How To Get Beyond Rankings

Getting Students Beyond Rankings Alone Judith Winters, M.S. Lynne Scheurer, M.S., M.A. Greg Smith, M.A., Ph.D. David Barrutia, I.M.P.A.

PROGRAM Panel Talks: Historical Overview A Domestic Perspective Judith Winters Lynne Scheurer A China Love Story David Barrutia Across the Stratum of Academia Greg Smith Discussion: How to get beyond rankings? Appendix: Resources

PROGRAM Panel Talks: Historical Overview A Domestic Perspective Judith Winters Lynne Scheurer A China Love Story David Barrutia Across the Stratum of Academia Greg Smith Discussion: How to get beyond rankings? Appendix: Resources

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW College Selection Before Rankings Evolution of college as business, marketing campaigns Gourman s Report US News birth 1983 Changes in Methodology

US NEWS LOGORITHM

EMERGENCE OF MORE AND MORE RANKINGS Forbes Magazine Payscale Princeton Review Kiplinger s Rugg s Recommendations Academic Ranking of World Universities College Prowler Times Higher Education World Rankings Wall Street Journal Recruiter Rankings Washington Monthly Rankings American Council of Trustees and Alumni LinkedIn Obama s push for consumer-minded college rating system

ADMISSION BEHAVIOR AND INSTITUTIONAL SELECTIVITY Rankings perpetuate high ranking school position, difficult for lower ranking schools to break through the ranks. Students and their life hopes and dreams get caught up in this reality.

TO THE PRESENT

PROGRAM Panel Talks: Historical Overview A Domestic Perspective Scheurer A China Love Story Judith Winters Lynne David Barrutia Across the Stratum of Academia Greg Smith Discussion: How to get beyond rankings? Appendix: Resources

Tools For Success Consulting LLC COLLEGE RANKINGS: A DOMESTIC PERSPECTIVE It s just as complicated here at home as it is abroad! The fit is more important than the brand! HECA Workshop Portland, Oregon June 2014

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Summary Why are RANKINGS so important to parents and students? REAL Case Studies from HECANS! Strategies and Conclusions

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Rankings: a universal topic College is valued everywhere. Certain prestige names are familiar---and often the ONLY ones folks perceive as truly higher education.

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Why are clients resistant to letting go of rankings obsession? Disconnect between actual student performance and parental delusions of grandeur. Lack of exposure to 3000+ colleges Parents remember college process from back in their day Vicarious fulfillment of goals and dreams

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Rankings obsession is affected by: Culture Values Unrealistic Expectations First generation into college Lack of communication Projected Parental Aspirations

Tools For Success Consulting LLC CONFLUENCE! The perfect storm is upon us

Tools For Success Consulting LLC REAL RANKINGS-RELATED CASE STUDIES FROM HECANS! You can t make this stuff up!

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Issues What do you think some of the issues were in this scenario with a difficult client? How to handle? What are some possible solutions and interventions?

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Ethical Guideposts for Independent Educational Consultants Rule # 1 Never promise acceptance letters; avoid promising specific results. Under-promise and over-deliver!

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Focus on the MANY factors of a match! Location Intended major Size of school Financial aid/scholarhips Institutional VIBE

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Honesty is.the key! If the rankings-based goals are unrealistic--- tell the family clearly, repeatedly and in writing! And build up the bottom of the list!

Tools For Success Consulting LLC CONCLUSION Yes, we must continue to educate our clients about the many college options that exist for their students! Rankings must be taken with a grain of salt! They are only a PART of the story!

Tools For Success Consulting LLC Tools For Success Consulting toolsforsuccessconsulting.com Lynne N. Scheurer, M.S., M.A. Educational Consultant lynne@toolsforsuccessconsulting.com 914-646-6938

PROGRAM Panel Talks: Historical Overview A Domestic Perspective Judith Winters Lynne Scheurer A China Love Story David Barrutia Across the Stratum of Academia Greg Smith Discussion: How to get beyond rankings? Appendix: Resources

A CHINA LOVE STORY Explosive growth in student market Full-Paying Tuition Source: http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/by-the-numbers1.pdf

A CHINA LOVE STORY Source: http://www.iie.org/research-and-publications/open-doors

A CHINA LOVE STORY

A CHINA LOVE STORY Misconception that money can buy anything Different system of college admissions Rankings unquestioned and blindly followed No school tradition of college counseling Misguided by unethical private practices Misconception that US News ranking is an indicator of job recruiter preferences Chinese social concept of face Focus on the destination, not the journey

A CHINA LOVE STORY How to get beyond rankings: 1. Alternative Focus 2. The One to Rule Them All 3. Promote College Counseling Certification Programs in Chinese Universities

A CHINA LOVE STORY 1. Alternative Focus Push other non-rankings-based attractive points: - Dual degree programs: more bang for your buck - Schools with internships and track record of good job placement for specific type of student.

A CHINA LOVE STORY 3. Promote College Counseling Certification Programs in Chinese Universities - US college counseling cert/degree program - Chinese universities host class, distance learning - Seed the field of college counseling in China

PROGRAM Panel Talks: Historical Overview A Domestic Perspective Judith Winters Lynne Scheurer A China Love Story David Barrutia Across the Stratum of Academia Greg Smith Discussion: How to get beyond rankings? Appendix: Resources

ACROSS THE STRATUM OF ACADEMIA Effect on different kinds of institutions: - Stanford University - Cal State East Bay - Menlo College - Notre Dame De Namur

INSTITUTIONAL INNOVATORS: MINERVA Received $25 million in seed funding from Benchmark Capital in April 2012 Spent less than $10 million of the initial $25 million in funding from Benchmark Announced Stephen Kosslyn, formerly of Harvard and Stanford as Founding Dean and recruited top tier faculty to lead each of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences Partnered with Keck Graduate Institute, the newest member of the Claremont University Consortium, to obtain accreditation (without monetary compensation of any kind). Announced $10,000 tuition - 25% the cost of tuition at other elite private universities in the US Received 2,464 applications from 96 countries for a spot in the Founding Class Accepted 69 students - every single student who passed our rigorous bar Admission rate of 2.8% makes Minerva the most selective private American university in history Enrolled 32 students from 13 countries 32 students from 13 different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Malaysia, Nigeria, Palestinian Territory, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam) The US makes up 18% of the student body - a stark contrast to the Ivy League schools where Americans make up 85-93% of the student body

RANKINGS: SOCIAL AND PSYSCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES Humans want to compete Want recognition Sometimes insecure Need confirmation Need a goal-setting benchmarks Insecure job market Pressure from tight budgets

A COMPETITIVE WORLD Competition a part of human nature Sports Schools Entertainment Awards

RANKINGS WON T GO AWAY Competition pervasive in society Social Darwinism?

APPENDIX: RESOURCES

Appendix: Resources http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/ world-university-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://education.newamerica.net/sites/ newamerica.net/files/profiles/attachments/ 01-31-14%20New%20America %20Comments%20on%20the %20Postsecondary%20Institution %20Ratings%20System.pdf

Appendix: Resources http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=5017 January 22, 2014! The Honorable Arne Duncan Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave, SW Washington, DC 20202 Dear Secretary Duncan: On behalf of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), I would like to express our appreciation for President Obama s deep commitment to higher education and provide input on his Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class. We share the administration s goal of ensuring students receive a cost-effective, high quality higher education experience. By their mission and nature, public universities believe in providing value and being transparent and accountable to the public and to current and prospective students. APLU believes that college and university leaders themselves need information on their education outcomes to strengthen their institutions. Policymakers also need better information to make wise decisions. We agree that greater transparency and accountability efforts need to be undertaken to better serve all of these parties. That being said, we are concerned that the proposed ratings system and peer groups would be extremely difficult to structure in a way that will accomplish the President s goals. The challenges and complexities are formidable. The proposed systems would have to take into account over 7,500 postsecondary institutions across the country and their varied sizes, missions and complexities. We are concerned the government s best efforts will produce some misleading information and perhaps create perverse incentives. With the President s goals in mind, we suggest a simpler and quite practical approach, which would achieve much of what the President seeks to accomplish. As outlined in our detailed attachment, Providing Greater Value to Students and the Public Through Enhanced Transparency & Accountability in Higher Education, we suggest that the Department: 1. Publicly provide more complete and more accurate data in a simple manner to students and families. Students, parents, and third parties will ultimately end up ranking institutions on their own based on their own values and priorities. 2. Tighten up the quality of educational institutions and better protect students and taxpayer dollars through a stronger Title IV institutional eligibility process. Such a process should include a limited set of meaningful outcomes, adjusted by a student readiness index. 1307 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005-4722 202.478.6040 fax 202.478.6046 www.aplu.org!!

Appendix: Resources http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/ 2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_gladwell

Appendix: Resources http://www.payscale.com/college-salaryreport-2014/best-schools-by-major

Appendix: Resources http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/ CollegeRankings/Pages/Should-the- Government-Rate-Colleges.aspx

Appendix: Resources http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/ SB10001424052748704554104575435563 989873060

Appendix: Resources http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ college_rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.collegeconsensus.com/blog/ college-rankings-roundup-10/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bestcolleges-the-real-rankings/

Appendix: Resources http://www.library.illinois.edu/sshel/ specialcollections/rankings/ rankcontroversy.html

Appendix: Resources http://www.thecollegesolution.com/how-us-news-college-rankings-hurt-you/

Appendix: Resources http://www.centerforcollegeaffordability.org/ uploads/college_rankings_history.pdf

Appendix: Resources http://mup.asu.edu/gater0702.pdf

Appendix: Resources http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ features/2000/0009.thompson.html

Appendix: Resources http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ archive/2005/11/is-there-life-after-rankings/ 304308/?single_page=true

Appendix: Resources http://www.theatlantic.com/education/ archive/2013/09/your-annual-reminder-toignore-the-em-us-news-world-report-emcollege-rankings/279103/

Appendix: Resources http://www.u-multirank.eu/

Appendix: Resources http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/26/ratingcolleges-is-like-rating-a-blender-educationdepartment-official/

Appendix: Resources http://www.insidehighered.com/news/ 2013/03/20/australian-universitiesdedicate-positions-working-rankingsgroups#ixzz2txnbhRf0

Appendix: Resources http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/ opinion/nocera-the-silly-list-everyonecares-about.html?_r=0