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Rankings: UNL (still) solidly a second-tier school

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BY MELISSA LEE / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Aug 18, 2006 - 12:16:39 am CDT

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the nation’s 98th-best university overall and 46th-best public university, U.S. News & World Report has decided.

Surprising? Nah. Not much has changed since last year, when the popular but controversial rankings put UNL 98th —the second tier of universities — nationwide and 45th among public schools.

Nor has much changed in the reaction of UNL’s chancellor, who’s never been known to put much stock in such lists.

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“I’m not an enthusiast for rankings,” Chancellor Harvey Perlman said Thursday. “That said, I’m pleased with where we are.”

In the Midwestern universities-master’s category, Creighton University again topped the list, and Doane College in Crete slipped from No. 21 to No. 23. Concordia University was 37th, the University of Nebraska at Kearney was 65th and the University of Nebraska at Omaha was 70th.

Creighton placed fourth in the graduation rate and “best values” categories. Doane was No. 6 in best values, up from No. 7 last year.

In the overall list, UNL is in a seven-way tie for 98th, with schools like the University of Arizona and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Princeton, Harvard and Yale universities make up the top three. (Again.)

U.S. News magazines containing the full lists will hit newsstands Monday.

According to the rankings, UNL had a 63 percent graduation rate and 75 percent acceptance rate. Princeton, by comparison, had an 11 percent acceptance rate.

As a public university, UNL must accept all applicants who meet its admissions standards; Princeton and other private schools have no such obligation.

Furthermore, the rankings do not take into account student experiences or undergraduate research, both areas UNL excels in, officials said.

All those factors make the rankings a bit dubious in their eyes.

“It keeps us focused on national indicators, but there are dozens of factors to look at,” said Bill Nunez, director of UNL’s Institutional Research and Planning. “Things like research — we’ve made huge progress there.”

Added Perlman: “(The rankings are) certainly not scientific. They don’t reflect the scope of the university.”

Other Nebraska schools that cracked the lists:

* Nebraska Wesleyan University remained in the third tier among liberal arts colleges. Hastings College was in the fourth tier.

* In the Midwestern universities-master’s list, Wayne State College is in the third tier; Bellevue University and Chadron and Peru state colleges are in the fourth tier.

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.

How UNL’s peers fared

Here’s where the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 10 peers fell in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best national universities:

41. University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

57. Ohio State University

64. (tie) Purdue University, University of Iowa

67. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

77. University of Colorado-Boulder

81. Iowa State University

88. (tie) University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Columbia

98. UNL

124. Colorado State University


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Woo-Hoo! wrote on August 18, 2006 12:53 am:
" We're #98! We're #98! We're #98! Man, I thought that whole Tommy Lee debacle was really going to hurt us bad in the rankings but we came out smelling like a rose! In you're face Colorado State! We're #98! "
NE Left Behind wrote on August 18, 2006 6:27 am:
" Mediocrity seems to be the standard at UNL, and maybe that is why people move to other srares, better faculty positions and schools with more rigid standards. A quest for academic excellence is undermined by an athletic program who seeks national rankings but hardly ever retains those athletes who move into professional sports careers...the exodus of the individuals the state invests the most in leave. Isn't that a losing game plan for building and retaining a labor pool in the state?t "
Locke wrote on August 18, 2006 6:31 am:
" I guess NWU's faulty math caught up with it. After its fiasco with its self pronouncement as leading the state in Fulbright scholarships, this third tier ranking seems righ in line. My question is: "why would someone pay so much to go to a private school that is ranked so poorly?" You might get more attention, but it would seem that your education is still third rate. "
Jeremy wrote on August 18, 2006 8:51 am:
" These college rankings have everything to do with prestige and reputation, and nothing to do with quality of educational experience or learning. "
lindsey wrote on August 18, 2006 9:54 am:
" US News and World Report's rankings are not reflective of actual educational quality. A school's position depends almost entirely on how much money that school gives to USNWR and related organizations. Their rankings are not to be trusted. That said, UNL still has a long way to go. Public universities should serve the public and UNL unfortunately is going the way of many public schools - increased private funding, which makes them beholden to corporate and government interests. Why are the sciences and CBA so well funded? Because churning out bioweapons makers and middle managers works well for the people who give UNL so much money. I graduated from UNL and promptly left Nebraska - more public funding (and lower tuition and fees) would make for a better, more accessible university and a better Nebraska. "
Jim wrote on August 18, 2006 11:13 am:
" UNL claims to be a peer of Illinois and Ohio State. What a joke. "
Future Iowian wrote on August 18, 2006 11:33 am:
" Looks like Iowa State and Colorado are the best schools in the big 12. How did that happen? "
Accountability wrote on August 18, 2006 11:44 am:
" Since graduate retention and contribution to Nebraska's economy are problems, why not link tuition/grants to a service argreement that has been used to bring physicians to rural Nebraska. Our system is not bringing return on investment to the state as it should, Perlman and our regents must be held to a higher standard or be voted out, promptly. "
NU great for undergrad wrote on August 18, 2006 1:23 pm:
" You get out of your education what you put into it. You can get a great education in the NU system if you try. You can't get a good education at an ivy league school unless you try. The NU system has a lot of great undergraduate programs because they're not focused as much on their graduate programs, research, etc. They do well in those other areas too, but they put a lot more effort into good undergrad education. "
Luke wrote on August 18, 2006 2:58 pm:
" Just maybe UNL's requirements are too high. My childhood state, and couldn't get into UNL, then no jobs!! Went to another state and immediately got a good job, education and plenty of opportunities. Not only UNL, the whole state seems to defy its citizens in everything and anything and their basic mentallity is raking all the money they can from the states citizens to lavish on a few city friends. Bottom line, everybody suffers unless you leave the state. Sad sad sad sad! "
ct wrote on August 18, 2006 3:39 pm:
" UNL is about where it should expect to be really. Besides all they are doing is educating people who end of leaving the state. "
jerry wrote on August 18, 2006 4:22 pm:
" Number ninety eight and the chancellor says rankings don't really mean much to him. Let them get to the top and see what a big fuss he and the local papers make. The university doesn't seem to care much about anything as long as the football team is in the rankings. "
Steve wrote on August 18, 2006 8:16 pm:
" Chancellor Perlman says rankings don't really mean much to him. I wonder if rankings ment anything to him when he and Steve Pederson fired Coach Solich? "
Kerry wrote on August 18, 2006 8:35 pm:
" I'm wondering how UNL can rank as high as 98th with little or no interest in the continuing education group. How can anyone return to college if there are no classes offered for the working person? Also, unlike all the other colleges at the top of the list, UNL is far below par in offering online classes. Bottom line, if you aren't entering UNL directly from high school, good luck getting a diploma. "

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