July 3, 2007

By John V. Griffith
President
Presbyterian College

I have lived long enough to come to the conclusion that major shifts occur every quarter century or so in the way American culture approaches matters of importance. We often call those shifts revolutions because people revolt against old and outmoded ways of doing things in favor of new approaches, new technologies, and new ideas that better meet the needs of the time. We have experienced revolutions in information technology, travel, and communication. There is one going on now that is symbolized by the introduction of iPhones this past week; we know what this one is about. But there is another revolution going on related to choosing a college -- and the role that public rankings play in that choice -- that may be less clear.

In the 1980s, U.S. News and World Report introduced an approach to evaluating colleges that compared institutions on variables like the size of endowments, faculty salaries, the percentage of alumni who provide gifts, and the percentage of an incoming class that graduates in a specified period of time. Such variables, along with a "reputation score" achieved by a vote of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans, resulted in a rank by institutional type for all colleges and universities. This information was gathered and published in an effort to help prospective students compare institutions.

Initially the higher education community and high school guidance counselors found this information intriguing and potentially helpful as we sought to assist high school seniors in making informed college choices. However, over time it became clear that rankings as they are currently determined fall short in one area: they have very little to do with the quality of education. They tell prospective students nothing about the experience they are likely to have in college or, more importantly, what they will gain from the education and what graduates go on to do with the education they receive. Further, statisticians increasingly have found the methodology of rankings to be flawed, inaccurate, and unhelpful.

This realization has resulted in two interesting and promising responses. One is an effort on the part of educational researchers to develop new measures of quality that focus on the interaction between faculty and students, the nature of students' classroom experiences and assignments, and the effect this has on students' education. The result has been new indicators of educational quality that address the most important issues prospective students and their families face in making an informed college choice. One particularly informative new measure is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). With NSSE data, a prospective student can compare what his or her education is likely to be like from one institution to another.

The other response is one in student consumer protection. Here the higher education community and high school guidance counselors are joining forces to educate students about the problems with rankings and to expose them to new ways of evaluating whether a particular college or university is right for them. A recent example of this is the action taken by many of the members of the Annapolis Group, 114 "national liberal arts colleges" - a designation given by U.S. NEWS to those selective institutions with national reputations. In South Carolina, two institutions in this category that belong to the Annapolis Group are Furman and Presbyterian College. We both have chosen not to provide data for the annual rankings and, even though U.S. NEWS will likely continue to rank us, we will not promote our institutions based on what we and so many of our peer institutions believe is unhelpful information. 

This means, at least for Presbyterian College, that we will focus our attention on sharing information like that developed through the NSSE. Further, we will focus on the specific experiences of our students while at PC and what happens to them after they leave.

We believe that high school seniors really need to know about the type of service projects that our students are undertaking in Laurens County and on the Mexican border; our unique programs in China, Cuba and Oxford; the acceptance rate and the success rate of our pre-med students, which includes valedictorians at MUSC the past two years; the achievement of our faculty in producing the most South Carolina Professors of the Year (CASE) for excellence in teaching; why living under an honor system is a life-changing experience; and the experiences of our graduates who lead companies, serve churches and educational institutions, and serve their country through military service or elected office.

In order for this information to be useful to prospective students, their parents and their guidance counselors, higher education has to relate it directly to the experience of the student while in college. We need to and will address the question of "How does your education inform your career and adult life?" 

The rankings provide students with information about finances and perceptions. They provide no information that tells them about their education or what they can anticipate in life after college. We must and can do better.

This is the revolution in college choice that is underway and I welcome your thoughts. Your new iPhone is a good way to communicate with me.

John Griffith became Presbyterian College's 16th president in 1998 after serving for eight years as president of Lyon College in Arkansas. He currently is guiding PC through an ambitious strategic plan and the $160 million "Promise and the Challenge" capital campaign. He holds degrees from Dickinson College, Harvard University, and the University of Syracuse, and may be reached for discussion of college rankings at griffith@presby.edu.

Posted by sowens@presby.edu

News Headlines >>