No one in higher ed wants a low ranking. Ever. Not for football. Not even for food service.
But when it comes to rankings, the big daddy is still those &*^#$!! U.S. News & World Report rankings.
They’re like the overnight TV ratings that drive TV execs crazy.
So why do academics aspire to be like those poor aforementioned TV execs who value CSIs over Ph.D.s?
Why are folks in higher ed falling into the trap of wanting to be so pedestrian?
You are in higher ed for a reason. To be of service. To educate. Magazine rankings? Really? And from a newsweekly magazine that was in such despair it had to rethink its coverage of real news and resort to rankings in order to build up a flagging circulation that was below sea level?
In the old days, U.S. News & World Report used to be known for its hard news — and was in back of the pack. Time Magazine which was known for its jaunty, breezy style was generally the leader. And Newsweek? Well, it was part of the Washington Post family and was like a trusty sidekick with glossy pictures.
