Something’s up with national college and university rankings
By Terry Troy
If you’re like me, you are often dismayed at how Ohio is ranked when compared to other states, whether it involves business and industry, education, health care or sociological issues such as poverty. This is especially true when it comes to education, particularly U.S. News and World Report’s list of colleges and universities for the coming year, which is based (or biased?) on a completely new set of evaluation metrics.
To be certain, ranking colleges and universities is a highly subjective business, often influenced by collegiate public relation departments. And I am not the first who has protested.
This year the U.S. News and World Report rankings increased the weight of a school’s success in graduating students from different backgrounds, eliminating factors like alumni giving, faculty with terminal degree, class size and high school standings. The new evaluation did boost the ratings of more than a dozen public universities nationwide.
Still, some of the same old players rose to the top in the new paradigm. Princeton University claimed the top spot among national universities, beating out MIT, which came in second with Harvard and Stanford tied for third to round out the trifecta. It didn’t take very astute educational handicapper to have the order picked out—even with the new metrics.
A number of Ohio colleges were recognized, including The Ohio State University, which once again made the list of America’s Top 50 best national universities coming in at 43. But how long would Ryan Day last as head coach if the Buckeyes were ranked No. 43 in the nation? My guess is about 43 seconds—tops.
That’s not to say that Ohio State somehow has its priorities skewed toward athletics and away from academics. Ohio State is by all measures one of the best schools in the nation. But its 43 ranking in education and Top 10 ranking in football is a clear indication of how the school is perceived, at least by the general public and not the business community.
In sports like football, rankings are far less subjective, and are based on results on the field. Should we not rate our colleges and universities the same way—especially when it comes to attracting businesses and their ultimate economic impact?
To be sure, Ohio colleges and universities have played a key role in an overall business equation that has attracted some of our nation’s largest and most technologically advanced companies to our state, which includes major players in computer chip production and electric vehicle manufacturing. Businesses can’t rely on rankings; they need more concrete results. Thankfully, that has played in our state’s favor.
In its 2023 state rankings, U.S. News and World Report placed our state at No.34 in the overall category, coming in at No. 37 for our economy and No. 29 in education. Yet it placed Ohio at No. 11 in terms of opportunity.
Which brings up the obvious question: Why the discrepancy?
Could it be that businesses rate our educational institutions differently? Could it be that businesses, manufacturers and industry have to rely on more concrete results than the subjectivity of a national magazine’s editorial department?
My answer to both questions is an emphatic “yes!”
Not to denigrate the work of the DeWine administration and JobsOhio in its efforts to attract new businesses, but many companies are finding an opportunity to relocate to Ohio—and much of that comes with the help of our state’s colleges, universities and other educational institutions, which are preparing a highly educated and skilled workforce.
Their efforts should be recognized at least by us here in Ohio, who will surely benefit from an improved economy in the very near future.
