2015 College Rankings

[vu72]

Regardless of the sources, these rankings should be made known  to prospective students, including athletic recruits.  I noticed we were well ahead of Gonzaga in the one list.  I would think the University is doing this already.

As well as just about all of our competitors. Of the 100 ranked I counted only 10 other schools from the Midwest.  Creighton, Evansville, Northern Iowa and Bradley are included but other schools, say, in Indiana, are nowhere to be found!   

[wh]

Valpo again No. 1 in Washington Monthly ranking!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings-2015/masters-universities-rank.php

Here is the complete list.  Valpo is ranked No.1 of 673 universities in the Masters Division.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings-2015/masters-universities-rank-all.php

To see how the 16 Indiana schools fared, click "sort by state" next to the "Institution" column heading at the top.  The second highest IN school is Evansville at 41, followed by Butler at 138.

[VULB#62]

US NEWS Latest Ranking  http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-midwest/data
Regional Universities Midwest Rankings

T&F = Tuition & Fees; Enroll = enrollment; F14A = Fall of 2014 Acceptance Rate; AFRR = Av Freshman Retention Rate; 6YGR = 6 year graduation rate

#1 Creighton University (Score-100)
Omaha, NE
T&F          Enroll       F14AR        AFRR        6YGR
$36,422    8,236       72.7%        90%         78%    

#2 Butler University  (Score-95)
Indianapolis, IN
T&F          Enroll       F14AR        AFRR        6YGR
$37,010    4,848       68.5%      90%         78%    

#3 Drake University  (Score-91)
Des Moines, IA
T&F          Enroll       F14AR        AFRR        6YGR
$33,696    5,062        69.3%      88%         78%    

#4 Bradley University  (Score-86)
Peoria, IL
T&F          Enroll       F14AR        AFRR        6YGR
$31,480    5,300       64.3%       87%         74%    

#5 Valparaiso University  (Score-85)
Valparaiso, IN
T&F          Enroll       F14AR        AFRR       6YGR
$36,160    4,516       82.4%        85%         67%    

#6 Xavier University  (Score-82)
Cincinnati, OH
T&F          Enroll       F14AR        AFRR         6YGR
$35,080    6,538       73.2%        83%         71%    

[78crusader]

It seems the reasons VU is ranked only fifth are (1) an acceptance rate that is at least 10 percentage points higher than other schools in the top 10, and (2) a six-year graduation rate that is low compared with other top 10 schools. 

In other words, it appears from these two statistics that we are admitting too many kids who have a poor chance of graduating. Maybe we should focus on being more selective (Drake University has done this and their ranking has gone up) and less on increasing total enrollment to 6000 students, which seemed unrealistic to me when this goal was first announced several years ago.

Perhaps some VU administrators or professors who are members of this board can share their insights on this particular issue.

Paul

[vu72]

It seems the reasons VU is ranked only fifth are (1) an acceptance rate that is at least 10 percentage points higher than other schools in the top 10, and (2) a six-year graduation rate that is low compared with other top 10 schools. 

In other words, it appears from these two statistics that we are admitting too many kids who have a poor chance of graduating. Maybe we should focus on being more selective (Drake University has done this and their ranking has gone up) and less on increasing total enrollment to 6000 students, which seemed unrealistic to me when this goal was first announced several years ago.

Perhaps some VU administrators or professors who are members of this board can share their insights on this particular issue.

Paul

While striving to be our best always, perhaps focusing in on just one study may be to limiting when deciding whether or not the administrators should shift their collective admissions policy.  We did finish fifth out of 146 schools in this category and a head of highly thought of institutions like Xavier, John Carroll and Evansville, just in the top 10.

At the same time other studies rank Valpo the No.1 Christian institution nationally, not only in the Midwest, as well as being the No.1 Master's level institution, again nationally, in schools giving back to society. These values are also clearly part of Valpo's mission and areas where we finished way ahead of the four schools ranked a head of us in the US News report. Heady stuff.

[VULB#62]

Yep.  For instance I looked at National Universities and found #47 Lehigh (wonder why?) and here are their scores.  Note the F14AR compared to Valpo.  Also note Lehigh's Freshman retention rate.

#47 (Tie) Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
T&F           Enroll    F14AR      AFRR          6YGR
$46,230    7,119    34.3%      95%          87%

[ValpoFan]

Paul: I think you got it right. The direction to increase the enrollment is probably making the university a little less selective and is consequently bringing down the retention and graduation rates.

President Heckler has consistently preached that in order to sustain competitive D1 athletic programs the nice student union building and library and other shared facilities, we need to increase enrollment, diversify campus, stop erecting new buildings, and grow the endowment.

I am personally on board with his vision. I enjoy the competitive athletic teams, the vibrant campus and the nice facilities. I would not want to sacrifice those benefits to enhance the institutional statistics so that maybe (or maybe not) we get bumped up from #5 to what? #3?

Also, I can't pass this opportunity without bragging about my College of Engineering ranking #22 among undergraduate Engineering programs in the NATION! 

[a3uge]

I am personally on board with his vision. I enjoy the competitive athletic teams, the vibrant campus and the nice facilities. I would not want to sacrifice those benefits to enhance the institutional statistics so that maybe (or maybe not) we get bumped up from #5 to what? #3?

Great point. What were we 4-5 years ago? Our overall reputation still seems to be great, if not, even better than before. I say keep doing what we're doing.

[valpotx]

When I was in school, we were #1 or #2 on this list each year.

[bbtds]

When I was in school, we were #1 or #2 on this list each year.

.....and you had to walk from B/W to classes on east campus in snow storms. Yep. We know the drill. :-)

[78crusader]

President Heckler has consistently preached that in order to sustain competitive D1 athletic programs the nice student union building and library and other shared facilities, we need to increase enrollment, diversify campus, stop erecting new buildings, and grow the endowment.

ValpoFan, I get the part about increasing enrollment and growing the endowment.  But I don't understand how calling a halt to putting up new buildings, or "diversifying" the campus helps VU stay competitive in D1 athletics, or sustain great facilities like the union and library. 

Paul

[VULB#62]

There are two ways to look at this. 
(1) Increase selectivity first, retaining/graduating students at a higher rate into well paying jobs that eventually result in greater give back (alumni support) to the university, and thereby, over time, upping our ratings. To sustain this selectivity requires higher tuition to cover costs right off the bat.  But there is a consumer value perception at work here - will people pay top dollar?  It is a slow process (a generation maybe?) with no guarantees.

(2) Increase enrollment yadda yadda. More students paying less inflated tuition.  Grow to 6,000 and grow the campus commensurate with enrollment growth. It is a faster process with a little less risk.  The ratings take a temporary hit (as Valpofan says for what, 2-3 places?).  Once stabilized at 6,000 with the infrastructure and faculty in place, begin increasing selectivity.    It is a faster process (10 years maybe?) and gets us to where we need to be. But, to do this the Valpo brand needs even more visibility  (ergo, the need to have a good MBB program and do other things that promote the brand nationally.)

BTW, regarding the endowment:  I can recall when I first joined the forum (November 2011) that we were talking about an endowment that was in the neighborhood of $160MM maybe? In 4+ years it has increased to over $202MM.  That's not too shabby.

[Vale O. Paradise]

Obtaining a lower admittance rate might increase the perception of quality (in a vague sort of way) to the outside world, which is worth something. I think the solution should be framed as finding ways to entice students of high caliber to choose Valpo rather than to field more applications overall or to keep out those students who indicate they might not make it at Valpo (The average ACT of incoming freshmen at Valpo is comparable to other schools on the list, so I question how much the retention rate has to do with accepting too many unprepared students).

While the number of students Valpo admit is high relative to its peers, the number that catches my eye even more is the percentage of admitted students who choose Valpo--18%. It's actually on par with the schools we're competing with (and higher than Butler's), but it still seems low. It means that Valpo is not at the top of the list for 80% of people admitted. I'm assuming that a large chunk of those students are very good students who apply to a few quality colleges and end up deciding they can do better than Valpo. If Valpo can make itself the #1 school for more of the students they are already admitting, then they can gradually become more selective.

Also, great point by VU72 that you can slice schools so many ways. Great to be acknowledged for a variety of reasons by a variety of publications who try to take a stab at "ranking". The Washington Monthly poll acknowledges, in a way, that we are succeeding at what Valpo is trying to be--not just a source of education, but a source of "good" for the world. To that point, Valpo might be more willing to give a shot to a kid who might, on paper, seem like he or she couldn't make it. While it might create a little drag on metrics like 6-year graduation rates, I trust the success stories, which can't be measured as readily, are worth the cost.

(sidenote: the endowment for Valpo in 2011 was $163 million. Since January 2011, the S&P500 has risen 53%. If Valpo's endowment was put in a simple index fund, it would be worth $244 million today (less about $5 million in endowment income VU has used since then).)

Info found here:
http://colleges.startclass.com/l/1422/Valparaiso-University
http://nonprofits.findthecompany.com/l/499665/Lutheran-University-Association

[vu72]

Obtaining a lower admittance rate might increase the perception of quality (in a vague sort of way) to the outside world, which is worth something. I think the solution should be framed as finding ways to entice students of high caliber to choose Valpo rather than to field more applications overall or to keep out those students who indicate they might not make it at Valpo (The average ACT of incoming freshmen at Valpo is comparable to other schools on the list, so I question how much the retention rate has to do with accepting too many unprepared students).

While the number of students Valpo admit is high relative to its peers, the number that catches my eye even more is the percentage of admitted students who choose Valpo--18%. It's actually on par with the schools we're competing with (and higher than Butler's), but it still seems low. It means that Valpo is not at the top of the list for 80% of people admitted. I'm assuming that a large chunk of those students are very good students who apply to a few quality colleges and end up deciding they can do better than Valpo. If Valpo can make itself the #1 school for more of the students they are already admitting, then they can gradually become more selective.

Also, great point by VU72 that you can slice schools so many ways. Great to be acknowledged for a variety of reasons by a variety of publications who try to take a stab at "ranking". The Washington Monthly poll acknowledges, in a way, that we are succeeding at what Valpo is trying to be--not just a source of education, but a source of "good" for the world. To that point, Valpo might be more willing to give a shot to a kid who might, on paper, seem like he or she couldn't make it. While it might create a little drag on metrics like 6-year graduation rates, I trust the success stories, which can't be measured as readily, are worth the cost.

(sidenote: the endowment for Valpo in 2011 was $163 million. Since January 2011, the S&P500 has risen 53%. If Valpo's endowment was put in a simple index fund, it would be worth $244 million today (less about $5 million in endowment income VU has used since then).)

Info found here:
http://colleges.startclass.com/l/1422/Valparaiso-University
http://nonprofits.findthecompany.com/l/499665/Lutheran-University-Association

As an investment advisor, I can tell you that colleges do not invest as they once did.  If the market went down 30 some percent as it did during 2008, alumni would be screaming if the endowment also took such a hit.  As a result endowment managers, who are constantly seeking diversification, are now heavily invested in private equity among other things. These changes have occurred because of changes to banking regulations (Dodd-Frank and others)  On paper such investments may be carried at cost but in reality there may be significant gains built in to be recognized at a later time.

[ValpoFan]

I am not a financial expert but I will give it a shot. Yearly budgets include line items for the maintenance of buildings and paying their utility bills. The way it was explained to me is that, in a sustainable university, you would want the revenues from you endowment to cover your building operation and maintenance fees. In the last 10 years we have built a lot of new buildings (they're nice and we needed them) but the endowment hasn't grown accordingly. Now my guess is that the university will not turn away a donor who gives up $ for a new building (like the chapel extension). However, the next fundraising campaign is intended to exclusively grow the endowment funds.

As far as diversifying campus, it is highly correlated with increasing the enrollment. In order to reach the enrollment goals, we have to attract the business of the widest possible array of clients. A diverse campus will help with that. It also helps with the general image of the university. Most of the ranking agencies do not look favorably at universities that attract only one dimensional demographics.

[valpotx]

When I was in school, we were #1 or #2 on this list each year.

.....and you had to walk from B/W to classes on east campus in snow storms. Yep. We know the drill. :-)

Yes, and your thing is apparently remembering people's posting history, and then trying to call them on it/make sarcastic comments.  If you want to play that game, I will definitely start to fire back.  Be careful what you wish for

[crusadermoe]

I posted my questions before I asked similar questions about our slippage in the U.S. news ranking.