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TagErik Larson (academic influence rankings)

alma-mater-statue-near-the-columbia-university-library-stockpack-adobe-stock
Alma Mater statue near the Columbia University library.

Should You Choose a College Based on Well-Known Rankings?

What goes into those rankings? Big Data has enabled newer ranking systems that may tell you more of what you need to know

Yesterday, philosopher of science Bruce Gordon interviewed physicist Jed Macosko and law professor Jeff Stake about how to read college rankings. What, exactly, lies behind those numbers, especially the ones from the iconic U.S. News & World Report? Are they something you can bank on or something you should know more about first? Macosko and Stake think you should know more. As Gordon’s introduction puts it, rankings are big business and can lead to outright fraud: A recent stark example of the financial implications of college and university rankings is the case of Moshe Porat, former dean of Temple University’s Fox Business School. Porat was convicted on November 29, 2021 of engaging in a fraudulent scheme to move the business Read More ›