Baker University begins a new school year with a boost in ranking in U.S. News & World Report

<br/>This year the university was ranked as a third tier Liberal Arts College in the 2009 edition of the annual America's Best Colleges edition. Last year, the university was considered a fourth tier liberal arts college by the popular news magazineThis year the university was ranked as a third tier Liberal Arts College in the 2009 edition of the annual America's Best Colleges edition. Last year, the university was considered a fourth tier liberal arts college by the popular news magazine
This year the university was ranked as a third tier Liberal Arts College in the 2009 edition of the annual America’s Best Colleges edition. Last year, the university was considered a fourth tier liberal arts college by the popular news magazine

<br/>"This year, the rankings are a more accurate reflection," Judy Smrha, assistant dean for institutional effectiveness, said. "The only data submitted reflected the Baldwin campus.""This year, the rankings are a more accurate reflection," Judy Smrha, assistant dean for institutional effectiveness, said. "The only data submitted reflected the Baldwin campus."<br/>Smrha said last year the data U.S. News & World Report used to rank Baker reflected all four schools; however, the magazine categorized the university as a liberal arts college, instead of a master's university in the Midwest tier, which is what the magazine categorized Baker prior to 2008Smrha said last year the data U.S. News & World Report used to rank Baker reflected all four schools; however, the magazine categorized the university as a liberal arts college, instead of a master's university in the Midwest tier, which is what the magazine categorized Baker prior to 2008
“This year, the rankings are a more accurate reflection,” Judy Smrha, assistant dean for institutional effectiveness, said. “The only data submitted reflected the Baldwin campus.”
Smrha said last year the data U.S. News & World Report used to rank Baker reflected all four schools; however, the magazine categorized the university as a liberal arts college, instead of a master’s university in the Midwest tier, which is what the magazine categorized Baker prior to 2008

<br/>"They put us in the liberal arts category with data reflecting all of Baker," Smrha said. "We didn't look as good as other liberal arts campuses."They put us in the liberal arts category with data reflecting all of Baker," Smrha said. "We didn't look as good as other liberal arts campuses.
“They put us in the liberal arts category with data reflecting all of Baker,” Smrha said. “We didn’t look as good as other liberal arts campuses.

<br/>The magazine defines master's universities as institutions offering a full range of undergraduate programs and providing graduate education at the master's level.The magazine defines master's universities as institutions offering a full range of undergraduate programs and providing graduate education at the master's level.<br/>A liberal arts college is defined as an intuition that must award at least 50 percent of its degrees in liberal arts disciplines.A liberal arts college is defined as an intuition that must award at least 50 percent of its degrees in liberal arts disciplines.
The magazine defines master’s universities as institutions offering a full range of undergraduate programs and providing graduate education at the master’s level.
A liberal arts college is defined as an intuition that must award at least 50 percent of its degrees in liberal arts disciplines.

“I just want to know why we changed from one division to the next,” Louise Cummings-Simmons, vice president of enrollment management, said.

A bewildering category change is not the only issue educators have with the current ranking system U.S News & World Report used.

“Lots of good schools don’t want to participate in the rankings,” Rand Ziegler, vice president and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “They feel that the testing is not scientific.”

According to the magazine, 75 percent of the rankings are based on more than 10 statistics about the institution, including graduation rates, ACT or SAT scores of current students and acceptance rates.

The other 25 percent are based on only one segment: a peer assessment.

The peer assessment is a questionnaire, sent by U.S. News & World Report to every higher education institution in the United States. It asks the dean of admissions, provost and university president to rank the quality of every college listed in the questionnaire.

"The peer assessment is completely subjective," Smrha said. "It's a beauty contest."<br/>However, Smrha said the rankings and statistics used in the Best Colleges report may help high school students decide which college to attend.However, Smrha said the rankings and statistics used in the Best Colleges report may help high school students decide which college to attend.
However, Smrha said the rankings and statistics used in the Best Colleges report may help high school students decide which college to attend.

“It sells profiles of all the schools and communicates what it would be like to go to that place,” she said.

However, Cummings-Simmons said her experience tells her that potential students are not very concerned with the magazine’s annual rankings.

“I’ve never lost a certain student because we were ranked a certain way,” she said. “The most important thing to attract students is to get them on campus and show them how a liberal arts educational experience will prepare them for the world.”