College Rankings and the Will to Swagger

By Eric Hoover. College officials often use colorful language when discussing U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of colleges. Over the years, I’ve heard the list described as “corrosive,” “immoral,” and “real evil.” Some of the other terms aren’t printable.
Naturally, those who publish rival rankings also have choice words for the Best Colleges guide. In a news release, Washington Monthly’s editor, Paul Glastris, described his own publication’s college rankings, just published on Monday, as an answer to U.S. News, which, he wrote, “relies on crude and easily manipulated measures of wealth, exclusivity, and prestige.” More...