Social Conscience U.
Is Penn State better than the University of Pennsylvania? The Washington Monthly, a serious, windmill-tilting journal, rates them that way, using a methodology in its September issue that looks at how well the colleges serve the country, not the students.
The Monthly has been aiming at the tyranny of US News & World Report's rankings for a while. (It's 2001 piece here contended the annual survey measured things that didn't matter, favoring reputation over excellence.)
How much more important, then, is it for taxpayers to know that their money—in the form of billions of dollars of research grants and student aid—is being put to good use? These are institutions, after all, that produce most of the country's cutting-edge scientific research and are therefore indirectly responsible for much of our national wealth and prosperity. They are the path to the American dream, the surest route for hard-working poor kids to achieve a better life in a changing economy. And they shape, in profound and subtle ways, students' ideas about American society and their place in it. It seemed obvious to us that these heavily subsidized institutions ought to be graded on how well they perform in these roles...
The Washington Monthly devised a ranking that honors schools that serve poorer students (it counted Pell Grant recipients), encourage social service (it also counted ROTC and Peace Corps participation), and allow their research to benefit the surrounding community.
So, Penn State comes in at the No. 6 university in the country by these lights. Penn scores No. 9, but that places it in rare company - one of three to score in the top 10 of U.S. News rankings and Washington Monthly's alternative ratings. MIT and Stanford are the others.
What local school pulls the gentleman's C under these measures?
Princeton is listed No. 44, although it's walked away with the top prize from other national rankings for its undergraduate experience.
What really did in Princeton were mediocre scores on national service and social mobility, categories in which it should have excelled.
Using the same methodology for colleges, Bryn Mawr comes in No. 3 in the country. Haverford is No. 7. And Swarthmore, more accustomed to being on top, drops to No. 21, one below Bucknell.
The article and rankings are here. The methodology, which Washington Monthly editors concede is not perfect, is here.
And
Hey, just enjoy it. You bought low.
Perhaps, but I also bought it for six booze-soaked years. Ahhh, good times.
About the hurricane, Katrina, I was wondering why the national guard was not used to help people by sending trucks to help evacuate poor people or any person who had no way to get to shelter? They were used to search people and keep them in line for hours just to confiscate combs, nail files etc...all things we can buy in the stores. Should a ban be put on the purchase of these and all personal items? Maybe knives needed to cut bread? We can just pull it apart you know. Are all of the national guard in Iraq?- so they can't be used for their at home duties. Thankyou Mimi
Pass this on: In reference to hurricane Katrina...It is said this is one of the worst disasters in America...So, be kind and charitable...try to help each other..I am amazed that the police knocked down a man breaking into a delicatessen. Isn't it possible in your minds that he or others may be hungry and thirsty!!!!in the face of this disaster! I can't believe those horrible people on talk radio talking about this human tragedy as quote "entertainment" and they can't wait for other terrible and tragic news not that people don't matter, just not as much as the thrill of disaster. I am really saddened by what seems to be happening to our culture. Thankyou Mimi
Pass this on: Don't let people who have agendas put a bad mark on this tragedy! All people of all colors are suffering greatly. White people should not be made to feel inferior or guilty in any way. It is the poor people who have been abandoned of all races. Our job should be to help, not pat ourselves on the back or brag when we help, just do our best to do the right thing in whatever way we can. Most important, why has our government done all of this wrong and continues to do it wrong. Dropping single bottles of water into slime for people to dredge out isn't the way. Why can't they send it down on floats, rafts etc..Why do they have to take people from one bad place to a highway without putting up tents to shelter the people from rain and the heat of the sun. Michael Chertoff head of homeland security should be fired and investigated as well as the rest of this administration and the democrats as well. They did nothing to help for days, then they will try to justify their actions on the few thugs that easily could have been arrested if the national guard had been on duty from the beginning. Also, if coast guard boats can get to fires, shown on the news today, why aren't they evacuating people!