KU Edition 2008
From artists to inventors, Kansas University is home to all kinds of people. In the past year, the university has opened new buildings and hosted world-renowned speakers. Come inside to learn more about the university on top of Mount Oread
Kansas University dropped two spots to 40th in the 2009 public university rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
The university fell four spots in the national university rankings, which include private universities, to a four-way tie for No. 89. The fall comes after two years of upward movement.
KU praised its position as a top 50 public university among the 164 public institutions in this year's rankings.
"KU continues to work for Kansas," university spokeswoman Jill Jess said. "One way we do that is through outstanding academics."
Jess called this year's dip "just statistics."
The University of Texas was the highest ranked Big 12 school at No. 47 overall. Texas A&M came in at No. 64, Baylor at No. 76 and the University of Colorado at No. 77.
This year's rankings, available online today and in print Monday, include new features, including "Up and Comers," which identifies colleges that could make appearances in future rankings.
Overall, Harvard University claimed No. 1 after Princeton University spent eight years in the top spot. Princeton followed at No. 2 and Yale University at No. 3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University tied for No. 4.
The formula for the rankings includes graduation and retention rates, faculty and financial resources and the percentage of alumni donating money to their alma mater. The biggest single variable is a peer institution reputation assessment.
Still a bargain
Kansas University is "one of the premier college bargains" in the U.S., according to the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009.
The college guide, which has ranked colleges for the past two decades, gave KU four stars for academics, social life and quality of life. It also praised the university for its honors program and its campus landscaping.
Programs such as architecture and urban planning, business, economics, engineering, environmental studies, nursing, pharmacy, social welfare, pre-med studies, Spanish and Portuguese, and journalism were also praised.
"It's gratifying to again receive such high marks in this respected guide," said KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway in a statement. "Our students, faculty and staff deserve the credit for making KU a great place to be."
KU is the only Kansas university ranked in this year's guide.
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LogicMan (anonymous) says…
What are the very specific, realistic things that can be done to improve KU's rankings, or at least stop the slow slide? Specific ideas for Bob et al., please, and not just "throw more tax money at it" or "fire him".
cato_the_elder (anonymous) says…
This is like the Obama campaign's attempts to put a good spin on being statistically tied in the polls when their candidate should be way ahead.
Boeing (anonymous) says…
We're dropping without the budget cuts. I hope this is proof to the government that they need to find other ways to trim the budget other than our education system.
AtHomeInLawrence (anonymous) says…
We now discover that $31 million was spent on a football practice field that the team does not want to use because it is not private enough (http://www.kansan.com/blogs/black_rab... this was invested in the academic and research programs, the rankings would be going in the other direction.
charlesyu (anonymous) says…
Way to much is made of the US News College rankings.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
AtHomeInLawrence isn't that the truth. Right now KU is up for grabs by people who want to buy immortality by having their name on something at KU no matter how stupid it is. Speaking of stupid can someone explain why the new fountain on the east side of campus isn't in the middle of the intersection like it should be instead of off to the side? It's nice our board of regent member can buy a little long lasting name recognition for themselves. And haven't heard much about it but sounds like the Kansas Relays, which is about as old as any other event at KU, time in Memorial Stadium (how long before it is renamed after some donor) will not be for much longer at that location. The bull about the donors designating the money for this project or that ignores the fact that ku goes to the donors to ask for them to donate for that project in the first place! How about a real push to go to the donors to ask for a new science building instead of trying to hit the students up for that too. Surely anyone who really cares about a university for education would give $31 million for an academic building if they have that for the side show aspects of university life.
Luxor (anonymous) says…
This is what happens when all of the focus is on new buildings and football.
kiyomori (anonymous) says…
No kidding AtHomeinLawrence and Jack Ripper. Here the university is talking about cutting staff positions and having departments lower their budgets, but heaven forbid you stop to watch them practice at their new field . . . even though you have a perfect view from the Kansas Union.
toe (anonymous) says…
Sports up, academics down. Everything is normal.
nobody1793 (anonymous) says…
Please. 38 vs 40? That is not a significant drop, probably within a margin of error. It is disappointing that it didn't go up signficantly, but this is not a catasrophe like Dolph wants you to believe.
jayharchitect (anonymous) says…
All I know is KU was good enough to get me into a top 10 schools. And I preferred the education at KU.... But I still think Bob needs to go.
jasonhoh (anonymous) says…
K-States rank at 130 compared to KU's 89 would not indicate it is a far better school.
LJD230 (anonymous) says…
http://www.usnews.com/articles/educat...
Confrontation (anonymous) says…
Exactly, jasonhoh. Missery also ranks lower than KU. Unless you're into, um, I mean interested in working with farm animals, then K-State is worthless.
Confrontation (anonymous) says…
It's beef judging, KSA. They're also doing some research on the self-esteem of cows who are attacked with arms in those super long disposable gloves.
smarty_pants (anonymous) says…
KU can't be a "research institution" and an affordable high-class undergraduate school at the same time. One of the measures the rankings use is how many undergrad classes are being taught by professors rather than teaching assistants. In a research university, the best professors who bring in the most money spend the least amount of time in the classroom. And when they are in the classroom, they are teaching graduate seminars to doctoral students, not teaching intro classes to whiney undergrads.
jmadison (anonymous) says…
The law school rankings by this magazine are a scam, with arbitrary movements in the rankings as noted by the AALS.Movements up and down by 2-5 rankings are done to sell copies of this mag every year. Who is on their ranking panel and what quantitative measures are looked at? Another scam by the legacy media.
JackRipper (anonymous) says…
Did ku plant more pine like trees then North Carolina?