The fact that the highly regarded dean apparently involved in the scandal at Claremont McKenna may have been driven to submit inflated test scores is an indicator of the scale of pressure that surrounds the rankings, said David Hawkins, director of public policy and research at NACAC, the counseling group. That pressure comes from all corners of the university — trustees, alumni, presidents, even politicians,
“It’s clear from the (Claremont McKenna) story that admission offices are under pressure,” he said. “The key question is, how do you stop the madness?”
Bob Morse, who oversees the US News rankings as director of data research, says many of the behaviors the rankings have incentivized in colleges are benign. He points to universities like Northeastern and Southern California that have moved up in recent years through concerted efforts to improve their stats in variables that go into the formula — but which also are good for students.
Things like more small classes, programs to boost retention, higher faculty-to-student ratios. And why, Morse asks, should colleges be criticized for casting a wider recruiting net?
But even Morse, who says colleges paid the rankings little attention when they debuted in 1983, says he’s been shocked by how seriously they now take their standing, and the lengths they go to move up.
“None of those things when we first started we had in mind would even happen or even could happen,” he said. “It’s evolved in ways that have taken on a life of their own. To us, it’s proof people are paying attention.”
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