Emory was ranked 17th overall and 13th in its commitment to undergraduate teaching in the national university category of this year's U.S. News & World Report's annual college quality rankings. Additionally, the business school's undergraduate program was named in a four-way tie for 21st among top business schools. During the past decade Emory has been the only Georgia university on the list of the top 25 national universities.
"Anyone studying the annual U.S. News & World Report sweepstakes would be wise to keep in mind several facts," said President Bill Chace. "First, the U.S. is fortunate in having many very good schools, all of them providing first-rate educational experiences; second, the schools clustered at the very top of these rankings are separated by only the smallest percentage differences; third, Emory is now firmly situated in the top echelon and its neighbors - Columbia, Rice, Notre Dame and Virginia - provide superb company; and fourth, we at Emory are delighted that we stand so high in the new evaluation of teaching excellence."
U.S. News arrives at its rankings by combining statistical data with the results of an academic reputation survey of 2,700 college presidents, deans and admissions directors. The ranking for having a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching came from the reputation survey. Respondents were asked to select the 10 schools in their category that showed strength in teaching. The ranking of the undergraduate business programs was based on a reputational survey of business school deans and administrators.
Emory's rankings in the overall survey's various components include: 32nd in academic reputation, 26th in student selectivity, 16th in faculty resources, 15th in overall financial resources, 15th in retention rank and 40th in alumni satisfaction.
Once again U.S. News has tried to tighten its process, and many might call this year's methodology an improvement over past years, according to Susan Frost, vice provost for institutional planning and research. However, the magazine does not release the details of its "equation," so it is impossible to know how they come to their decisions regarding what schools are included and in what order.
"U.S. News continues to attempt an impossible task -- reducing the university, one of society's most complex institutions, to a line of numbers," said Frost. "It is always interesting to see their new twist on data, but I am afraid they miss the contextual qualities that make Emory and other universities what they are."
Provost Billy E. Frye was not so gentle in his analysis of the survey. "Any rational person would know that to have Michigan come down and Berkeley come off a top 25 list is absurd," said Frye. "They are among the finest universities in the nation. One can only wonder where this madness will stop."
There was little movement among the schools ranked as the top 25 national universities, with Tufts University replacing the University of California, Berkeley on the list. Most other schools moved up or down several notches, except for Johns Hopkins which went from 22 to 10. Emory's ranking in 1994 was 16.
The issue of U.S. News that contains the rankings will be available on newsstands Monday, Sept. 11, dated Sept. 18.
-- Jan Gleason