Columbia U. admits ranking problem
Columbia University will not participate in the next round of the U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of best colleges due to an ongoing internal investigation into allegations the university supplied inaccurate data for last year’s list.
Michael Thaddeus, a veteran math professor at the Morningside Heights institution, published a lengthy critique in February of the data behind Columbia’s second-place spot on last year’s list, concluding that “several of the key figures” the university submitted to U.S. News were “inaccurate, dubious, or highly misleading.”
A Columbia spokesman said at the time that the university stood by its data, but in a letter posted Thursday night, provost Mary Boyce revealed that the university “immediately embarked on a review of our data collection and submissions process” following Thaddeus’ article.
Boyce said that a review is still underway, and won’t be done in time to meet U.S. News’ Friday deadline for colleges to submit data for next year.
“The ongoing review is a matter of integrity,” Boyce said. “We will take no shortcuts in getting it right.”
Thaddeus credited a Daily News story from early March with turning up the heat on the university and sparking a flood of national media coverage, calling the withdrawal from the rankings a “direct result” of The News’ coverage.
He added that he would not characterize Columbia’s announcement as a “victory for transparency and accuracy,” noting that there are still big outstanding questions, including what the university’s review will find and whether the school will go back to participating in the rankings.
But the withdrawal is “at least a sign that Columbia’s critics were onto something,” he said.
The student-run Columbia Spectator was first to report on Thaddeus’ analysis.
U.S. News’ rankings are based on a complex formula that includes class sizes, financial resources, graduation rates, social mobility, a “peer assessment survey” and other metrics.
Thaddeus alleged that the university significantly overstated its percentage of classes with under 20 students and the amount of money it spends on instruction — both of which bumped up its score with the U.S. News formula — among other misrepresentations.
The U.S. News list has faced controversy over the years, both over the specific data underlying university rankings, and the broader concept of trying to quantify a question as subjective as what makes a “good” institution of higher learning.
Critics have alleged that the list does little more than reinforce pre-existing ideas, rewarding the wealthiest and most prominent institutions.
Reed College in Oregon refuses to provide data to U.S. News for ranking purposes, but still gets included in the annual list — with some critics contending that its placement has dropped precipitously as a result.
U.S. News said in March that the magazine is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of what schools submit.
But in a statement Friday, U.S. News Editor and Chief Content Officer Kim Castro said “Columbia University’s acknowledgement they are unable to meet U.S. News & World Report’s data standards for the 2023 Best College Rankings raises a number of questions.
“We are concerned and are reviewing various options, including the review of data previously submitted by Columbia, to ensure our rankings continue to uphold the highest levels of integrity.”