Georgia colleges hold the course on U.S. News rankings

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia’s colleges hardly moved in U.S. News & World Report’s latest college rankings, scheduled to be released Thursday.

The magazine’s popular and sometimes controversial report ranks colleges using several factors including reputation, class size, retention and graduation rates, alumni giving and resources for faculty.

How colleges did

● Emory University ranked 17 among national public and private universities, tying with Rice and Vanderbilt universities. Last year, Emory was 18th in this category.

● Georgia Tech came in at No. 7 among public universities — the same spot it held for the previous two years — and tied with University of California at San Diego. Among national private and public universities, Tech ranked 35th, tying with Lehigh University and the University of Rochester.

● University of Georgia was No. 21 among public universities, dropping one spot from last year. Among national private and public universities, UGA ranked 58th, tying with Pepperdine University and Syracuse University.

● Spelman College ranked No. 1 among historically black colleges and universities. Spelman has held the top spot for three consecutive years.

● Morehouse College came in at No. 3 in that category, the same position it had last year.

● Agnes Scott College ranked No. 2 in the category of up-and-coming liberal arts colleges, tying with Davidson College and Furman University, for making innovative and promising changes.

What it means

While local college leaders were pleased to be included, they were careful not to gloat.

Emory landed among the top 20 public private universities for the 17th consecutive year.

“While external recognition is gratifying, the true measure of a university is revealed in the work of its faculty, staff and students,” Provost Earl Lewis said.

Some college leaders loathe the rankings and criticize the methodology, saying statistics can’t be used to determine the quality of a university.

Others aggressively try to improve their institution’s standing.

Clemson University President James Barker set a goal in 2001 of breaking into the Top 20 public research universities. At a summer research conference, a Clemson professor said the college strategically improved its ranking by lowering class sizes, admitting stronger students, increasing faculty salaries and other steps.

University officials later said the changes reflect marketplace demands and were made to improve overall quality.

This year the college ranked No. 22 for public colleges, just behind UGA.

Who uses the list

Many students and their parents pore over the rankings as they debate where to apply and enroll.

But many high school guidance counselors and college admissions officers have warned students against basing their decisions solely on this report.

The complete list can be found at www.usnews.com/college.