Not all of Kansas University’s rankings in a recent national poll were disappointing.

Although many long-time loyal Kansas University fans were surprised and disappointed by the slippage of KU in the most recent U.S. News and World Report rankings of American colleges and universities, there were several very favorable highlights in the report about KU.

KU’s School of Education was ranked 30th among private and public schools, primarily because the school’s special education program was graded as the nation’s second best.

The KU School of Medicine did not rank among the top 50 medical schools or the top 50 medical schools focusing on primary care, but the School of Nursing rests in a tie with nine other schools in 29th place.

The KUMC program in occupational therapy is ranked in a tie for ninth with two other schools, the KU master’s program in social work earned a rank of 14th with four other universities, and in speech-language pathology, KU was ranked as the nation’s eighth best program.

The KU School of Law was ranked at the 100th position, a major disappointment.

In the field of “public affairs,” KU was placed in 10th position, due almost entirely to having the nation’s top program for training city managers and the No. 7 program for public management/administration.

As has been noted here previously, critics of the U.S. News rankings of schools and departments, particularly those with schools or departments that did not show up among the top 50 or 100 schools in the rankings, are quick to dismiss the magazine’s findings. Conversely, deans or faculty members in academic disciplines that showed well are quick to accept and justify the high grades.

Obviously, there is no perfect answer to the grading question, and, undoubtedly, some universities, as well as schools and departments within universities, deserve to be ranked higher while others do not merit the high grades they received.

Nevertheless, the U.S. News survey is quite detailed and is based on a number of specific factors. It is not guesswork because 25 percent of the score comes from peer assessment. The overall report card probably is fairly accurate.

One thing the report points out is the importance of leadership. Currently, there are two deanship vacancies at KU: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Law. The College has more than 15,000 students and more than 50 departments. It is, by far, the largest school at KU and is critical to the excellence of the university. The departure of Dean Kim Wilcox to become Michigan State provost was a major loss for the school, and it is important the search committee come up with a truly top-flight replacement rather than merely accepting the easiest, most convenient and politically correct replacement.

Likewise, the School of Law needs a new dean. Fortunately, former Dean Mike Davis has agreed to take the post on a temporary basis. KU has lost three law school deans in recent years. Something must be wrong in the selection process or the school’s faculty members can’t make up their minds on what they want in a dean.

It is hoped the recently appointed search committee will seek out the very best candidates and bring some stability to this important school.

KU, the state and its young men and women deserve the best, not second best, in all positions. There is no justification for shallow, careless search processes.

The U.S. News report should have opened some eyes and rocked others out of their complacency or sense of contentment.