US World and News College Rankings 22/23

[shizzle787]

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities

UConn ranked tied for 67th nationally (down from last year)
UConn ranked tied for 27th nationally among public schools (also down from last year)
UMass has now tied us

We are however ranked 74th nationally and 27th among public schools nationally in Forbes.

 

[auror]

Why do they do these rankings yearly (other than to sell magazines). Nothing of consequence can change that much in a year for the vast majority of schools every year.

 

[CL82]

Why do they do these rankings yearly (other than to sell magazines). Nothing of consequence can change that much in a year for the vast majority of schools every year.

UConn decided to stop gamng the formula which is causing our ranking to sink. Purely from a marketing perspective, I think that’s a mistake.

 

[bobbyinaz]

UConn decided to stop gamng the formula which is causing our ranking to sink. Purely from a marketing perspective, I think that’s a mistake.

You are also judged by the company you keep on these lists.

Rutgers and Maryland, while both are very good schools, have seen a recent jump up the rankings since they joined the B1G.

 

[DB24MTN]

Not good - whether we like it or not those rankings matter, and in a big way. Really need to get some stable leadership in there with a vision for the future of the university. Feels like they’ve just been going through the motions the last few years. Just my personal opinion.

Edit - this isn’t a blow it up post, just commenting on the downward trend. It’s still a fantastic school and it’s in a good spot, it can just be better.

 

[DB24MTN]

You are also judged by the company you keep on these lists.

Rutgers and Maryland, while both are very good schools, have seen a recent jump up the rankings since they joined the B1G.

Shows how big of a role athletics play in a universities prestige. Outside of ivy’s, it is a way to get ahead. If you’re in the SEC or B1G right now, that is a big pull for the next 5 or so years.

 

[shizzle787]

You are also judged by the company you keep on these lists.

Rutgers and Maryland, while both are very good schools, have seen a recent jump up the rankings since they joined the B1G.

However, the Big East does have some really good universities (Georgetown and Villanova especially) so that does help.

 

[uconnfan68]

UConn decided to stop gamng the formula which is causing our ranking to sink. Purely from a marketing perspective, I think that’s a mistake.

USNR is absolutely a game. Take it with a lot of salt.

 

[CL82]

You are also judged by the company you keep on these lists.

Rutgers and Maryland, while both are very good schools, have seen a recent jump up the rankings since they joined the B1G.

I don’t know about Maryland but Rutgers made the affirmative decision to game the metrics a bit. Plus, they’re hitting up the state of New Jersey for more money, and that is one of the metrics. (I think $100 million bonding was just approved for new athletic facilities.)

I feel like there is a thought process in academia that’s goes something like “we’re not gonna pander to US news and world report just to get a good result on it.“ I’d respectfully suggest that that is a mistake. While it certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all of institutional rankings, it is the go to resource by 99.9% of parents looking to quickly evaluate respective institutions.

@uconnfan68

 

[DB24MTN]

USNR is absolutely a game. Take it with a lot of salt.

You are absolutely correct. From my experiences in the field, many professionals think that they are a joke.

Problem is - the majority of the public does not. There are a lot of problems with the ranking system, but until a better alternative comes along then they have a ton of meaning to parents and prospective students.

 

[goskis2018]

This is very concerning, if the US News rankings are a game perhaps the administration should start playing it again.

For any current students and young alumni who are concerned with the rankings slide, I found the UConn brand to be strong enough to get me into an M7 MBA program. Still would like to see the alma mater around the 20 mark for public schools.

 

[shizzle787]

This is very concerning, if the US News rankings are a game perhaps the administration should start playing it again.

For any current students and young alumni who are concerned with the rankings slide, I found the UConn brand to be strong enough to get me into an M7 MBA program. Still would like to see the alma mater around the 20 mark for public schools.

We need to get into the top 50 nationally and top 15 among public schools. We were heading there under Herbst but have fallen off since.

 

[KembaKek]

However, the Big East does have some really good universities (Georgetown and Villanova especially) so that does help.

The difference is that the Big East does not have academic programs as a conference. The B1G very heavily pushes its academic programs with its schools for all students because it helps improve the conference's overall reputation very well.

 

[DB24MTN]

This is very concerning, if the US News rankings are a game perhaps the administration should start playing it again.

For any current students and young alumni who are concerned with the rankings slide, I found the UConn brand to be strong enough to get me into an M7 MBA program. Still would like to see the alma mater around the 20 mark for public schools.

In 2013, UConn was 19th among public schools. This ranking was their second highest ever. In 2017, they were 18th among public schools, their highest ever. They haven’t been out of the top 25 since 2011 (they were 27th this year).

From 2000-2018, the trend was up. Last 4-5 years we’ve seen a reverse.

So to your point, the brand is extremely strong. We have higher standards for the school now, and we should expect them to be moving up rather than down, even if the brand can sell itself

Another problem is the “brand” could go away if they keep trending down, no one is going to be saying UConn is a top school if there are 50 public schools ranked ahead of them, for example. Just as it was known as a party school for a long time before recently.

Again, super unlikely and they’ll get things back on the upward trend if they hire a solid new president with some longevity. But, they have to figure that out.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

In 2013, UConn was 19th among public schools. This ranking was their second highest ever. In 2017, they were 18th among public schools, their highest ever. They haven’t been out of the top 25 since 2011 (they were 27th this year).

From 2000-2018, the trend was up. Last 4-5 years we’ve seen a reverse.

So to your point, the brand is extremely strong. We have higher standards for the school now, and we should expect them to be moving up rather than down, even if the brand can sell itself

Another problem is the “brand” could go away if they keep trending down, no one is going to be saying UConn is a top school if there are 50 public schools ranked ahead of them, for example. Just as it was known as a party school for a long time before recently.

Again, super unlikely and they’ll get things back on the upward trend if they hire a solid new president with some longevity. But, they have to figure that out.

There seems to be a correlation with athletic success .
Men’s BB has won a NC since 2014
Football has been a complete disaster since 2012-13
and even women’s BB has dominated in the last few years
Correlation does not mean Causation however those things are light advertisements and could mean more willingness to invest .

 

[McLovin]

While we will never be at a UNC / UM / UVA level, there is no reason why we should ever be ranked lower than Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, etc.

Start gaming the system again, because these rankings DO matter.

 

[uconnfan68]

While we will never be at a UNC / UM / UVA level, there is no reason why we should ever be ranked lower than Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, etc.

Start gaming the system again, because these rankings DO matter.

Based on what I’ve heard from a college president, the game involves stretching and embellishing the truth. Think UNC basketball grades on a wider scale. The colleges provide all the data to be presented (no actual research done by USNR). The chances some of it gets tweaked is pretty high.
I will admit my info might be somewhat dated. I don’t think the process gained more integrity though.

 

[superjohn]

While we will never be at a UNC / UM / UVA level, there is no reason why we should ever be ranked lower than Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, etc.

Start gaming the system again, because these rankings DO matter.

Illinois is a really good school.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The constant churn at the top of the university can definitely impact consistent focus on metrics.

It is a bit of a conundrum that within academia the USNWR doesn't hold much weight, but amongst the general public it holds some weight. The academia part should manifest itself in top quality educators going to schools they feel are good but you need high quality students to receive that instruction.

One year drop is not a worry, but when was the last time UConn moved up in the ranking compared to staying still or falling?

In terms of the company you keep, here's the group of schools immediately above UConn all tied at 62, UConn's group, and the two groups immediately below it.

62
George Washington
Syracuse
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Pitt
VT

67
Texas A&M
UConn
UMass
WPI
Yeshiva

72
American
Fordham
IU- Bloomington
NC State
SMU

77
Baylor
Clemson
Loyola Marymount
Mich St
Penn St


A lot of private and smaller schools in that list. The group at 77 includes more schools UConn would consider peers as large state land grant universities.

Considering Pitt, Texas A&M, Indiana, Mich St, Penn St and UM Twin Cities are all AAU, UConn is still in the fat part of the bell curve for peer universities.

 

[aburks41]

This is what happens when you don’t even have a real university president for a few years.

Falling from 17 or whatever down to 27 in just a couple years is really bad

 

[BigTenFan]

This is what happens when you don’t even have a real university president for a few years.

Falling from 17 or whatever down to 27 in just a couple years is really bad

I don't understand why they can't keep a President. Are there internal issues ?
We have no problem paying 3 at a time.....

 

[gtcam]

Any poll or ranking that depends on self reporting as it's criteria is BS

 

[HuskyHawk]

The constant churn at the top of the university can definitely impact consistent focus on metrics.

It is a bit of a conundrum that within academia the USNWR doesn't hold much weight, but amongst the general public it holds some weight. The academia part should manifest itself in top quality educators going to schools they feel are good but you need high quality students to receive that instruction.

One year drop is not a worry, but when was the last time UConn moved up in the ranking compared to staying still or falling?

In terms of the company you keep, here's the group of schools immediately above UConn all tied at 62, UConn's group, and the two groups immediately below it.

62
George Washington
Syracuse
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Pitt
VT

67
Texas A&M
UConn
UMass
WPI
Yeshiva

72
American
Fordham
IU- Bloomington
NC State
SMU

77
Baylor
Clemson
Loyola Marymount
Mich St
Penn St


A lot of private and smaller schools in that list. The group at 77 includes more schools UConn would consider peers as large state land grant universities.

Considering Pitt, Texas A&M, Indiana, Mich St, Penn St and UM Twin Cities are all AAU, UConn is still in the fat part of the bell curve for peer universities.

If we are being honest, this is about where UConn belongs. I think the USNWR ranking is mostly crap, but I also think that except for specific departments and a handful of more elite schools, most of the flagship publics are pretty similar. It's not likely that UConn can become one of the elite schools like Michigan, UVA, Berkeley or UCLA. The southern publics have moved way up because they are funding them and they recruit a lot of smart kids from the north now.

 

[Hoophound]

In 2013, UConn was 19th among public schools. This ranking was their second highest ever. In 2017, they were 18th among public schools, their highest ever. They haven’t been out of the top 25 since 2011 (they were 27th this year).

From 2000-2018, the trend was up. Last 4-5 years we’ve seen a reverse.

So to your point, the brand is extremely strong. We have higher standards for the school now, and we should expect them to be moving up rather than down, even if the brand can sell itself

Another problem is the “brand” could go away if they keep trending down, no one is going to be saying UConn is a top school if there are 50 public schools ranked ahead of them, for example. Just as it was known as a party school for a long time before recently.

Again, super unlikely and they’ll get things back on the upward trend if they hire a solid new president with some longevity. But, they have to figure that out.

If we are being honest, this is about where UConn belongs. I think the USNWR ranking is mostly crap, but I also think that except for specific departments and a handful of more elite schools, most of the flagship publics are pretty similar. It's not likely that UConn can become one of the elite schools like Michigan, UVA, Berkeley or UCLA. The southern publics have moved way up because they are funding them and they recruit a lot of smart kids from the north now.

There is a formula for this game and they all know it. UConn made a conscious decision to stop playing. They have paid the price. Florida at #5 and FSU at #19 are focused on winning at this game and have seen meteoric rises. You have to decide what you want to be.

I've long advocated for UConn to be a Top 100 national university and a Top 40 public and let the kids have some fun on campus. Maybe be more inclusive for the local B student that can't get in right now. If UConn is going to remain very serious and continue to crack down on parties and other fun stuff, they damn well better keep the academic rankings way up.

 

[Waquoit]

We need to get into the top 50 nationally and top 15 among public schools. We were heading there under Herbst but have fallen off since.

And yet I don't remember a good word ever said about her.

I don't understand why they can't keep a President.

I think I do

 

[8893]

And yet I don't remember a good word ever said about her.

C'mon. Who didn't love this?

 

[husky429]

You are absolutely correct. From my experiences in the field, many professionals think that they are a joke.

Problem is - the majority of the public does not. There are a lot of problems with the ranking system, but until a better alternative comes along then they have a ton of meaning to parents and prospective students.

My wife is in academia--they definitely think they are a joke. If nothing else, the quality of education isn't reflected in these rankings. Plenty of those great research profs at UConn and other R1 schools are terrible, terrible teachers of human beings.

The rankings by department on subject-specific websites are given more weight (and they're still not very good). Rutgers randomly has the 2nd best philosophy grad program in the country. No one outside the field would ever think "oh a PhD from Rutgers is elite," but it's ranked better than anywhere but NYU. I think UConn's is like 30.

 

[Chin Diesel]

And yet I don't remember a good word ever said about her.

I think I do

So, what's your opinion on why you think UConn can't keep a president?

 

[CL82]

C'mon. Who didn't love this?

She was doing pretty well until that seizure hit hit the end.

 

[CL82]

So, what's your opinion on why you think UConn can't keep a president?

Herbst was around a while, and while I have a lot of complaints about her, most notably sitting on the beach in the Virgin Islands sipping piña colada‘s with Warde Manuel while Louisville was weaseling its way into our ACC slot, and deciding to get rid of 80 + years of mascot tradition because “there’s no such thing as a white husky“, she was at least reasonably competent.

The next guy was just an abysmally bad hire. I forgot his name but he vaguely looked like Scott Bakula. His first move as president was to unilaterally decide that UConn was going to giveaway tuition to low income families. A noble goal, I suppose, but we were already doing that via aid to qualified students, so the question would be to whom was his initiative aimed at? Unqualified students? In any event here’s a pro tip for future entity new presidents don’t publicly announce that you were going to give away your core product totally free of cost without consulting the board first. He was a dead man walking like two weeks into his tenure.

The next guy was an interim hire who got a really nice private offer. That happens. And now we have this new interim president who sows her own clothes and sports a bleached blonde fright wig perm from the 1980s.

So in answer to your question why we are having a lot of turnover I respectfully suggest that candidate selection may play a role.