<p>US News college ranking trends (since 2010-11):</p>
<p><a href=“http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/us-news-college-ranking-trends/1292/”>http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/us-news-college-ranking-trends/1292/</a></p>
<p>UA is currently going through massive growth, until it reaches equilibrium, I expect the rankings will keep on bouncing. Undergraduate enrollment has gone from 16K in 2003-2004 to 29.4K in 2013-2014. </p>
<p>Mizzou has been a member since 1908! What politics are you referring to?</p>
<p>And, yes, I stand corrected–admission to AAU is by invitation only. Glancing over the requirements for consideration, I think getting an invitation would require a major expansion in doctoral programs at UA, along with a huge infusion in research dollars. Probably not in the cards anytime soon, given the cutbacks in government funding.</p>
<p>And I really thought “Alabaman” was acceptable usage, as it’s seen quite routinely in major news publications, but I will be sure to use “Alabamian” when in Alabama!</p>
<p>Wow, I guess all Alabamians and other students from the South aren’t responsible for contributing only low test scores that limit them to the mercy of attending in state after all. I would imagine that there are a few OOS students at Bama with low test scores in the mix as well…parents with deep pockets, some athletes (not all of course), etc.</p>
<p>While sorting through my current senior’s piles of mail inviting her to apply for very competitive programs and scholarships, I came across this very nice scholarship. Guess what? There are several Alabamians and other students from the South of all places who are current recipients of the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship valued at over $240.000. Needless to say, it is highly competitive. There’s even a student from Tuscaloosa and another from Vestavia Hills. Imagine that!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/sites/default/files/pages/JSF%20Class%20of%202018.pdf”>http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/sites/default/files/pages/JSF%20Class%20of%202018.pdf</a></p>
<p>The Scholarship
Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia is a place where producing leaders for a self-governing people has always been a primary goal. The undergraduate scholarship program has been attracting and cultivating undergraduate leaders since 1980, providing them sufficient financial support so that they are free to develop their talents and to use them for the good of the University community. </p>
<p>Award - Intended to cover the entire cost of attendance for four years at the University of Virginia plus coverage of the supplemental enrichment experiences</p>
<p>Total value of the scholarship exceeds:</p>
<p>$240,000 for non-Virginian students</p>
<p>Lucky post #13 ^^^ “We aren’t all racists anymore because we never were all racists.” L-O-V-E IT!!! Roll Tide!!!</p>
<p>LucietheLake, I didn’t know Mizzou had been a member since the early part of the 20th century. I was thinking of its ranking today, which is below UA, correct? Maybe it used to be a real research powerhouse. I dunno. </p>
<p>bamagirls, I don’t believe anyone said that there were no intelligent persons in Alabama. But it is a bit a problem if UA is trying to become a more elite school like Michigan, Cal, UVA and low scoring students have no problem getting an acceptance letter. I agree that they need tighten up the minimums for getting in UA. If we can be honest, there is a dearth of high scoring students in Alabama high schools, so bringing in even more OOS students may be the only way to up the minimums.
I’m still not sure what UA’s game plan is long term. Maybe they want to pull in the high achievers and slowly tighten the admission standards. I think they need to focus on marketing their top third to companies so that UA is a place they think about when it comes to hiring interns and graduates.</p>
<p>It would be a good idea if the State government in Alabama put more money and emphasis on quality education for its K-12 programs. “Thank God for Mississippi” is not a good motto for educating your kids.</p>
<p>Thanks, riverbirch, I can read. I don’t believe any of my posts accused anyone of saying that.</p>
<p>I’ll spell out my thoughts on this. Alabama, like any other state, obviously has room for improvement within its schools. It is almost comical though how some of you seem to think you have all the answers as to what may be broken and how to fix it within the Alabama school system. Unless you have firsthand knowledge of the system I doubt that you do. Money doesn’t solve all issues anywhere. It never has.</p>
<p>Having an opinion is one thing, but unless you have solved all of the issues within your home state, I doubt Alabamians appreciate the attitude of knowing how to fix any issues in Alabama. I know I don’t. I usually don’t post my opinion about it, but some of you are pretty full of yourselves.</p>
<p>
Sarcasm or pot calling kettle black?</p>
<p>
Agree!</p>
<p>You’re welcome to interpret it however you wish, but it wasn’t sarcasm. Anyone who disagrees may feel free to do so or to share their firsthand experience within the Alabama public school system that qualifies them to identify and solve issues for Alabamians. They could also share how they have already solved all of the issues within their home state. I have firsthand experience as a product of the public schools in Alabama, specifically Tuscaloosa, I volunteer in the system from time to time and I have for years now. I have relatives teaching in Tuscaloosa City Schools, and I have experience in school administration. I’m not the one claiming to have all the answers, so I don’t consider myself a pot or a kettle. Expressing an opinion is one thing, but some of you go way beyond that as if you have all the answers.</p>
<p>Bamagirl is right. CA now has a worse educational performance among its children than Alabama. Yet, I think their schools are better funded. DC spends far more per pupil that does Alabama, but has worse schools. There is still a lot of poverty, especially among the Black population in Alabama, and some of the intervention by the state to correct that has just made things worse! I don’t have the answer, but I do agree that UA needs to continue to increase its standards. Just be prepared for severe criticism if the percentage of Blacks enrolled at UA declines as a result of higher standards. I believe the entrance exam scores of Alabama students can improve, but it will take a major push, and a lot of honesty about the correctable factors behind the lower scores. Nevertheless, UA will not be able to escape scrutiny the way other schools do should its enrollment of Black students declines. </p>
<p>^^ @WAPacker When DS and I attended the Honors College recruitment day last year Dean Sharpe said that UA had hired someone work on this specifically.</p>
<p>@bamagirls I think I will go with the sarcasm then. It plays better.</p>
<p>@albionGirl Thanks. That is good to know.</p>
<p>@bamagirls Actually although “money doesn’t solve all issues anywhere” it would help quite a bit to moving up the USNWR rankings if that is one’s goal. See all the discussion of Northeastern University “gaming” the system to move up the rankings. However, the rankings must be taken for what they are, just one entities estimate and determination of how to place schools on a continuum. </p>
<p>Personally, I do not see much of a difference between each 20-30 places between schools. Look at the list of schools ranked 1-30 are any one of them that much better from each other, same goes for schools ranked 31-60 and so on. To me it’s like ranking high school students at a very good high school. The top students have a 4.0 GPA but the 100th ranked student has 3.8 GPA. Is there really that much of a distinction between the top students and the 100th ranked student. IMO “NO” is my answer. </p>
<p>As to @riverbirch wanting to up the testing score minimums, there are consequences for a public state institution in doing so, such as lowering the availability of UA to many of its low SES and minority students who generally have lower test scores which may not be the goal of UA. @Gator88NE points out that UA has nearly doubled undergraduate enrollment within the last 10 years with a lot of this increase is with high stat OOS students since President Witt’s started UA on its mission to increase enrollment with quality students. But UA has done so without making the UA unavailable to instate high school students with lower test scores. This explains why UA has a such a wide 25%-75% ACT distribution range and why as M2CK points out that 30% of UA students have an ACT of 30 or better and why the average ACT is 26.</p>
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<p>For all we know, @Atlanta68, Mizzou could get booted out of the AAU any day now, but at present its Carnegie Classification is “RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity).” Alabama’s is “RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity).”</p>
<p>I’m guessing to be considered for AAU inclusion, an institution needs to have, at the minimum, RU/VH status:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And it appears the University of Oregon is at risk of losing its AAU membership, @paul2752:</p>
<p><a href=“Oregon State more deserving than U of Oregon to be on elite list of best U.S. research universities, study says - oregonlive.com”>Oregon State more deserving than U of Oregon to be on elite list of best U.S. research universities, study says - oregonlive.com;
<p>But it also appears the AAU is receiving some backlash for its “old boy” tendencies. The centrist New America Foundation has gone after them, publishing a policy brief entitled "BUILDING A NEW AAU: The Case for Redefining Higher Education Excellence " this past June. </p>
<p>Apparently, along with Nebraska, members of the AAU conspired to oust Syracuse for spending too much money on low-income students and the wrong (i.e., non-federal) research projects. NAF is proposing a “New AAU,” which UA would have a much better chance at gaining entrance into. (UAB is, in fact, among its “new members.”)</p>
<p>The whole thing is a fascinating read and they specifically address Mizzou’s situation on p. 13!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/NewAAU-20140602.pdf”>http://www.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/NewAAU-20140602.pdf</a></p>
<p>I’m not saying there isn’t a need for well spent $, voiceofreason, so I don’t necessarily disagree with you. What I am saying is that no public or private school system is able to solve all issues of student achievement regardless of the amount of $ spent. Parental involvement, family dynamics, and the situation in which a child lives plays an important role in the success of the student, the school, and the community. My statement is not directed at any single population or directly at schools in Alabama either. No program or amount of $ will change that within any community.</p>
<p>And IF any student who voted illegally in the local school board election by falsifying their address or the length of their residency did so solely for the purpose of personal gain or political gain of any candidate without careful consideration of the impact on the community, that certainly didn’t help either.</p>
<p>@packer. Whatever. I stand by my statements and you;re still free to share your firsthand knowledge and how you solved any issues at home.</p>