US News and World Report - Best Colleges 2011

[zumbro clones]

US News and World Report - Best Colleges 2011

ISU comes in at #94

Iowa State University - Best College - Education - US News

[SCNCY]

We've done nothing but move further down on that list. I think in 2006 we were in the low 80's.

[thatguy]

We've done nothing but move further down on that list. I think in 2006 we were in the low 80's.

that is including all the private schools. We are in the 40's in public schools which is up from last year.

[Tornado man]

Now we're behind Alabama and Auburn - so much for looking down our nose academically at the SEC...

[cyclone13]

Backlash building against college rankings - Business - Personal finance - msnbc.com

Interesting story. But it doesn't cloud the fact that there are things ISU can improve.

[Judoka]

US News and World Report - Best Colleges 2011

ISU comes in at #94

Iowa State University - Best College - Education - US News

Glancing through, it looks like we are outranked by Texas and Baylor, and tied with Mizzu in the rankings.

Overall this is a much more legit list than the Forbes one.

[thatguy]

Glancing through, it looks like we are outranked by Texas and Baylor, and tied with Mizzu in the rankings.

Overall this is a much more legit list than the Forbes one.

in the Big 12 A&M, Texas, Baylor and CU are above us

everyone else is below us.

[edr247]

Glancing through, it looks like we are outranked by Texas and Baylor, and tied with Mizzu in the rankings.

Overall this is a much more legit list than the Forbes one.

I know I wasn't a fan of their old methodology (neither were a lot of people), but I think they've changed the way they've done things. I'll wait till I get my hands on a copy of the magazine, as I don't think you can really access anything without paying for it online...

[jbhtexas]

Now we're behind Alabama and Auburn - so much for looking down our nose academically at the SEC...

Quick math...

Big 12 average: 100.3
Big 12 average w/o NU and CU: 101.3
SEC average: 106.6

Vanderbilt pulls the SEC up quite a bit. Without Vandy, the SEC average is 114.7

Drop TT from the Big 12 and the average drops to 94.9.

[edr247]

Quick math...

Big 12 average: 100.3
Big 12 average w/o NU and CU: 101.3
SEC average: 106.6

Vanderbilt pulls the SEC up quite a bit. Without Vandy, the SEC average is 114.7

Drop TT from the Big 12 and the average drops to 94.9.

Also, remember that just because schools like Florida or LSU or Alabama are ranked well, it doesn't necessarily mean that the academics for student athletes (and more specifically with football players) matches that ranking.

[cyclone13]

There are several criteria that are subjective: high school counselor's perspective, assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student selectivity, etc.
Couple of things that work against us: financial resources, alumni giving to name a few

[edr247]

There are several criteria that are subjective: high school counselor's perspective, assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student selectivity, etc.
Couple of things that work against us: financial resources, alumni giving to name a few

Alumni giving is only 5 percent, right? But I agree that many of the criteria would work against smaller schools (large schools being schools like Michigan, Florida, Texas, etc). It's not ALWAYS the case, but I think there is a benefit to being a larger state school. Or maybe a larger famous state school.

Anyway, if we look at JUST the public "national universities" for the Big 10, Big 12 and SEC (essentially take out Northwestern, Baylor and Vandy, if I'm not mistaken), this is how things shake out...

1. Michigan 4
2. Wisky 13
3. Texas 13
4. Illinois 15
5. PSU 15
6. Florida 17
7. OSU 18
8. Purdue 18
9. Georgia 18
10. A&M 22
11. Minny 23
12. Iowa 29
13. Indiana 32
14. MSU 34
15. Bama 34
16. Auburn 38
17. Colorado 39
18. ISU 41
19. Mizzou 41
20. Kansas 47
21. Nebraska 47
22. Tenn 47
23. Okla 52
24. S. Car 52
25. LSU 60
26. Kentucky 63
27. KSU 66
28. OkSU 66
29. Arkansas 66
30. TT 72
31. Ole Miss 72
32. Miss SU 79

Note: I'll add the Pac-10, Big East and ACC public "national universities" later

[jsmith86]

2 things that probably hurt us in the ranking:

1. School Selectivity (15 percent of the total ranking) Compared to a lot of the schools on there , we aren't selective at all.

2.Faculty Salary (35% of the Faculty Resources rank which is 20% of total, so about 7% of the total rank) This seems like a gimme for the universities with attached med schools and law schools.


Not saying either of these is bad, just observations.

[weR138]

2 things that probably hurt us in the ranking:

1. School Selectivity (15 percent of the total ranking) Compared to a lot of the schools on there , we aren't selective at all.

2.Faculty Salary (35% of the Faculty Resources rank which is 20% of total, so about 7% of the total rank) This seems like a gimme for the universities with attached med schools and law schools.


Not saying either of these is bad, just observations.

Bingo. We simply can't match what Med Schools can pay.

And, selectivity is antithetical to ISU's mission as the land grant university of Iowa. The point is that Iowans regardless of background are given a chance to study here, whether they can hack it and graduate is up to them.

[drednot57]

2 things that probably hurt us in the ranking:

1. School Selectivity (15 percent of the total ranking) Compared to a lot of the schools on there , we aren't selective at all.

2.Faculty Salary (35% of the Faculty Resources rank which is 20% of total, so about 7% of the total rank) This seems like a gimme for the universities with attached med schools and law schools.


Not saying either of these is bad, just observations.

The mission of a land grant institution is to provide a college education to those who cannot afford one otherwise. In other words, land grant schools are the "Poor Man's Colleges." Therefore, being a land grant school, ISU cannot be "more selective" as that would in violation of its land grant status. I think USNWR unfairly hits land grant institutions by grading "selectivity" so high. Does this list actually grade the amount in research grants a school receives as a part of its "Faculty Resources" rank? That is one area in which ISU excels.