Covering the business of education and training

In an earlier post - US News America's Best Colleges 2008 - 8 Questions in Need of Answers I listed up 8 questions that were passed around to the business writers of the KnowMoreMedia network.

I'd like to take a stab at the questions one by one. Perhaps readers and visitors will share their answers.

# 1 - What importance does the US News college rankings have to US higher education?

The rankings are important mostly to the colleges/universities who find themselves in a favorable position among them.

If a college/university finds itself in the top 25, top 50, whatever - it makes for great PR, something to add to their website masthead, to include in the propaganda they send to prospective students...bragging rights, if you will.

If you need to use the search function to find a

college/university, the general consensus of students, faculty and administration is - who cares? There are certainly enough students in these here United States that need teaching and we are just here to serve them. Let the others care about who ranks where and in what category...blah blah blah.

What importance do the rankings have to US higher education?

I think...none. None at all. No school got more/less funding or a better/worse grant or a bigger/lesser donation or more/fewer students because they were higher/lower in the rankings that I know of

Schools take the students who are qualified. Students go where they can get in. Faculty get hired by the schools that will take them and administrations serve the students who show up.

The rankings are something else to talk about after the beer drinkers argue over who belongs on the current US basketball dream team.

What do you think?