure at OSU. Gee says during that time, Wexner was more of a “house critic.” Now, he says, “He is a thoughtful, engaged leader.” (On the role of a board member, Wexner says, “You should not be a cheerleader.”)</p>

<p>They talk regularly, either by phone or during their standing personal appointment every other week. “We have a nice balance, a mutual respect,” Gee says. “We make good music.” But he adds: “He’s a force of nature. Not easy to disagree with him. Strong personality. So damn smart. He plants seeds. Asks probing questions.” Gee then begins to impersonate Wexner, waving one hand then tapping the tips of his fingers together while using a common Wexner phrase: “Now the way I would think about things. . . .”</p>

<p>Leadership and style are popular topics. Another is the future of Ohio State, which has embarked on several grand, transformative projects, including the
$1 billion medical center expansion, that $2.5 billion fundraising campaign and a comprehensive master plan.</p>

<p>In addition, OSU is trying to find ways to seek financial stability in an era of state and federal budget cutbacks and fierce global competition. It’s time to get creative. For example, Ohio State is looking to lease its parking operation to a private operator for at least $375 million to hire faculty, build facilities and fund scholarships. And this past fall it became the first public university to sell 100-year bonds, which raised $500 million to help finance building projects.</p>

<p>Wexner also talks about connecting the university to the business world—and not thinking about commercialization as a dirty word. “The best universities are really connected to world issues. The faculty wants to work with businesses. Students want to go to school where the best faculty are and want practical application,” he says. “The university is not a business, but they do run on money. Faculty members don’t get paid on thought.”</p>

<p>So, he says, why not focus on your strengths—medicine, research, engineering, agriculture, among others—to make money off royalties, joint ventures and such. Like others, he’s pushing for even more collaboration between OSU and its next door neighbor, Battelle, the world’s largest private research and development institution. “Every university would die to have” that kind of relationship, he says. He adds that he called Battelle CEO Jeff Wadsworth, who also sits on the OSU board of trustees, and suggested that the university’s school of engineering should bear the name of his institution. In an e-mail, Wadsworth writes, “We are actively exploring a number of joint initiatives, including a new joint OSU-Battelle innovation center. There are great opportunities between our institutions in engineering, health care, agriculture, and energy—and the education of the next generation of scientists and engineers in these fields.” </p>

<p>Wexner also responds to critics who think OSU is becoming too exclusive for a public college: It should be even more so. “In competing with other universities, we need to keep the best and brightest in the state, and attract the best and brightest to come here. And then keep them here when they graduate. It is not an elitist idea. Is [OSU’s] role to educate everybody? It can, but that’s not its role. Are we underserving the average student? Come to grips with that. Average students should go to an average school. It’s very important that Ohio State get better, not bigger, because that serves the needs of Ohio.”</p>

<p>Source: [2011</a> Person of the Year - Columbus Monthly - January 2012 - Columbus, Ohio](<a href=“http://www.columbusmonthly.com/January-2012/2011-Person-of-the-Year/]2011”>http://www.columbusmonthly.com/January-2012/2011-Person-of-the-Year/)</p>

330

<p>Large gifts quickly add up in Ohio University fundraising by By Encarnacion Pyle</p>

<p>Excerpt:</p>

<p>"Officials say they feel good about the prospects of reaching their goal, given that President E. Gordon Gee helped to raise $1.5 billion from fall 2007 to spring 2012 without an official public campaign.</p>

<p>“It helps when you have the world’s best fundraiser,” said Jeff Kaplan, OSU’s senior vice president for advancement.</p>

<p>Last year alone, a record 177,322 donors gave an unprecedented $259 million in private gifts and grants. Including pledges, Ohio State’s fundraising total was a record $407.6 million, an increase of nearly $282million from the year before. The growth was fueled largely by a $100 million gift from Limited Brands founder and past OSU board Chairman Leslie H. Wexner, his wife and the Limited Brands Foundation.</p>

<p>Ohio State also completed its “Students First, Students Now” financial-aid initiative last summer, raising $116 million — $16 million more than its goal.</p>

<p>And the school has switched gears on its fundraising approach for the Wexner Medical Center. Previous efforts focused on raising $75 million by 2014 toward the $1.1 billion expansion of the hospital, Kaplan said. The school has raised $56million, about 75 percent of goal.</p>

<p>Now, the university has set its sights on raising $800million to $1 billion by 2016 for all projects at the medical center, to appeal to donors who want to give to research and other health initiatives, not just the building."</p>

<p>Source: [Large</a> gifts quickly add up in Ohio University fundraising | The Columbus Dispatch](<a href=“http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/07/large-gifts-quickly-add-up-in-ohio-university-fundraising.html]Large”>http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/07/large-gifts-quickly-add-up-in-ohio-university-fundraising.html)</p>

331

<p>

</p>

<p>It is very difficult, but not impossible. Chicago has risen 10 positions within the top 15 in the last 6 years. </p>

<p>2006 … 15th
2007 … tied for 9th
2008 … tied for 9th
2009 … tied for 8th
2010 … tied for 8th
2011 … tied for 9th
2012 … tied for 5th</p>

<p>How has this happened?
Chicago increased undergraduate enrollment from ~3400 in 1992 to ~5100 today, even while:</p>

<ul>
<li>increasing 6-year graduation rates, from 81% in 1992 to 92% in 2010 (Ohio State: 78% in 2010)</li>
<li>increasing freshmen retention rates, from 87% in 1992 to 98% in 2010 (Ohio State: 93% in 2010)</li>
<li>reducing the admission rate, from 71% in 1992 to ~13% in 2012 (Ohio State: 68% in 2010)</li>
<li>increasing the percentage of classes with under 20 students, from 59% in 2005 to 78% in 2011 (Ohio State: 31.5% in 2010)</li>
<li>reducing the percentage of classes with 50 or more students, from 6% in 2005 to 4% in 2011, lowest among the top 20 national universities (Ohio State: 20.2% in 2010)</li>
<li>increasing its endowment from $3.24 billion in 2002 to $6.58 billion in 2011, for ~15,000 students (Ohio State: $2.12 billion in 2011, for ~57,000 students at Columbus)</li>
<li>improving its USNWR “financial resources” rank, from 19th in 2005 to 8th in 2011</li>
<li>improving its USNWR “faculty resources” rank, from 12th in 2005 to 2nd in 2011</li>
<li>increasing applications from 4100 in 1992 to over 19000 in 2010</li>
</ul>

<p>(<a href=“MIT Institutional Research”>MIT Institutional Research)</p>

332

<p>@tk21769,</p>

<p>

</p>

<ul>
<li>increasing 6-year graduation rates, from 81% in 1992 to 92% in 2010 (Ohio State: 78% in 2010)</li>
</ul>

<p>TOSU 2011 6-year Graduation Rate: 80%; 82% 2012
TOSU 2011 4-year Graduation Rate: 60%; 68% 2012</p>

<p>

</p>

<ul>
<li>increasing freshmen retention rates, from 87% in 1992 to 98% in 2010 (Ohio State: 93% in 2010)</li>
</ul>

<p>TOSU 2011 Freshmen Retention Rate: 94%; 95% 2012</p>

<ul>
<li>reducing the admission rate, from 71% in 1992 to ~13% in 2012 (Ohio State: 68% in 2010)</li>
</ul>

<p>TOSU 2011 Admission Rate: 55%; 50% 2012; Comm App 2013</p>

<ul>
<li>increasing the percentage of classes with under 20 students, from 59% in 2005 to 78% in 2011 (Ohio State: 31.5% in 2010)</li>
</ul>

<p>300 Additional faculties to be hired by 2020.</p>

<ul>
<li>reducing the percentage of classes with 50 or more students, from 6% in 2005 to 4% in 2011, lowest among the top 20 national universities (Ohio State: 20.2% in 2010)</li>
</ul>

<p>Same as above.</p>

<ul>
<li>increasing its endowment from $3.24 billion in 2002 to $6.58 billion in 2011, for ~15,000 students (Ohio State: $2.12 billion in 2011, for ~57,000 students at Columbus)</li>
</ul>

<p>TOSU with 4.1 billion Cash Flow in addition to $1.4 billion gift to its endowment and the up coming official $2.5 billion fundraising campaign this fall. Plus, the $1 billion Wexner Medical Center research endowment by 2016.</p>

<ul>
<li>improving its USNWR “financial resources” rank, from 19th in 2005 to 8th in 2011</li>
</ul>

<p>

</p>

<p>TOSU recently increased financial aid by $50 million.</p>

<ul>
<li>improving its USNWR “faculty resources” rank, from 12th in 2005 to 2nd in 2011</li>
</ul>

<p>TOSU’s faculty compensation is now tied with Michigan.</p>

<ul>
<li>increasing applications from 4100 in 1992 to over 19000 in 2010</li>
</ul>

<p>Year / Acceptance Rate / # of Applicants / 50% ACT</p>

<p>2009 72% 20,000, 25-29
2010 68% 25,000, 26-30
2011 55% 30,000, 26-31
2012 50% 33,000, 27-31 (Approximation, pending on official CDS release)
2013 45% 40,000 (Common App), including 10% enrollment increase. ACT 28-32 Prediction
2014 42% 44,000 (2nd year Common App with 10% applicant increase), ACT 28-33 Prediction
2015 40% 47,000 (3rd year Common App with 7% applicant increase), ACT 29-33 Prediction
2016 38% 50,000; ACT 30-33 Prediction
*Also by 2016 - “$1-Billion Dormitory Project Completion” which includes South Campus, North Campus & West Campus Towers. (All Sophomores are required to live in the dorms)
2017-2018 35% 55,000; ACT 30-34 Prediction
2019-2020 32% 60,000; ACT 31-34 Prediction
2020-2025 28% 70,000; ACT 31-35 Prediction</p>

<p>Well, with all these academic advancements, I ask not Top-15, but expect tOSU to be ranked between #20 to #30 on USNWR by 2020. Go Bucks! :)</p>

333

<p>So, as I had predicted, the integration between Battelle and its next door neighbor - tOSU has begun… (Thanks to our active billionaire alum / board chair - Mr. Wexner who recently recruited the CEO of Battelle to sit on the OSU board of trustees. :D)</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Battelle Memorial Institute, R&D organization that manages SEVEN large U.S. national laboratories headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.</p>

<p>In addition to operating three of its own research facilities, as of 2010, Battelle manages or co-manages on behalf of the United States Department of Energy the following national laboratories:</p>

<p>* * Brookhaven National Laboratory
* Idaho National Laboratory
* National Renewable Energy Laboratory
* Oak Ridge National Laboratory
* Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
* Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
* National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center
*
Battelle provides funds for a public policy research center at The Ohio State University to focus on scholarly questions associated with science and technology policy. The Battelle Center for Science and Technology Policy began official operation in July 2011.</p>

<p>Go Bucks!! :)</p>

334

<p>tk21769, re: Chicago’s rise, I wasn’t talking so much of US News rank changes (which aren’t real changes; they’re revenue-driving changes), but rather of financial resources as measured by endowment. Chicago went from being in the top 15 to being #12, so it would fall under the small handful of universities that have bumped past a couple of others, as I outlined before. As many university leaders have indicated, universities change at glacial speeds, so any supposed rise in USNWR ranks in the last 5 years is inconsequential.</p>

<p>You’re right that it’s not impossible to continue a legitimate rise once you hit the top 25. It is very hard though. If you look at the endowments in 1998 vs. 2011, most schools are stalled in the same bracket they were at 13 years ago. Endowments are of course only a small piece of the operating budgets, and only a small handful are supported largely by their endowments. And while year-to-year changes in USNWR aren’t important, when averaged over the years, it is a generally accurate representation of the realistic position of a university relative to its peers (in terms of financial resources, which ultimately decide most aspects of a university). In that vein, there are plenty of examples where universities on the rise, in financial resources, have run out of gas within a certain range. Vanderbilt, Emory, WUStL, and the like are stalled in the top 15-20. Northwestern and JHU are stalled in the top 10-15. Schools like Duke and Penn are stalled in the top 6-10. Neither has been able to crack the top 5 (not in USNWR of course). Stanford is one of the few that has managed to break into that group, but that’s a rather freak occurrence in academia, and I think most would agree Stanford is odd, given that it’s the youngest of the top 20 and rose with a once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon, Silicon Valley.</p>

<p>In short, I still think that continuing a legitimate rise in ranks (where USNWR is not included as ‘legitimate’) past the top 20 or 25 is nearly impossible: diminishing returns, competitor advantages, and the slow push-and-pull of market cycles make it so. One way this might change is with intervention from the government, i.e. legislating on endowments, which is entirely possible. The other way is with the rise of something like Silicon Valley, which nobody saw coming; presumably we wouldn’t see such a phenomenon coming in the future.</p>

335

<p>Appalachian State anyone? It’s a regional college so of course nobody has heard of it, but:</p>

<p>Applicants: WAY UP
Acceptance Rate: Up, but that’s because the campus has been expanding programs, Admissions standards: Average GPA, SAT, and Class Rank are up.
Invited to NC Research Campus, the only one that isn’t a doctoral research school.
Growth has allowed for significant construction, renovation, and campus beautification
One of the best college radio station in the country
Boone consistently recognized as one of the best college towns.</p>

<p>App used to be just a local school that hardly received notice any further than the western half of the state. Now it has significant state-wide and even regional appeal.</p>

336

<p>[College</a> rankings inflation: Are you overpaying for prestige? - Education - AEI](<a href=“http://www.aei.org/outlook/education/higher-education/consumer-information/college-rankings-inflation-are-you-overpaying-for-prestige/]College”>http://www.aei.org/outlook/education/higher-education/consumer-information/college-rankings-inflation-are-you-overpaying-for-prestige/)</p>

337

<p>^^

</p>

<p>hmm… interesting read!! Perhaps it’s time for Ohio State & Wisconsin to consider raising their OOS tuition to the level of Cal & Michigan in order to attract more applications… :p</p>

<p>[Commentary:</a> Ohio State students deserve an explanation for tuition increase - Campus - The Lantern - Ohio State University](<a href=“http://www.thelantern.com/campus/commentary-ohio-state-students-deserve-an-explanation-for-tuition-increase-1.2874850]Commentary:”>http://www.thelantern.com/campus/commentary-ohio-state-students-deserve-an-explanation-for-tuition-increase-1.2874850)</p>

338

<p>“App used to be just a local school that hardly received notice any further than the western half of the state. Now it has significant state-wide and even regional appeal.”</p>

<p>I think ASU owes a debt of gratitude to The University of Michigan for putting it on the map. Ugh. ;-)</p>

339

<p>“Perhaps it’s time for Ohio State & Wisconsin to consider raising their OOS tuition to the level of Cal & Michigan in order to attract more applications…”</p>

<p>Good luck with that at OSU. LOL</p>

340

<p>

</p>

<p>Wait…! I thought tOSU is already receiving roughly the same amount of applications compared to Michigan prior to joining Comm App. The fact that the overall population in the State of Ohio is not much more than that of Michigan. How is this even possible? I thought Michigan is all that and more, no? :p</p>

<p>*TOSU however, regularly enrolls roughly 6800 freshman class vs around 6500 of Michigan.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.michigandaily.com/news/u-enrolls-largest-class-ever[/url]”>http://www.michigandaily.com/news/u-enrolls-largest-class-ever&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;