Education

Columbia is ranked no. 2 by ‘U.S News.’ A professor says its spot is based on false data

From The Chronicle of Higher Education: “Columbia University is ranked No. 2 among national universities by U.S. News & World Report … But a new analysis claims its lofty position may be based on inaccurate numbers that administrators submitted to the magazine. Michael Thaddeus, a Columbia professor of mathematics, laid out his case last month in more than 11,000 words on his faculty page. Skeptical of the university’s ranking, he purchased a U.S. News subscription that let him see some of the detailed data upon which the rankings are based. … So he did his own digging to try to reproduce the figures submitted to U.S. News. … Among other things, Thaddeus alleges administrators submitted inaccurate data on class sizes, the percentage of full-time faculty with doctorates or other terminal degrees, and how much the university spends on instruction.”

View the full article form The Chronicle of Higher Education. [Subscription required.]