Every year, various organizations compile rankings of colleges and
universities based on a variety of criteria. Most of these
organizations
post the criteria on which they make their rankings.
Because the rankings seem to have a strong influence on students'
applications, alumni sup****t and fund-raising efforts to improve
everything from curriculum to new buildings, some institutions pay
particular attention to shoring up the areas that are heavily weighted
in these rankings.
While many of the categories are areas that simply make sense for a
college to pay attention to (class size, expenditures per student,
student-to-faculty ratio), others seem more subjective (*****sments
from
professionals at other institutions).
Given that the financial health of the institution may be heavily
affected by such rankings, is it right for a college or university to
tailor its decisions so it can improve its rank, even if that means
diverting resources from areas not generally measured by various
rankings?
Send your thoughts to: rightthing(at)nytimes.com. Please include your
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