Officials encouraged by U. jump in poll

The University's 12th place ranking in this year's U.S. News and World Report survey of the nation's best universities indicates a positive step for the future, University officials said this week. But the survey's individual components, including academic reputation, student selectivity, faculty and financial resources, graduation rate, alumni satisfaction and donation rate, have changed only slightly. The University received a 94 percent overall score -- its highest ever -- compared to last year's 90.3 percent. Harvard University, the number one ranked school in the survey, received a perfect 100 percent. For academic reputation, the University was rated 16th among the country's 229 best universities -- down two slots from last year's 14th place ranking and tied for last in the Ivy League with Dartmouth College. In the area of student selectivity, the University received a 13th place rank, which is higher than Cornell University. This ranking includes the acceptance rate of applicants to the class of 1997, the class yield, students' high school standings, and SAT and ACT scores. The University's ratings increased dramatically in the area of faculty resources, rising from 50th place to 13th. Additionally, the educational expenditures per student last year totalled $22,337. This year, the number was increased to $25,765. "In the most recent submission, we put a lot of effort into isolating and counting those faculty than we had in the past," said Dan Shapiro, director of institutional research. "So even with the dramatic move on one of the scales, we're pretty much where we were." Admissions Dean Willis Stetson attributed the slight increase in ranking this year to admission selectivity and increased alumni satisfaction -- which was rated 13th. Last year, the University accepted 42 percent of its applicants. "This is an exciting and positive step," Stetson said. "But every year it moves around a bit and next year we may move down one or two and be scrambling to explain that." According to U.S. News and World Report, this year's survey gave increased weight to each school's graduation rate and reduced the importance of financial resources. The University was ranked last in the Ivy League in graduation rate, at 17th. Financial resources were ranked at 19th, higher than both Brown University and Cornell University. "The numbers we submitted this year are a little bit better than we sent them last year," said Susan Shaman, assistant vice president for planning at the University. "We're moving up towards the higher end. And these [rankings] are sometimes self-fulfilling prophesies."